Schizophrenia Statistics in the United States

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health disorder that impacts thinking, behavior, and perception, leading to significant personal and societal challenges. 

In 2023, approximately 3.7 million American adults reported experiencing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In this post, we will explore important statistics about the prevalence of schizophrenia in the U.S., discussing its occurrence across age, gender, and racial groups. 

We’ll also present statistics that highlight the economic burden, suicide risk, and treatment rates associated with schizophrenia, offering a comprehensive look at one of the most serious and misunderstood mental health disorders in the country.

Key Takeaways: 

• In 2023, 3.7 million American adults (1.8% of the population) reported experiencing schizophrenia spectrum disorders at some point in their lives.
• About 1.2% of Americans (2.5 million individuals) in 2023 met the schizophrenic diagnostic criteria.
• In 2023, schizophrenia was most prevalent among adults aged 26 to 44.
• Men were found more likely to have a schizophrenia diagnosis than women during 2023, with 1.5% of studied men affected compared to 0.9% of women.
• Black individuals in the U.S. were 2.4 times more likely to receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia compared to White individuals.
• Individuals with schizophrenia have a 4.9% lifetime risk of suicide, significantly higher than the general population. Schizophrenic men had a suicide rate of 88.96 per 100,000 people, as opposed to 56.33 per 100,000 population for women in a study.
• In 2019, the economic burden of schizophrenia in the U.S. reached $343.2 billion, with indirect costs accounting for 73.4% of the total.
• In 2023, 72.9% of adults who experienced schizophrenia in the past year were subjected to some method of mental health care. 90% of women received care compared to 57% of men.

Prevalence of Schizophrenia in the U.S.

• According to the 2023 Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study by RTI International and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 

• Around 3.7 million American adults (between the ages of 18 and 65) have experienced schizophrenia spectrum disorders at some point in their lives  This makes up 1.8% of the U.S. population. 
• In 2023, approximately 1.2% of adults aged 18 to 65 (about 2.5 million individuals) met the diagnostic criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
• In 2023, schizophrenia spectrum disorders were the most common among American adults aged 26 to 44, with 1.5% of adults in this age group experiencing schizophrenia symptoms in the past year. 

• When considering the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, adults between the ages of 26 to 44 had the highest rates, with 2.1% of adults in this age group experiencing symptoms at some point in their lives. 

• According to John Hopkins Medicine, around 1% of the U.S. population is affected by schizophrenia each year. 
• According to the National Institute on Mental Health, the prevalence of schizophrenia and similar psychotic disorders in the U.S. is less than 1%, ranging from 0.25% to 0.64%.

Schizophrenia Prevalence in the U.S. By Gender 

• According to the 2023 Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study by RTI International and SAMHSA: 

• Unlike other serious mental disorders, past-year schizophrenia occurrence was more common among American men (1.5%) compared to women (0.9%) in 2023. 
• The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia spectrum disorders is also higher in men (2.0%) compared to women (1.6%). 
• According to data published on Statista by Preeti Vankar, around 0.46% of American females and 0.48% of American males had schizophrenia as of 2019. This rate has remained relatively stable since 1990, when it was 0.44% for females and 0.5% for males.

Racial Disparities in Schizophrenia Diagnosis in the U.S.

• According to a 2018 study by Olbert et al. published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, the likelihood of being diagnosed with schizophrenia was about 2.4 times higher for Black individuals compared to White individuals in the United States.
• A study by Eack et al. published in the Journal of Psychiatry Services in 2012 revealed that even after accounting for demographic and clinical factors, African Americans were over 3 times more likely to receive a schizophrenia diagnosis compared to Euro-Americans.
• In a 2023 study published in BMC Psychiatry, data from 2010 and 2015 by the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) was used to demonstrate that: 

• Black patients were overrepresented in several diagnostic categories, including schizophrenia (24%), schizoaffective disorder (17%), and unspecified psychotic disorder (26%).
• 20% of Black patients were directed to another physician, a rate higher than other ethnic groups. 
• Compared to White patients, Black individuals were 2 times as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.

• In 2008, Barnes et al. assessed 2,311 individuals with a single admission to a state psychiatric hospital and found that in comparison to Euro-Americans, African Americans were 4 times more likely to have a schizophrenia diagnosis.
• In 2003, Neighbors et al. examined 665 psychiatric inpatients’ data in the U.S. and found that 32% of Euro-Americans were diagnosed with schizophrenia as compared to 44% of African-Americans. The study also showed that when comparing clinician-assigned diagnoses, Euro-Americans were diagnosed with schizophrenia at a lower rate (24%) than African Americans (33%)
• In 2013, Perry et al. analyzed 129 evaluations at a pre-trial correctional psychiatric facility revealing that Euro-Americans were 78% less likely to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder compared to African Americans. The likelihood of an African American being diagnosed with schizophrenia was 56%, whereas for Euro-Americans, it was only 21%.

Schizophrenia and Suicide Risk in the U.S.

• According to data from the National Death Index between 2007 and 2016: 

• Individuals with schizophrenia have a lifetime suicide risk of 4.9 %, significantly higher than the general American population. 
• The most common means of suicide among schizophrenic patients was poisoning, with 36.8% of patients taking their lives this way. Women with schizophrenia were much more likely (55.9%) to use poisoning as a method, compared to men (26.6%). 

