Allergy statistics show a large difference between reported symptoms and professionally diagnosed conditions. In the United States, 2024 diagnosed-condition estimates covered children and adults, while a 2021 survey measured symptoms and asthma overlap; older modeled estimates describe the economic burden of childhood food allergy.
Key Allergy Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- In 2024, 29.5% of U.S. children ages 0–17 had at least one diagnosed seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy.
- In 2024, 31.7% of U.S. adults had at least one diagnosed seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy.
- In 2024, 20.6% of U.S. children ages 0–17 had diagnosed seasonal allergy.
- In 2024, 12.7% of U.S. children ages 0–17 had diagnosed eczema.
- In 2024, 5.3% of U.S. children ages 0–17 had diagnosed food allergy.
- In 2024, 25.0% of U.S. children ages 6–11 had diagnosed seasonal allergy.
- In 2024, 29.5% of U.S. adult women had diagnosed seasonal allergy, compared with 20.7% of adult men.
- In 2024, 9.9% of U.S. Black adults had diagnosed food allergy.
- In 2024, 9.5% of U.S. adult women had diagnosed eczema, compared with 5.7% of adult men.
- In 2024, 6.9% of U.S. children ages 12–17 had food allergy.
- In 2021, 52.3% of the U.S. population ages 2 and older reported at least one allergy symptom.
- In 2021, 49.0% of U.S. adults reported respiratory allergy symptoms.
- In 2021, 8.3% of U.S. children ages 2–17 reported food allergy symptoms.
- In 2021, 6.4% of the U.S. population ages 2 and older had both asthma and allergy symptoms.
- In 2021, 31.0% of the U.S. population ages 2 and older had a lifetime diagnosis of any allergy.
- Childhood food allergy was estimated to cost $24.8 billion annually in the United States, based on a 2011–2012 caregiver survey and annualized modeling.
- Direct medical costs of childhood food allergy were estimated at $4.3 billion annually in the United States.
- Family-borne childhood food-allergy costs were estimated at $20.5 billion annually in the United States.
Contents
- Diagnosed allergy statistics in U.S. children and adults
- Seasonal allergy data by age, sex, race and urbanization
- Eczema statistics and demographic patterns
- Food allergy statistics across age groups and populations
- Allergy symptoms, asthma overlap and comorbidity
- Food allergy costs and economic burden
Diagnosed Allergy Statistics in U.S. Children and Adults
The CDC/NCHS 2024 estimates describe diagnosed conditions in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Seasonal allergy, eczema and food allergy are overlapping categories, so the combined figures do not equal the sum of the individual percentages.
| Population and measure | 2024 prevalence |
|---|---|
| Children ages 0–17 with at least one of the three diagnosed conditions | 29.5% |
| Children ages 0–17 with diagnosed seasonal allergy | 20.6% |
| Children ages 0–17 with diagnosed eczema | 12.7% |
| Children ages 0–17 with diagnosed food allergy | 5.3% |
| Adults with at least one of the three diagnosed conditions | 31.7% |
Source: CDC/NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Children Ages 0–17: United States, 2024; NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Adults: United States, 2024.
These are diagnosed-condition measures, not laboratory estimates of allergen sensitization. The child estimate uses an NHIS household interview, and the adult estimate uses an NHIS diagnosed-condition measure.
Seasonal Allergy Data by Age, Sex, Race and Urbanization
Among U.S. children ages 0–17 in 2024, diagnosed seasonal allergy was 11.6% for ages 0–5, 25.0% for ages 6–11 and 24.0% for ages 12–17. The reported difference by sex was 21.3% among boys and 19.8% among girls, and the brief said that difference was not statistically significant.
| Child subgroup, United States | Diagnosed seasonal allergy, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Ages 0–5 | 11.6% |
| Ages 6–11 | 25.0% |
| Ages 12–17 | 24.0% |
| Boys, ages 0–17 | 21.3% |
| Girls, ages 0–17 | 19.8% |
| Nonmetropolitan areas | 25.6% |
| Metropolitan areas | 19.8% |
Among adults, diagnosed seasonal allergy was 24.3% at ages 18–44, 27.7% at ages 45–64, 25.5% at ages 65–74 and 21.7% at ages 75 and older. Adult women had a prevalence of 29.5%, compared with 20.7% for adult men.
The adult racial and Hispanic-origin estimates were 28.5% for White non-Hispanic adults, 24.4% for Black non-Hispanic adults, 17.2% for Asian non-Hispanic adults and 16.5% for Hispanic adults. The urbanization comparison was 28.1% in nonmetropolitan areas versus 24.8% in metropolitan areas; these area associations are not causal.
Source: NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Adults: United States, 2024. The child estimates and subgroup definitions are from CDC/NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Children Ages 0–17: United States, 2024.
