Autism Prevalence Update (2025)
Thursday, April 17, 2025
CDC Releases New Prevalence Data – Autism now affects 1 in 31 U.S. Children, up from the 1 in 36 reported in 2023.
Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect an average of 1 in 31 children in the U.S. The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) is an active surveillance program that estimates prevalence and characteristics of ASD and monitors timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years. In 2022, a total of 16 sites (located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas [two sites: Austin and Laredo], Utah, and Wisconsin) conducted surveillance for ASD among children aged 4 and 8 years and suspected ASD among children aged 4 years.
CDC’s Community Report on Autism
ADDM Network Site Snapshots | Maryland
Autism Prevalence Varies Across US Communities
Key Findings from the CDC Report:
- Overall prevalence among 8-year-olds: 1 in 31 children
- Range by Site: From 1 in 103 (Laredo, TX) to 1 in 19 (California)
- Overall prevalence among 4-year-olds: 1 in 34 children
- Range by Site: From 1 in 78 (Indiana) to 1 in 17 (California)
- By sex: 1 in 20 boys, 1 in 70 girls
- By race/ethnicity: Highest rates among Asian/Pacific Islander (1 in 26), American Indian/Alaska Native (1 in 27), and Black children (1 in 27), compared to White children (1 in 36)
- Median age of diagnosis: 47 months (just under 4 years old); only half of children diagnosed by age 3
- Co-Occurring Intellectual Disability: 39.6% of children, based on available records
Facts About CDC’s ADDM Network
Read the Press Release from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – New CDC Report Shows Increase in Autism in 2022 with Notable Shifts in Race, Ethnicity, and Sex