High Blood Pressure Facts

For Everyone

What to know

  • Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure.
  • High blood pressure increases risk for heart disease and stroke.
  • Many adults with high blood pressure do not have it under control.
Health care professional measures blood pressure of older woman

High blood pressure in the United States

High blood pressure is common in the United States and increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. Learn more about the definition of blood pressure.

  • Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States.
  • In 2024, high blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of 680,179 deaths in the United States1.
  • Nearly half of adults have high blood pressure (48.1%, 119.9 million). This is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mm Hg or are taking medication for high blood pressure2.
  • About 1 in 4 adults with high blood pressure has their blood pressure under control (22.5%, 27.0 million2.)
  • About half of adults (45%) with uncontrolled high blood pressure have a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. This includes 37 million U.S. adults2.
  • About 34 million adults who may need blood pressure medicine according to the hypertension guidelines are not currently taking it. Nearly two out of three of these adults (19 million) have a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher.
  • Annual costs associated with high blood pressure were an estimated $219 billion in the United States in 20193.

Differences in high blood pressure by sex and race

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is common, but blood pressure control varies among population groups.

  • A higher percentage of men (50%) have high blood pressure than women (42.1%)4.
  • High blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic black adults (59.6%) than in Hispanic adults (44.9%), non-Hispanic white adults (44.8%), or non-Hispanic Asian adults (42.7%)4.
  • Among those recommended to take blood pressure medication, blood pressure control is higher among non-Hispanic Asian adults (46.8%) than in Hispanic adults (41.3%), non-Hispanic white adults (39.9%), or non-Hispanic black adults (31.8%)4.

Controlling high blood pressure

Taking steps to prevent and control high blood pressure can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. Learn steps you can take to lower your risk for health problems from high blood pressure.

Geographic patterns of high blood pressure

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Hypertension prevalence in adults aged 18 and older in the US by county, 2023
This map of the United States shows counties with the highest prevalence of high blood pressure among adults in 2023. Many of these counties are located in the Southeast. Data were not provided from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and U.S. Territories to publish.

High blood pressure is more common in some areas of the United States. Above is a map showing the self-reported proportion of people with hypertension by county. However, this map likely underreports the true burden of hypertension in each state, because about 1 in 6 adults with high blood pressure is unaware of it and would not report having it5.

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; About the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
  1. National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple Cause of Death 2018–2024 on CDC WONDER Database. Accessed February 24, 2026. https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd.html
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypertension cascade: hypertension prevalence, treatment and control estimates among US adults aged 18 years and older applying the criteria from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association's 2017 Hypertension Guideline—NHANES 2017–March 2020. Published 2023. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/data-reports/hypertension-prevalence.html
  3. Wang Y, Lee JS, Pollack LM, Kumar A, Honeycutt S, Luo F. Health care expenditures and use associated with hypertension among U.S. adults. Am J Prev Med. 2024;67(6):820–831.
  4. Hardy ST, Jaeger BC, Foti K, Ghazi L, Wozniak G, Muntner P. Trends in Blood Pressure Control among US Adults With Hypertension, 2013–2014 to 2021–2023. Am J Hypertens. 2025;38(2):120-128. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpae141
  5. Johnson DY, Marinacci LX, Wadhera RK. Hypertension, Diabetes, and High Cholesterol Awareness Among US Adults. JAMA Cardiol. 2025;10(8):859–860. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2025.1536