• Schizophrenic patients were found to be 10 times more likely to die by poisoning compared to the general population, while their risk of suicide by firearm was double that of those without the disorder.
• According to Olfson et al.’s 2021 study ‘Suicide Risk in Medicare Patients With Schizophrenia Across the Life Span’: 

• People diagnosed with schizophrenia in the U.S. face a suicide risk that is 4.5 times higher than that of the general population.
• In men with schizophrenia, the suicide rate was 88.96 per 100,000 individuals—more than 3 times the rate seen among men in the general population.
• For women with schizophrenia, the suicide rate reached 56.33 per 100,000, making it over 8 times greater than the rate for women without the disorder.
• Suicide risk among men with schizophrenia decreased with age, from a high of 153.80 per 100,000 in those aged 18-34, down to 34.17 per 100,000 in men aged 65 and older.
• For women, suicide rates also dropped from 115.70 per 100,000 for those aged 18-34 to 18.66 per 100,000 for those aged 65 and above.
• Olfson et.al’s 2015 study ‘Premature Mortality Among Adults With Schizophrenia in the United States’ looked at 1,138,853 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in the U.S. It found that: 

• American adults with schizophrenia are estimated to have a life expectancy that is 28.5 years shorter than those without the condition.
• American adults with schizophrenia had over 3.5 times the risk of death during the follow-up period compared to the general adult population.
• Suicide was responsible for 52.0 deaths per 100,000 person-years among schizophrenic adults. 
• Accidental deaths occurred at a rate of 119.7 per 100,000 person-years, making them more than twice as common as suicides.
• Nonsuicidal substance-induced deaths, primarily due to alcohol or other drugs, occurred at a rate of 95.2 per 100,000 person-years.

The Economic Burden of Schizophrenia in the U.S.

• According to Martin, Rui et al.’s 2023 study ‘The Lifetime Burden of Schizophrenia as Estimated by a Government-Centric Fiscal Analytic Framework’:

• In 2021, schizophrenia led to an estimated lifetime fiscal loss of $1,540,042 per person to the U.S. government, with an average loss of $56,707 per life year lived with the condition. These losses were primarily driven by healthcare costs (41.9%), followed by the criminal justice system and homelessness (39.4%), and a further 17.5% from lost tax revenue.
• In 2021, the estimated annual fiscal burden due to schizophrenia in the U.S. was $173.6 billion.
• In 2015, the annual societal cost per person living with schizophrenia in the U.S. was estimated to range between $17,569 and $55,373. Adjusting to 2021, the total annual societal cost of schizophrenia was estimated to be between $68 billion and $214 billion, representing approximately 0.3% to 1.0% of the U.S. gross domestic product.
• According to Kadakia, Aditi et al’s 2022 study ‘The Economic Burden of Schizophrenia in the United States’:

• The estimated economic burden of schizophrenia in the United States in 2019 was $343.2 billion. This cost has more than doubled between 2013 and 2019. 
• This total cost included $251.9 billion in indirect costs, which accounted for 73.4% of the overall burden. Direct health care costs amounted to $62.3 billion, representing 18.2% of the total economic burden.

Schizophrenia Treatment Rates in the U.S. 

• According to the 2023 Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study by RTI International and SAMHSA: 

• 72.9% of those who experienced schizophrenia in the past year (1.8 million individuals) received some sort of mental health care, such as outpatient and inpatient treatment or medication. 
• Among those who had experienced schizophrenia at some point in their lives, 2.6 million (or 72.8%) received some sort of mental health care. 
• In 2023, treatment rates for schizophrenia were higher among women. Around 90% of women with lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia received treatment, compared to 57% of male patients. 
• Chen, Ethan et al.’s 2021 study ‘Schizophrenia hospitalization in the US 2005–2014’ analyzed 6,122,284 schizophrenic patients in the U.S. between 2005 and 2014 and found:

• Between 2005 and 2014, the number of schizophrenic patients that got hospitalized in the U.S. increased from 453,020 to 722,415. 
• Between 2005 and 2014, the proportion of hospitalizations for males with schizophrenia rose from 49.9% to 52.9%, while hospitalizations for females saw a slight decline, dropping from 50.1% to 47.4%.
• Between 2005 and 2014, African Americans were overrepresented in schizophrenia related hospitalizations, comprising 25.8% of all hospitalizations despite representing only 13.4% of the U.S. population. 
• American adults aged 45 to 64 had the highest rate of schizophrenia related hospitalizations (38.8%) compared to other age groups. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There a Link Between Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse in the U.S.?

Individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to struggle with substance abuse, with lifetime estimates of substance use disorders ranging from 47% to 70%. When including tobacco use, these rates can climb to 80% or more.

Are Schizophrenics at Higher Risk of Dying by Suicide?

Yes, research shows that anywhere between 5 to 13% of schizophrenic patients in the U.S. die by suicide. Learn more about suicide in the United States here.

Can Schizophrenics Have Depression?

Depression is highly common among patients with schizophrenia. Around 40% of schizophrenics also experience depressive disorders.