Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke—the two leading causes of death in the United States (1–3).

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Definitions

References

Key Findings

Hypertension in adults age 20 and older

Trend: 2001–2004 through 2017–March 2020

This line graph shows the percentage of adults age 20 and older with hypertension from 2001 through 2004 to 2017 through March 2020.

The age-adjusted percentage of adults age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly from 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020. See Featured Chart for additional analysis.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. See Sources and Definitions, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Health, United States, 2022 Table Htn.

Estimates are based on the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. See Sources and Definitions, Population.
Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. See Sources and Definitions, Age adjustment.
For information on the methods used to assess trends, see Sources and Definitions, Statistical testing.
The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Consequently, data collected during 2019–March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 prepandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines.”

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Hypertension in men age 20 and older

Trend: 2001–2004 through 2017–March 2020

This line graph shows the percentage of men age 20 and older with hypertension from 2001 through 2004 to 2017 through March 2020.

The age-adjusted percentage of men age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly from 2001–2004 to 2017–March. See Featured Chart for additional analysis.

Estimates are based on the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. See Sources and Definitions, Population.
Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. See Sources and Definitions, Age adjustment.
For information on the methods used to assess trends, see Sources and Definitions, Statistical testing.
The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Consequently, data collected during 2019–March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 prepandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines.”

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Hypertension in women age 20 and older

Trend: 2001–2004 through 2017–March 2020

This line graph shows the percentage of women age 20 and older with hypertension from 2001 through 2004 to 2017 through March 2020.

The age-adjusted percentage of women age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly from 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020 (42.1% in 2017–March 2020). See Featured Chart for additional analysis.

Estimates are based on the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. See Sources and Definitions, Population.
Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. See Sources and Definitions, Age adjustment.
For information on the methods used to assess trends, see Sources and Definitions, Statistical testing.
The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Consequently, data collected during 2019–March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 prepandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines.”

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From 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020, hypertension was stable across all ages and was higher among older adults for both men and women.

Figure 1 is a two-panel chart with line graphs showing the percentage of men (left graph) and women (right graph) age 20 and older with hypertension from 2001 through 2004 to 2017 through March 2020. Age groups shown are 75 and older, 65 through 74, 55 through 64, 45 through 54, 35 through 44, and 20 through 34.

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NOTE: “Stable” refers to no statistically significant trend during the period.

From 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020, the percentage of men and women age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly for any age group.
Throughout the period, the percentage of men and women with hypertension generally increased with increasing age.
For men in 2017–March 2020, the percentage of those with hypertension ranged from 28.0% for men ages 20–34 to 83.2% for men age 75 and older.
For women in 2017–March 2020, the percentage of those with hypertension ranged from 13.6% for women ages 20–34 to 84.1% for women age 75 and older.
In 2017–March 2020, men were more likely to have hypertension than women for those younger than age 55. For those age 55 and older, the prevalence of hypertension was similar for men and women.

Estimates are based on the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. See Sources and Definitions, Population.
For information on the methods used to assess trends, see Sources and Definitions, Statistical testing.
The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Consequently, data collected during 2019–March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 prepandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines.”

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From 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020, the age-adjusted percentage of adults age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly for Black, Mexican, and White adults. The percentage for Asian adults increased from 2013–2016 to 2017–March 2020.

Figure 2 is a line graph showing the percentage of adults age 20 and older with hypertension by race and Hispanic origin from 2001 through 2004 to 2017 through March 2020. Categories shown are Black non-Hispanic, White non-Hispanic, Mexican, and Asian non-Hispanic.

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¹Data for the Asian population are available only starting in 2013.

NOTE: “Stable” refers to no statistically significant trend during the period.

From 2001–2004 to 2017–March 2020, the age-adjusted percentage of adults age 20 and older with hypertension did not change significantly for Black, Mexican, and White adults.
For Asian adults, the age-adjusted percentage of hypertension increased from 41.2% in 2013–2016 to 46.2% in 2017–March 2020.
Throughout the period, hypertension was higher in Black adults compared with Mexican, White, and Asian adults.
In 2017–March 2020, the age-adjusted percentage of adults with hypertension was 58.9% for Black adults, 46.2% for Asian adults, 44.5% for White adults, and 42.6% for Mexican adults.

Estimates are Age-adjusted estimates are presented to eliminate differences that result from changes in the distribution of age in the population over time. See Sources and Definitions, Age adjustment.
Estimates are based on the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. See Sources and Definitions, Population.
For information on the methods used to assess trends, see Sources and Definitions, Statistical testing.
Race groups (Asian, Black, and White) are non-Hispanic.
Data on race and Hispanic origin are presented in the greatest detail possible considering the quality of the data, the amount of missing data, and the number of observations. Although data for Hispanic people are available starting in 2007–2008, to provide estimates for the entire period starting with 2001–2004, estimates for people of Mexican origin are presented in the figure rather than Hispanic. Data for Asian people are available starting in 2011–2012.
The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Consequently, data collected during 2019–March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 prepandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020 Prepandemic File: Sample Design, Estimation, and Analytic Guidelines.”

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Explore Data

Hypertension in adults age 20 and older, by selected characteristics: United States, selected years 1988–1994 to 2017–March 2020

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Cholesterol in adults age 20 and older, by selected characteristics: United States, selected years 1988–1994 to 2017–March 2020

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

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Definitions

Hypertension: Defined as having measured high blood pressure (systolic pressure of at least 130 mm Hg or diastolic pressure of at least 80 mm Hg), taking high blood pressure medication, or both. Those who report taking high blood pressure medication may not have measured high blood pressure but are still classified as having hypertension. See Sources and Definitions, Hypertension.
Mexican: People of Mexican or Hispanic origin may be of any race. For 1999–2006, the NHANES sample was designed to provide estimates specifically for people of Mexican origin and not for all Hispanic-origin people. Starting with 2007–2008 data, estimates for all Hispanic people are available. To provide the full trend, estimates for people of Mexican origin only are presented in the figure. For data on the Hispanic population, see Health, United States, 2022 Table Htn. Also see Sources and Definitions, Hispanic origin.
Race: Estimates are presented according to the 1997 Office of Management and Budget’s “Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity” and are for people who reported only one racial group. Starting in 2011, NHANES oversampled the Asian non-Hispanic population. In Health, United States, estimates are presented for Asian non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and White non-Hispanic people, as well as for people of Hispanic and Mexican origin. Insufficient numbers of observations are available during this period to meet statistical reliability or confidentiality requirements for reporting estimates for additional race categories. See Sources and Definitions, Race.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High blood pressure. 2023.
Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, Casey DE Jr, Collins KJ, Dennison Himmelfarb C, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines. Hypertension 71(6):e13-e115. 2018.
Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu J, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2020. NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 72 no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:131355.

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