| Office of Minority Health

Asthma and Black/African Americans

In 2024, non-Hispanic Black or African American adults had a rate of asthma that was 14% higher than the total adult population.1
In 2024, non-Hispanic Black or African American children had a rate of asthma that was 60% higher compared to children of the total population.2
In 2021, non-Hispanic Black or African American children died of asthma 3.85 times more often than children of the total population.3

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Occurrence

Adults

Current asthma among adults ages 18 and over, percentage, 2024
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
9.8	8.6	1.14

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Interactive summary health statistics for adults: Percentage of current asthma for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adults age 18 and over who have ever been told they have asthma, percentage, 2018
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
14.8	13.6	1.09

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2019). Summary health statistics: National Health Interview Survey, 2018 (Table A-2a). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children and Adolescents

Current asthma among children under 18 years of age, percentage, 2024
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
10.3	6.5	1.60

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Interactive summary health statistics for children: Percentage of current asthma for children under age 18 years, United States, 2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children under 18 years of age ever having asthma, percentage, 2024
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
14.0	9.7	1.44

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Interactive summary health statistics for children: Percentage of ever having asthma for children under age 18 years, United States, 2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mortality

Adults

Asthma mortality among adults ages 18 and over, rate per million, 2021
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
29.7	13.1	2.27

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Most recent asthma data. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children and Adolescents

Asthma mortality among children ages 0–17, rate per million, 2021
Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
7.7	2.0	3.85

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Most recent asthma data. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Health Care Use

Adults

Emergency department visits with asthma as the first listed diagnosis in the past 12 months among adults ages 18 and over, rate per 10,000 population, 2020
Black/African American Alone	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
80.6	27.8	2.90

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Asthma: Healthcare use data 2020 (Table A). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospital inpatient stays with asthma as the first listed diagnosis among adults ages 18 and over, rate per 10,000 population, 2020
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
6.5	2.6	2.50

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Asthma: Healthcare use data 2020 (Table B). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children and Adolescents

Emergency department visits with asthma as the first listed diagnosis in the past 12 months among children ages 0–17, rate per 10,000 population, 2020
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
89.5	36.4	2.46

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Asthma: Healthcare use data 2020 (Table A). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospital inpatient stays with asthma as the first listed diagnosis among children ages 0–17 years, rate per 10,000 population, 2020
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
8.6	3.6	2.39

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Asthma: Healthcare use data 2020 (Table B). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.

1 National Center for Health Statistics. Percentage of current asthma for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2024. National Health Interview Survey. Generated interactively: Aug 14 2025 from https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html (Back to top)

2 CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Children. Percentage of current asthma for children under 18 years, United States, 2024. (Back to top)

3 CDC Most Recent National Asthma Data Source: 2019–2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). (Back to top)