1 in 31
8-year-old children were identified with autism
That is 32.2 children per 1,000 across 16 CDC monitoring communities in 2022.
CDC sourceUpdated September 16, 2026
Autism Statistics in the United States
Clear, shareable numbers from the latest CDC community report, with the context families deserve.
At a glance
The numbers, without the noise.
Autism data can feel impersonal when it is just a headline. This page gathers the most useful figures from CDC surveillance in one place, with enough detail to understand what each number does and does not say.
3.4x
higher identified prevalence among boys than girls
The report found 49.2 per 1,000 boys and 14.3 per 1,000 girls identified with autism.
CDC source50.3%
were evaluated by 36 months
This figure applies to 8-year-old children with autism whose evaluation information was available.
CDC source47 months
was the median age of earliest known diagnosis
The median varied by community, from 36 months in California to 69.5 months in Laredo, Texas.
CDC source39.6%
had an intellectual disability
This applies to 8-year-old children with autism who had cognitive information in their records.
CDC source1.7x
higher identification by age 4 for younger children
Children born in 2018 were identified by 48 months more often than children born in 2014.
CDC source1 in 103 to 1 in 19
was the range across CDC communities
The 2022 estimates ranged from 9.7 per 1,000 in Laredo, Texas, to 53.1 per 1,000 in California.
CDC source22.2%
higher prevalence than 2020 across comparable sites
Among the 11 sites that also reported in 2020, the 2022 estimate was 22.2% higher overall.
CDC sourceWhat this means
One number cannot tell a family's whole story.
Prevalence is a count within a defined group. It can change when communities identify children earlier, have better access to evaluations, or use different education and health records. It is not a measure of a child's worth, potential, or support needs.
The wide range between communities is a reminder that access and identification are not identical everywhere. Families looking for support should start with their child and their local resources, not with a national average.
Read our practical family guideSources and method
Built to be useful, and easy to check.
Every statistic above comes from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network report on children aged 4 and 8 in 16 U.S. communities during 2022. The report was published April 17, 2025. We use the CDC's wording around "identified with autism" because the figures come from records-based surveillance.
The Overstimulated Momma. Autism Statistics in the United States. Updated September 16, 2026. https://theoverstimulatedmomma.com/autism-statistics