Autism statistics: Prevalence, demographics, and trends

In this article:

• How common is autism?
• Age
• Race and ethnicity
• Socioeconomic status and access to care
• Gender
• Co-occurring conditions
• The economic impact of autism
• Autism prevalence trends over time
• FAQs

In this article

• How common is autism?
• Age
• Race and ethnicity
• Socioeconomic status and access to care
• Gender
• Co-occurring conditions
• The economic impact of autism
• Autism prevalence trends over time
• FAQs

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social communication, sensory processing, and patterns of behavior or interests. Because autism is a spectrum, it can present differently from person to person.

Autism diagnoses have risen significantly. This article explores current autism statistics, including U.S. and global prevalence, demographic trends, possible reasons for rising diagnosis rates, and the economic impact of autism.

How common is autism in the U.S.?

About 1 in 31 (3.2%) 8-year-old children were identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The data, collected across 16 U.S. surveillance sites, shows substantial geographic variation. According to the CDC’s autism data, prevalence varies by location and how ASD is identified and reported.

Autism also affects adults, although prevalence estimates are less precise. A 2020 study estimated that about 1 in 45 (2.2%) U.S. adults had ASD in 2017. “So autism isn’t uncommon, but prevalence also depends on who has access to screening and who is believed when they describe their experience,” says Sharon Yu, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner and founder of Therapy on Fig in Highland Park, California.

Autism statistics worldwide  

Autism occurs worldwide, although prevalence estimates vary considerably by country and region. Differences in screening, access to diagnosis, research methods, and reporting make direct comparisons difficult.

• In 2021, about 1 in 127 people worldwide had autism. (WHO, 2025)
• A 2023 global meta-analysis estimated autism prevalence at about 1 in 139 based on studies conducted from 1996 to 2019. (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023)
• In that analysis, prevalence estimates were higher in North America (about 1 in 99) than in Europe (about 1 in 137) and Asia (about 1 in 244). (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023)
• Higher-income countries had higher reported autism prevalence than lower-middle-income countries, although differences in access to diagnosis, awareness, and available data may influence these estimates. (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023)

Autism prevalence remains uncertain in many low- and middle-income countries, where differences in awareness, access to diagnosis, and healthcare resources can affect identification and reporting. The World Health Organization continues to call for stronger early diagnosis, support systems, and coordinated autism care worldwide.

Autism statistics by age  

About 1 in 45 U.S. adults are estimated to have ASD, based on 2017 data. Adult prevalence is less precisely measured than childhood prevalence because there is no comparable national surveillance system for adults.  “More adults are getting tests for autism. In my own practice, I often get more inquiries for adult testing than child testing,” says Karen Sheridan, a licensed clinical psychologist and doctorate-level behavior analyst. “Often these adults have suspected for years they may be on the spectrum, and they want to get tested to have a better understanding of themselves.”

Autism can sometimes be detected by 18 months or younger, and according to the CDC, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered reliable by age 2. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental and behavioral screening for all children at 9, 18, and 30 months, with autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months. However, many people are not diagnosed until later in childhood or adulthood.

• ASD diagnosis rates increased in all age groups studied between 2011 and 2022. (JAMA Network Open, 2024)
• A global meta-analysis found an average age of autism diagnosis of about 5 years. Among studies limited to children ages 10 or younger, the average was about 3.6 years. (Autism, 2020)
• Autism diagnosis rates increased across all age groups studied from 2011 to 2022, with some of the largest relative increases among adults ages 26–34 (452%) and children ages 0–4 (352%). (JAMA Network Open, 2024)
• In a 2025 analysis, the median age at autism diagnosis was 6 years in 2024, down from 7 years in 2015. (Epic Research, 2025)
• More than half of people diagnosed with autism in 2024 were older than age 5, including 56% of males and 66% of females. (Epic Research, 2025)

Autism statistics by race and ethnicity

Autism is identified across all racial and ethnic groups, but disparities remain in who gets diagnosed and when. Historically, White children were identified with autism more often than children from other racial and ethnic groups. More recent data show that this pattern has narrowed or reversed, likely reflecting improvements in screening and access to diagnosis among historically underidentified groups.

