CDC Data Brief on Chronic Pain

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that chronic pain affected almost one quarter of adults in 2023, with 24.3% reporting pain in the past three months and 8.5% experiencing pain severe enough to limit daily or work activities, known as high-impact chronic pain. Rates increased steadily with age, and women were more likely than men to report chronic pain. Pain also varied across communities. Adults living farther from major urban centers experienced higher levels of both chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain.

Significant differences were seen across racial and ethnic groups. American Indian and Alaska Native adults had the highest levels of chronic pain at 30.7%, compared with 17.1% among Hispanic adults and 11.8% among Asian adults. They also had higher levels of high-impact chronic pain than Asian adults. Asian adults consistently had the lowest rates of both chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain.