Older Adult Falls Reported by State

In the United States, about one in four adults (28%) age 65 and older, report falling each year. This results in about 36 million falls each year. While not all falls result in an injury, about 37% of those who fall reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day, resulting in an estimated 8 million fall injuries.¹

While falls are common among all states, there is variability.^2,3

Data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) – https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/annual_2020.html

^*Age-adjusted percentages standardized to the 2000 U.S. population with age groups 65–74, 75–84, and ≥85 years using the direct method

Note for the grayed-out states on the 2012 map: In the 2012 BRFSS survey, Michigan, Oregon, and Wisconsin used a different falls question from the rest of the states. Therefore, the 2012 falls estimates could not be calculated for these states.

References

Moreland B, Kakara R, Henry A. Trends in Nonfatal Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2012–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:875–881. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6927a5
Bergen G, Stevens MR, Burns ER. Falls and Fall Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:993–998. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6537a2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [online].