• According to CDC ADDM data, autism prevalence among 8-year-olds in 2022 was lower among White children than among Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial children. (CDC, 2025)
• A study using U.S. health record data found that Black children had lower ASD diagnosis rates than White children in 2017, but by 2021, diagnosis rates were slightly higher among Black children than White children. (JAMA Network Open, 2022)
• Similar data showed that Black, Hispanic, and Asian children were less likely than White children to be diagnosed with ASD in 2017, but these gaps had narrowed or reversed by 2021. (Epic Research, 2022)
• Racial disparities remain among adults, with White adults continuing to have higher recorded ASD diagnosis rates than adults from other racial groups between 2011 and 2022. (JAMA Network Open, 2024)

These changes do not necessarily mean autism itself has become more common in certain racial or ethnic groups. This may reflect improvements in the identification of ASD in historically underdiagnosed populations.

Autism statistics by socioeconomic status and access to care

Access to autism evaluation, services, and treatment varies based on income, insurance coverage, geography, and other socioeconomic factors. These differences can affect when someone receives a diagnosis and what support is available afterward.

• Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native autistic children experienced some of the largest disparities in geographic access to autism resources compared with White autistic children living in similar areas. (JAMA Network Open, 2023)
• At some U.S. surveillance sites, lower neighborhood median household income was associated with higher autism prevalence. (CDC, 2025)
• Children treated for ASD from higher-income households had higher average annual healthcare expenditures than those from lower-income households, at $24,446 compared with $14,192. (AHRQ, 2025)
• An earlier study found that children with ASD enrolled in Medicaid had higher healthcare spending and service use than those with private insurance. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2012)

“In some places, a higher prevalence of ASD is associated with lower income or higher social vulnerability, while in other places that pattern isn’t seen,” says Yu. “I think the deeper issue is that a diagnosis is never just clinical. It’s also relational, cultural, financial, and systemic.”

Socioeconomic status often intersects with race and ethnicity, but these relationships are complex. Factors such as healthcare access, insurance coverage, availability of specialists, and a family’s ability to navigate care systems can all influence diagnosis and access to support.

Autism statistics by gender

Autism is identified more often in boys than in girls. In 2022, ASD prevalence among U.S. 8-year-olds was 3.4 times higher in boys than in girls, although research suggests that differences in how autism presents and is recognized may contribute to the diagnosis gap.

• About 1 in 20 boys were identified with ASD compared with about 1 in 70 girls. (CDC, 2025)
• Nearly 1 in 4 females first diagnosed with autism in 2024 were diagnosed as adults, compared with 12% of males. (Epic Research, 2025)

Research continues to explore why autism may be identified differently in girls and women. A 2022 review found differences between males and females in areas including clinical presentation, co-occurring conditions, and diagnostic patterns. (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022)

“We have learned from research that the female presentation of autism can vary from the male presentation of autism,” says Sheridan. “Some research suggests that some of the gold standard measures for autism may not be sensitive enough to detect female presentations due to the female presentation being more subtle than their male counterparts,” she explains. Camouflaging, or masking autistic traits in social situations, may also play a role in delayed or missed diagnoses. A small 2019 study found that camouflaging was more common among autistic females than males. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019)

Autism and co-occurring conditions

Many autistic people also have one or more co-occurring developmental, psychiatric, neurological, or physical health conditions. These conditions can affect daily life and may require additional treatment or support.

• About 70% of people with ASD have behavioral concerns and at least one co-occurring psychiatric condition. (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022)
• About 83% of children with ASD in one surveillance study had at least one additional developmental diagnosis. (Translational Pediatrics, 2020)
• Among 8-year-olds with ASD who had cognitive data available in 2022, about 40% were classified as having an intellectual disability. (CDC, 2025)
• About 41% of children and adolescents with ASD had two or more co-occurring disorders in studies summarized by a 2022 review. (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022)
• Common psychiatric conditions included social anxiety disorder (29%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 28%), and oppositional defiant disorder (28%). (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022)
• Other reported co-occurring conditions include motor abnormalities, digestive symptoms, epilepsy, and sleep disorders, although prevalence estimates vary across studies. (StatPearls, 2025)
• Sleep conditions reported in autistic children include insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea, which has been reported in up to 4% of autistic children in some research. (Focus, 2024)

The economic impact of autism

Autism can have economic effects on autistic people, their families, caregivers, and public systems. Costs may include healthcare, educational, and long-term support services, as well as lost productivity for autistic individuals and caregivers.

