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%)
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Geographic patterns of high blood pressure
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 pub… 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 it
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