Eczema Statistics and Demographic Patterns
In 2024, diagnosed eczema affected 12.2% of boys and 13.3% of girls ages 0–17. By age, the estimates were 12.7% for children ages 0–5, 14.0% for ages 6–11 and 11.6% for ages 12–17; the brief described the age differences as not statistically significant.
Metropolitan children had an eczema prevalence of 12.8%, compared with 12.5% in nonmetropolitan areas. The CDC/NCHS definition requires a reported itchy eczema or atopic-dermatitis rash and professional diagnosis.
Adult diagnosed eczema was 9.5% among women and 5.7% among men. It affected 9.1% of adults ages 18–44, 6.8% of ages 45–64, 6.3% of ages 65–74 and 5.6% of adults ages 75 and older.
The adult estimates by race and Hispanic origin were 8.7% among Black adults, 8.5% among Asian adults, 7.9% among White adults and 5.1% among Hispanic adults. Diagnosed eczema was 7.9% among metropolitan adults and 6.4% among nonmetropolitan adults, an association that is not causal.
Source: CDC/NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Children Ages 0–17: United States, 2024; NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Adults: United States, 2024.
Food Allergy Statistics Across Age Groups and Populations
Childhood food allergy was 3.9% among ages 0–5, 5.0% among ages 6–11 and 6.9% among ages 12–17 in 2024. The brief reported a significant linear age trend, while the sex estimates were 5.9% for boys and 4.7% for girls, a statistically significant difference in the brief.
Food allergy affected 5.4% of metropolitan children and 5.1% of nonmetropolitan children. These similar estimates describe diagnosed food allergy, not the broader symptom measure reported for 2021.
For U.S. adults in 2024, diagnosed food allergy affected 8.3% of women and 5.1% of men. It affected 7.4% of adults ages 18–44 and 4.7% of adults ages 75 and older.
| Adult subgroup, United States | Diagnosed food allergy, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Black adults | 9.9% |
| White adults | 6.4% |
| Asian adults | 5.5% |
| Hispanic adults | 5.4% |
| Metropolitan adults | 6.8% |
| Nonmetropolitan adults | 5.9% |
Race and Hispanic-origin categories follow NHIS definitions, and the urbanization comparison is an association rather than a causal finding. Source: CDC/NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Children Ages 0–17: United States, 2024; NCHS, Diagnosed Allergic Conditions in Adults: United States, 2024.
Allergy Symptoms, Asthma Overlap and Comorbidity
The 2021 NHIS analysis measured self-reported symptoms rather than the 2024 diagnosed-condition estimates. Among people ages 2 and older, 52.3% reported at least one allergy symptom; the figure was 43.1% for children ages 2–17 and 54.6% for adults.
| 2021 self-reported measure | Children ages 2–17 | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| Any allergy symptom | 43.1% | 54.6% |
| Respiratory allergy symptoms | 34.8% | 49.0% |
| Skin allergy symptoms | 13.6% | 10.7% |
| Food allergy symptoms | 8.3% | 9.8% |
| Current asthma | 7.1% | 8.0% |
Current asthma is a comorbid respiratory condition, not itself an allergy diagnosis. Respiratory allergy symptoms are also not equivalent to physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis.
In 2021, 31.0% of people ages 2 and older had a lifetime diagnosis of any allergy, including 28.6% of children and 31.6% of adults. Lifetime diagnosis is not current disease prevalence.
The mutually exclusive categories were 6.4% with both asthma and any allergy symptoms, 1.4% with asthma only, 45.8% with allergy symptoms only and 46.4% with neither. Asthma-plus-allergy-symptom comorbidity was 5.6% in children and 6.6% in adults.
Food Allergy Costs and Economic Burden
The economic figures below are older modeled annual estimates, not a current national spending ledger. They came from a cross-sectional caregiver survey conducted in 2011–2012 and were reported in a 2023 study estimate; the study surveyed 1,643 caregivers of children with current food allergy.
| Modeled annual category | United States estimate | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Total childhood food-allergy cost | $24.8 billion | $4,184 per affected child per year |
| Direct medical costs | $4.3 billion | Visits, emergency-department care and hospitalizations |
| Family-borne costs | $20.5 billion | Lost productivity, out-of-pocket and opportunity costs |
| Lost labor productivity | $0.77 billion | Caregiver time off work for medical visits |
| Out-of-pocket costs | $5.5 billion | 31% of this category came from special foods |
| Opportunity costs | $14.2 billion | Leaving or changing jobs, modeled from responses |
The study also estimated caregivers’ willingness to pay for an effective treatment at $20.8 billion annually, or $3,504 per child per year. Willingness to pay is not observed spending or treatment revenue.
The out-of-pocket estimate included food-related costs, with special foods representing 31% of that modeled category. Because these figures use older survey responses and modeling, they should not be presented as a direct measure of current prices, claims or household spending.
Source: The economic impact of childhood food allergy in the United States.