• The average yearly healthcare costs for an ASD-diagnosed child were between $3,930 and $5,621 more than those of a child without ASD. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020)
• Children with treated ASD had average annual healthcare expenditures of $20,122, compared with $2,201 for children without treated ASD. Home healthcare accounted for about 36% of spending among children with treated ASD. (AHRQ, 2025)
• People with autism spent an average of $2,230 on healthcare services in 2022. (National Autism Data Center, 2024)
• A 2014 study estimated that lifetime support costs in the United States ranged from about $1.4 million for an autistic person without intellectual disability to $2.4 million for someone with an intellectual disability. Special education and parental productivity loss were major costs during childhood, while residential care and individual productivity loss were among the highest costs in adulthood. (JAMA Pediatrics, 2014) (JAMA Pediatrics, 2014)
• In a small study of 254 autistic adults, about 61% were employed, and most participants did not receive job assistance. Those who disclosed their autism diagnosis to an employer were more than three times as likely to be employed, although the study does not establish that disclosure caused better employment outcomes.” (Work, 2017)
• A 2020 analysis estimated an average lifetime social cost of about $3.6 million per autistic person, including direct and indirect medical and nonmedical costs. The researchers estimated cumulative U.S. lifetime social costs of more than $7 trillion for cases from 1990 through 2019 and projected that costs could reach $11.5 trillion for cases through 2029 under one prevalence scenario. (Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2020)

For many families, autism treatment costs can include ongoing therapy, behavioral support, and prescription medications for co-occurring conditions, such as ADHD. For families managing prescriptions such as those for ADHD, options like a SingleCare prescription discount card can help reduce out-of-pocket costs on commonly prescribed medications for people with ASD. Explore ADHD resources, including financial assistance, that may help offset expenses.

Autism prevalence trends over time

Autism prevalence estimates in the U.S. have increased substantially since the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network began tracking prevalence among 8-year-olds in 2000. The most recent data show that about 1 in 31 8-year-olds have been identified as having ASD.

ADDM data also suggest that autism is being identified earlier. Children born in 2018 were 1.7 times as likely to have an ASD diagnosis or special education eligibility documented by age 4 as children born in 2014 were by the same age. (CDC, 2025)

Why are autism rates increasing?

There is no single established reason why autism prevalence estimates have increased. Changes in how autism is defined and identified, greater awareness, improved screening, and broader access to evaluation and services may all contribute to more people being identified with ASD.

“Whether it’s actually an increase in the diagnosis or something more is hard to say,” says Yu. “We could be seeing a rise in ASD because of better diagnostic tools, more awareness, better screening, and less stigma around autism, making people feel safer getting diagnosed.”

Changes to diagnostic criteria may also play a role. In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition DSM-5 combined previously separate autism-related diagnoses, including Asperger’s disorder, under the broader diagnosis of ASD. Some research has explored how changes in diagnostic classification may affect autism prevalence estimates. “However, it has been 13 years since the DSM-5 came out, and we are still seeing the prevalence rates go up and up,” Sheridan says.

Greater public awareness and screening may also contribute to rising autism identification rates. Better recognition of how autism can present differently, including in girls and historically underdiagnosed groups, may help more people receive an accurate diagnosis. This suggests that at least part of the increase may reflect improved identification rather than a change in how common autism itself is.

Researchers continue to study whether other factors, including genetic and environmental influences, may contribute to autism prevalence through efforts such as the International Collaboration for Autism Registry Epidemiology (iCARE). Organizations such as the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) also support ongoing autism research worldwide. Current evidence does not point to one factor that fully explains the increase in autism prevalence.

Expert takeaway

“Parents and schoolteachers may be more likely to suggest ASD screening,” says Leslie Greenberg, MD, associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and member of the SingleCare Medical Review Board. “If diagnosed with ASD, there may be educational resources available for the affected student.”

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of Americans have autism?

There is no single prevalence estimate for all Americans, but about 3.2% (1 in 31) of 8-year-olds were identified with autism in 2022, while an estimated 2.2% (1 in 45) of U.S. adults have autism.

Is autism becoming more common?

Autism prevalence and diagnosis rates have increased substantially over the past two decades, although researchers are still studying how much of the increase reflects improved screening, awareness, diagnostic practices, and other factors.

What is the average age of autism diagnosis?

The average age of autism diagnosis is about 5 years, although autism can sometimes be detected by 18 months and reliably diagnosed by an experienced professional by age 2.

Is autism genetic?

Autism has a strong genetic component, involving many different genes, but genetics are complex, and inheriting a genetic variant associated with autism does not necessarily mean a person will develop ASD.