New CDC study finds that autism prevalence among children in the U.S. has risen to one in 31

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) continues to increase in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new statistics come from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, which estimates the national prevalence of ASD based on data from multiple sites (currently 16) in the United States and Puerto Rico. Each biannual ADDM Network report estimates the prevalence of diagnosed ASD among children at eight years of age, as well as the prevalence of diagnosed or suspected cases of ASD among children at four years of age.

The ADDM Network’s previous analysis, based on data from 2020, found that one in 36 eight-year-old children had ASD. According to the 2022 data used in the new study, the prevalence is now one in 31 children. In addition, the researchers say, “Children born in 2018 (aged 4 years in 2022) had 1.7 times the cumulative incidence of ASD diagnosis or eligibility by age 48 months as children born in 2014 (aged 8 years in 2022).”

The researchers found that the numbers of diagnosed cases of ASD varied widely by location, ranging from 9.7 in Laredo, Texas, to 53.1 in California. The highest rates of ASD were found in Asian/Pacific Island, Native American/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial children, a finding that the authors say “is consistent with increased access to and provision of identification services among previously underserved groups.” ASD was 3.4 times more prevalent among boys than girls, and nearly 40% of children with ASD also had a diagnosis of intellectual disability.

The authors conclude, “Increased identification of autism, particularly among very young children and previously under-identified groups, underscores the increased demand and ongoing need for enhanced planning to provide equitable diagnostic, treatment, and support services for all children with ASD.”

Citations

“Prevalence and early identification of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 4 and 8 years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 sites, United States, 2022,” Kelly A. Shaw et al., CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 17, 2025 (free online). Address: Kelly A. Shaw, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC, [email protected].

Editor’s note: It is important to recognize that the data used by the ADDM Network is based on eight-year-old children, and it typically takes about two years to collect, analyze, and publish the ADDM Network report. Consequently, the newly reported statistics, along with future statistics published by the CDC, are not estimates of the current odds of having an autistic child.