• More than one million people are living with HIV in the United States (an estimated 1,106,400 adults and adolescents) [1]. Approximately one in five (21%) of those people living with HIV are unaware of their infection [2].
• Despite increases in the total number of people living with HIV in the U.S. in recent years, the annual number of new infections has remained relatively stable.
• However, HIV infections continue at far too high a level, with an estimated 56,300 Americans becoming newly infected with HIV each year [3].
• More than 18,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the U.S. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM)^† are strongly affected and represent the majority of persons who have died. Overall, through 2007, more than 576,000 people with AIDS in the U.S. have died since the beginning of the epidemic [4].
• HIV has a severe impact on all regions of the country. It remains mostly an urban disease, with the majority of individuals residing in areas with more than 500,000 people. Areas hardest hit include Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C. [4].

HIV Incidence and Prevalence, United States, 1977-2006

By Risk Group

• Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): By risk group, gay, bisexual, and other MSM of all races remain the population most severely impacted by HIV:
  • MSM account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year (53%) [5], as well as nearly half of people living with HIV (48%) [4].
  • While CDC estimates that MSM account for just 4% of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522–989 per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men) and more than 40 times that of women (13 per 100,000 women) [6].
  • White MSM account for the largest number of annual new HIV infections of any group in the U.S., followed closely by black MSM [5].
  • MSM is the only risk group in the U.S. in which new HIV infections are increasing. While new HIV infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, infections among MSM have been steadily increasing since the early 1990s [3].
• Heterosexuals and Injection Drug Users: Heterosexuals and injection drug users also continue to be affected by HIV:
  • Individuals infected through heterosexual contact account for 31% of annual new HIV infections [5] and 28% of people living with HIV [4].
  • Women account for 27% of annual new HIV infections [5] and 25% of those living with HIV [4].
  • Injection drug users represent 12% of annual new HIV infections [5] and 19% of those living with HIV [4].

Estimates of New HIV Infections in the United States, 2006, By Transmission Category

By Race/Ethnicity

• African Americans: Among racial/ethnic groups, African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV and AIDS in the nation:
  • While blacks represent approximately 12% of the U.S. population, they account for almost half of people living with HIV in the U.S. (46%) [4], as well as nearly half of new infections each year (45%) [5].
  • At some point in their life, approximately one in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV, as will one in 30 black women [7].
  • The rate of new HIV infections for black men is about six times as high as that of white men, nearly three times that of Hispanic men, and more than twice that of black women [5].
  • The HIV incidence rate for black women is nearly 15 times as high as that of white women, and nearly four times that of Hispanic women [5].
  • HIV infections among blacks overall have been roughly stable since the early 1990s [5].
• Latinos: Latinos are also disproportionately impacted:
  • Hispanics represent 15% of the population but account for an estimated 17% of people living with HIV [4] and 17% of new infections [5].
  • The rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic men is more than double that of white men and the rate among Hispanic women is nearly four times that of white women [5].
  • HIV infections among Hispanics overall have been roughly stable since the early 1990s [5].

Estimates Rates of New HIV Infections, 2006, By Race/Ethnicity

References:

1. CDC. HIV prevalence estimates—United States, 2006. MMWR. 2008;57(39):1073-1076.
2. Campsmith, ML, Rhodes PH, Hall HI et al. Undiagnosed HIV prevalence among adults and adolescents in the United States at the end of 2006. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010 Apr;53(5):619-24.
3. Hall HI, Song R, Rhodes P, et al. Estimation of HIV incidence in the United States. JAMA 2008;300(5):520-529.
4. CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and dependent areas, 2008. HIV Surveillance Report vol 20. Accessed Jun 20, 2010.
5. CDC. Subpopulation Estimates from the HIV Incidence Surveillance System—United States, 2006. MMWR 2008. 57(36);985-989.
6. Purcell DW, Johnson C, Lansky A, et al. Presented at 2010 National STD Prevention Conference; Atlanta, GA. Abstract #22896. Accessed June 20, 2010.
7. Hall, I, An Q, Hutchinson A, et al. Estimating the Lifetime Risk of a Diagnosis of the HIV Infection in 33 States, 2004–2005. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2008;49(3):294-297.

^* This fact sheet highlights key information about those most impacted by HIV and AIDS in the United States. For information about other risk populations, visit web site.

^† The term “men who have sex with men” (MSM) is used in CDC surveillance systems. It indicates the behaviors that transmit HIV infection, rather than how individuals self-identify in terms of their sexuality.