Current Asthma Demographics

Current asthma rates are not the same across demographic groups. This page describes current asthma rates, defined as those who have ever been diagnosed with asthma by a healthcare professional and report still having asthma, by the following demographics: sex and age, race/ethnicity, Hispanic subgroups, family income, health insurance coverage, and state.

Current Asthma Rates by Sex and Age

• Among children, current asthma is more common for males (8.3%) than females (6.7%). However, among adults, females (9.8%) are more likely than males (5.5%) to still have asthma.

Current Asthma Rates by Race/Ethnicity

• Blacks and American Indian/Alaska Natives have the highest current asthma rates compared to other races and ethnicities. In 2018, Blacks (10.9%) were 42 percent more likely than Whites (7.7%) to still have asthma.
• Hispanics (6.4%) and Asians (4.0%) had lower current asthma prevalence rates than other racial and ethnic groups.

Current Asthma Rates by Hispanic Subgroups

• While asthma rates are relatively low for Hispanics overall, rates vary significantly among subgroups. Puerto Ricans in the continental United States have the highest current asthma rate of any racial or ethnic group, at 14.0 percent over 2016 to 2018.

Current Asthma Rates by Family Income

• In 2018, current asthma rates were significantly higher (11.0%) among those with a family income below the poverty threshold as compared to above the poverty threshold.

Current Asthma Rates by Health Insurance Coverage

• In 2018, current asthma rates among adults ages 18 to 65 were highest for those on Medicaid and lowest for those with no medical insurance.

Current Adult Asthma by State

• In 2018, current asthma rates among adults ranged from 7.4 percent in Texas to 12.3 percent in Maine and West Virginia.  
   

  Current Asthma by State, 2018

  	Child			Adult
  State	Count	Percent	Year	Count	Percent
  Alabama	141,500	13.2%	2014	394,600	10.5%
  Alaska	---	---		50,700	9.2%
  Arizona	129,200	8.1%	2016	545,100	10.0%
  Arkansas	---	---		225,900	9.8%
  California	542,700	6.2%		2,607,600	8.5%
  Colorado	---	---		399,400	9.1%
  Connecticut	62,400	9.7%		290,300	10.3%
  Delaware	---	---		77,000	10.1%
  District of Columbia	12,700	10.9%		66,400	11.6%
  Florida	302,100	7.5%		1,495,600	8.7%
  Georgia	177,900	7.6%		714,600	8.9%
  Hawaii	30,000	10.2%		104,400	9.3%
  Idaho	---	---		112,000	8.6%
  Illinois	163,900	6.0%		860,000	8.7%
  Indiana	115,600	8.7%		509,700	10.0%
  Iowa	41,600	5.8%	2011	191,000	7.9%
  Kansas	51,700	7.6%		214,700	9.8%
  Kentucky	57,000	5.9%		395,300	11.5%
  Louisiana	94,100	8.8%	2015	316,400	8.9%
  Maine	17,200	7.4%		132,100	12.3%
  Maryland	92,000	7.6%		439,900	9.3%
  Massachusetts	79,600	6.4%		558,400	10.2%
  Michigan	177,000	8.6%		872,500	11.2%
  Minnesota	66,700	5.3%		357,200	8.3%
  Mississippi	43,200	6.5%		218,200	9.7%
  Missouri	108,200	8.4%		444,300	9.4%
  Montana	11,700	5.3%		82,700	10.0%
  Nebraska	23,600	5.0%		128,800	8.9%
  Nevada	45,900	7.0%		186,800	8.0%
  New Hampshire	19,500	8.5%		128,300	11.8%
  New Jersey	133,100	7.2%		593,200	8.4%
  New Mexico	35,200	7.5%		157,200	9.9%
  New York	207,900	6.2%		1,578,000	10.1%
  North Carolina	250,600	11.5%	2014	757,800	9.4%
  North Dakota	10,000	6.5%	2012	47,000	8.2%
  Ohio	189,400	7.8%		854,200	9.4%
  Oklahoma	88,700	9.8%	2016	307,600	10.3%
  Oregon	58,700	7.3%		383,300	11.6%
  Pennsylvania	242,200	9.7%		1,012,600	10.0%
  Rhode Island	14,700	7.9%		101,300	11.9%
  South Carolina	---	---		360,400	9.1%
  South Dakota	---	---		51,700	7.9%
  Tennessee	139,200	9.7%	2014	513,100	9.8%
  Texas	541,800	7.9%	2015	1,572,800	7.4%
  Utah	49,700	5.5%		206,400	9.3%
  Vermont	8,800	8.8%		60,200	12.0%
  Virginia	---	---		563,500	8.5%
  Washington	115,900	7.3%	2016	559,000	9.6%
  West Virginia	34,600	9.4%	2014	175,400	12.3%
  Wisconsin	103,000	8.4%		408,300	9.0%
  Wyoming	11,700	8.6%	2012	38,100	8.7%
  United States*	---	7.2%		23,420,800	9.2%
  State	Count	Percent	Year	Count	Percent

  Source:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2011-2018. Analysis by the American Lung Association Epidemiology and Statistics Unit.

