Anxiety Statistics in the United States
Anxiety is a growing concern in the U.S., with rising rates among both adults and children. In a 2024 poll, 43% of adults reported increased anxiety compared to the previous year, up from 37% in 2023.
Young adults and specific demographic groups, such as American Indians and Hispanics, experience higher rates of anxiety.
Plus, various types of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder, affect millions, and social factors like economic uncertainty and the impact of COVID-19 have intensified anxiety’s prevalence.
Key Takeaways:
- In a 2024 poll, 43% of U.S. adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year, compared to 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.
- The prevalence of anxiety among women increased from 5.95% in 2008 to 7.91% in 2018, while in men, it rose from 4.22% to 5.35%.
- In 2019, American Indians had the highest prevalence of anxiety symptoms at 68.67%, followed by Hispanics at 65.51%, African Americans at 64.77%, and non-Hispanic Whites at 58.05%.
- The percentage of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression rose from 11% to 40% between 2019 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
- In 2024, only 24% of U.S. adults reported consulting a mental health care professional. Adults aged 18-34 were more than twice as likely to seek mental health care compared to those aged 50+.
Prevalence of Anxiety in U.S. Adults
- The American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll in 2024 reveals that anxiety among U.S. adults is rising. 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year, compared to 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.
- The KKF’s analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey found that in 2023, around 32.3% of adults reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The age-wise distribution of those experiencing anxiety symptoms is as follows:
- The U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey found that the proportion of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression rose from 11% to approximately 40% between 2019 and 2020.
- According to a survey by The Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association, one-third (33%) of respondents did not view anxiety as a mental illness, while 22% felt the same way about depression.
- Out of the 74,994 participants analyzed from the 2019 National Health and Wellness Survey, 23,631 (32.5%) reported experiencing anxiety symptoms. Additionally, 8,370 (11.5%) individuals had unrecognized anxiety symptoms; they did not report symptoms or a diagnosis in the past 12 months but had a GAD-7 score greater than 4. The severity of self-reported anxiety symptoms among the 23,631 participants is as follows:
Prevalence of Anxiety in U.S. Children
- A 2022 JAMA Pediatric study on 5-year trends in U.S. Children’s Health and Wellbeing discovered that anxiety in children aged 3 to 17 rose by 27% from 2016 to 2019. By 2020, 5.6 million children (9.2%) had been diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
- An analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health data finds that in children aged 6 to 17, the percentage diagnosed with anxiety or depression rose from 5.4% in 2003 to 7.8% in 2007 and reached 8.4% in 2011–2012. This represents a 56% increase in diagnosed prevalence from 2003 to 2011–2012.
- The National Survey of Children’s Health also showed that the rate of current anxiety or depression rose by 13%, increasing from 4.7% in 2007 to 5.3% in 2011–2012. Data for specific diagnoses is as follows:
- Current anxiety increased by 19%, going from 3.5% in 2007 to 4.1% in 2011–2012.
- The rate of ever-diagnosed anxiety rose by 17%, from 5.5% to 6.4%.
- Current depression showed no significant change, remaining at 2.5% in 2007 and 2.7% in 2011–2012.
- The rate of ever-diagnosed depression also did not change significantly from 4.7% in 2007 to 4.9% in 2011–2012.
- For children aged 6 to 17 assessed by the National Survey of Children’s Health, parents rated current depression as mild for 53.5%, moderate for 35.7%, and severe for 10.7%. For current anxiety, the ratings were mild for 48.0%, moderate for 36.8%, and severe for 15.2%.
- Approximately 2 million children aged 6 to 17 had current anxiety in 2011–2012 according to the National Survey of Children’s Health data, along with 1.4 million with current depression, 2.6 million with either condition, and 760,000 with both.
Demographic Variations in Anxiety in the U.S.
- Analysis of 2019 National Health and Wellness Data showed that the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was highest among American Indians (68.67%), followed by Hispanics (65.51%) and African Americans (64.77%), with non-Hispanic Whites having the lowest prevalence at 58.05%.
- According to a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, anxiety levels rose for both women (from 5.95% in 2008 to 7.91% in 2018) and men (from 4.22% in 2008 to 5.35% in 2018). The year-wise distribution of anxiety disorders in males and females is shown below:
- In August 2018, the American Psychological Association (APA) conducted its 12th annual Stress in America™ survey and found that adult Gen Zs are more likely than other generations to report having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (18%) and the most likely to report a diagnosis of depression (23%).