  • * National child asthma prevalence is based on data from 31 states and Washington, D.C.
  • Child asthma data is from 2018 unless an earlier year is noted, in which case that is the most recent year of data available. If a state has not collected child asthma data since 2011, no rate is listed.

Current Child Asthma by State

• Asthma prevalence data for children is not available for every state and year. Among the thirty-one states and Washington D.C. with 2018 data, current asthma rates among children ranged from 5.0 percent in Nebraska to 10.9 percent in Washington, D.C.
   

  Current Asthma by State, 2018

  	Child			Adult
  State	Count	Percent	Year	Count	Percent
  Alabama	141,500	13.2%	2014	394,600	10.5%
  Alaska	---	---		50,700	9.2%
  Arizona	129,200	8.1%	2016	545,100	10.0%
  Arkansas	---	---		225,900	9.8%
  California	542,700	6.2%		2,607,600	8.5%
  Colorado	---	---		399,400	9.1%
  Connecticut	62,400	9.7%		290,300	10.3%
  Delaware	---	---		77,000	10.1%
  District of Columbia	12,700	10.9%		66,400	11.6%
  Florida	302,100	7.5%		1,495,600	8.7%
  Georgia	177,900	7.6%		714,600	8.9%
  Hawaii	30,000	10.2%		104,400	9.3%
  Idaho	---	---		112,000	8.6%
  Illinois	163,900	6.0%		860,000	8.7%
  Indiana	115,600	8.7%		509,700	10.0%
  Iowa	41,600	5.8%	2011	191,000	7.9%
  Kansas	51,700	7.6%		214,700	9.8%
  Kentucky	57,000	5.9%		395,300	11.5%
  Louisiana	94,100	8.8%	2015	316,400	8.9%
  Maine	17,200	7.4%		132,100	12.3%
  Maryland	92,000	7.6%		439,900	9.3%
  Massachusetts	79,600	6.4%		558,400	10.2%
  Michigan	177,000	8.6%		872,500	11.2%
  Minnesota	66,700	5.3%		357,200	8.3%
  Mississippi	43,200	6.5%		218,200	9.7%
  Missouri	108,200	8.4%		444,300	9.4%
  Montana	11,700	5.3%		82,700	10.0%
  Nebraska	23,600	5.0%		128,800	8.9%
  Nevada	45,900	7.0%		186,800	8.0%
  New Hampshire	19,500	8.5%		128,300	11.8%
  New Jersey	133,100	7.2%		593,200	8.4%
  New Mexico	35,200	7.5%		157,200	9.9%
  New York	207,900	6.2%		1,578,000	10.1%
  North Carolina	250,600	11.5%	2014	757,800	9.4%
  North Dakota	10,000	6.5%	2012	47,000	8.2%
  Ohio	189,400	7.8%		854,200	9.4%
  Oklahoma	88,700	9.8%	2016	307,600	10.3%
  Oregon	58,700	7.3%		383,300	11.6%
  Pennsylvania	242,200	9.7%		1,012,600	10.0%
  Rhode Island	14,700	7.9%		101,300	11.9%
  South Carolina	---	---		360,400	9.1%
  South Dakota	---	---		51,700	7.9%
  Tennessee	139,200	9.7%	2014	513,100	9.8%
  Texas	541,800	7.9%	2015	1,572,800	7.4%
  Utah	49,700	5.5%		206,400	9.3%
  Vermont	8,800	8.8%		60,200	12.0%
  Virginia	---	---		563,500	8.5%
  Washington	115,900	7.3%	2016	559,000	9.6%
  West Virginia	34,600	9.4%	2014	175,400	12.3%
  Wisconsin	103,000	8.4%		408,300	9.0%
  Wyoming	11,700	8.6%	2012	38,100	8.7%
  United States*	---	7.2%		23,420,800	9.2%
  State	Count	Percent	Year	Count	Percent

  Source:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2011-2018. Analysis by the American Lung Association Epidemiology and Statistics Unit.

  • * National child asthma prevalence is based on data from 31 states and Washington, D.C.
  • Child asthma data is from 2018 unless an earlier year is noted, in which case that is the most recent year of data available. If a state has not collected child asthma data since 2011, no rate is listed.