Type of Anxiety Disorders in the U.S.
According to data from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA):
- Generalized anxiety disorder impacts 6.8 million adults, representing 3.1% of the population in the United States.
- Panic disorder affects 6 million adults, which is 2.7% of the U.S. population.
- Social anxiety disorder impacts 15 million adults, which accounts for 7.1% of the U.S. population. ADAA also found that 36% of individuals with social anxiety disorder experience symptoms for 10 years or more before seeking treatment.
- About 19.3 million adults in the United States, or 9.1% of the population, suffer from specific phobias
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects 1.2% of American adults or approximately 2.5 million people.
- About 7.7 million adults, representing 3.6% of the American adult population, are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Here’s a graph that shows the prevalence of different types of anxiety disorders in the United States:
The Causes and Impact of Anxiety in the U.S.
- A longitudinal cohort study of U.S. adolescents aged 12–15 (n=6,595) published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2019 found that those spending over 3 hours daily on social media were twice as likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- American Psychiatric Association’s 2024 survey results show that 70% of U.S. adults feel anxious about current events, particularly regarding the economy (77%), the 2024 U.S. election (73%), and gun violence (69%).
- According to the Children’s Health Council, those with an anxiety disorder are 3–5 times more likely to visit a doctor and 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric conditions compared to those without anxiety disorders.
- In 2001, the total cost estimate for anxiety disorders accounted for more than 30% of the overall spending on psychiatric disorders in the United States.
The Effect of COVID-19 on Anxiety in the U.S.
- According to Elsevier’s PMC COVID-19 Collection study, the percentage of participants with high anxiety symptoms rose significantly from 8.1% in 2019 to 21.4% in early April 2020. By May, the prevalence dropped to 11.4%, but it stayed 3% higher than 2019 levels through December 2020.
- A 2020 study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety found that, compared to U.S. adults in 2019, those in April and May 2020 were over 3 times more likely to screen positive for depression, anxiety, or both. More than 1 in 3 adults screened positive for at least one of these conditions.
- According to the CDC, between August 2020 and February 2021, the percentage of adults experiencing recent symptoms of anxiety or depression rose from 36.4% to 41.5%. Additionally, the proportion of individuals reporting unmet mental health care needs grew from 9.2% to 11.7%.
- The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics report that in April 2024, 21% of respondents reported experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms. This marks a decrease from 34% in October 2023 and a peak of 43% in November 2020.
Anxiety Treatment Statistics in the U.S.
- According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 36.9% of individuals with anxiety seek treatment.
- In 2021, nearly 15.4 million Xanax (alprazolam) prescriptions were filled in the United States, as per Statista. Xanax is a potent, short-acting benzodiazepine used to treat various anxiety disorders.
- According to Statista, data from pharmacy claims in 2019 showed that women aged 45 to 64 had the highest prevalence of anti-anxiety medication use, with about 10% filling at least 1 prescription in 2019.
- Another Statista report based on pharmacy claims from 2019 shows that the percentage of patients in the U.S. who filled at least 1 prescription for anti-anxiety medication was highest in Louisiana at 7%, followed by New Hampshire at 6.9%, and Massachusetts at 6%. The top 10 states with the highest share of anti-anxiety medication prescriptions are as follows:
- According to the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll, in 2024, only 24% of adults reported having consulted a mental health care professional in the past year. Younger adults (ages 18-34) were more than twice as likely as older adults (ages 50+) to have sought mental health care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is Anxiety So Common in America?
Anxiety’s prevalence in America stems from a combination of factors, including fast-paced lifestyles, societal pressures, economic uncertainty, and increased awareness and reporting of mental health conditions.
What Is the Most Common Mental Illness in the U.S.?
The most common mental illness in the U.S. is anxiety, which affects around 40 million adults annually.
Which Population Is the Most Affected by Anxiety in the U.S.?
When it comes to anxiety, LGBTQ+ young adults are one of the most affected populations in the U.S. According to the 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Youth, 67% of LGBTQ+ young people reported anxiety symptoms. Learn more in our post on LGBTQ+ Mental Health Statistics in 2024.
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