Source of Usual Health Care for Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2024

NCHS Data Brief No. 558, April 2026

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Laryssa Mykyta, Ph.D., and Julie D. Weeks, Ph.D.

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Key findings
Introduction
Source of usual health care
Doctor’s office or health center
Urgent care center or clinic
VA medical center or clinic

Hospital emergency room
Summary
Definition
Data source and methods
About the authors
References
Suggested citation

Key findings

Data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey

In 2024, 9 in 10 adults reported having a source of usual health care, with women more likely to report having a source of usual care (93.3%) than men (87.1%).
Women were more likely to report a doctor’s office or health center as their source of usual care (82.2%) compared with men (72.6%).
The percentage of adults reporting an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual care declined with age.
The percentage of adults with a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual care increased with age.
Men were more likely (2.0%) than women (1.5%) to report a hospital emergency room as their usual source of health care.

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Introduction

Having a regular health care provider or a place for routine medical care can provide early detection, treatment, and management of chronic disease (1). In addition, having a source of usual health care when one is sick or needs care is associated with an increased likelihood of receiving preventive screenings and services (1–3). This Data Brief uses 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to examine sources of usual health care among adults age 18 and older by sex and age group.

Source of usual health care

In 2024, 90.3% of adults had a source of usual health care, meaning a usual place where they go if they are sick and need care (Figure 1, Table 1).
Women were more likely to have a source of usual care (93.3%) than men (87.1%).
The percentage of adults with a source of usual care increased with age, from 83.7% among adults ages 18–34 to 97.5% among those 65 and older.

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Data table for Figure 1. Percentage of adults age 18 and older who reported having a source of usual health care, by sex and age group: United States, 2024
Characteristic	Percent (95% confidence interval)	Standard error
Total	90.3 (89.8–90.8)	0.3
Sex
Men	¹87.1 (86.2–87.9)	0.4
Women	93.3 (92.8–93.9)	0.3
Age group
18–34	²83.7 (82.5–84.9)	0.6
35–49	88.1 (87.0–89.1)	0.5
50–64	93.6 (92.9–94.3)	0.4
65 and older	97.5 (97.1–97.8)	0.2

Doctor’s office or health center

In 2024, more than three in four adults used a doctor’s office or health center (77.5%) as their source of usual care (Figure 2, Table 2).
Women were more likely to report a doctor’s office or health center (82.2%) as their source of usual care compared with men (72.6%).
The percentage of adults with a doctor’s office or health center as their source of usual care increased with age, from 67.7% among adults ages 18–34 to 88.8% among those 65 and older.

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Data table for Figure 2. Percentage of adults age 18 and older who reported a doctor’s office or health center as their source of usual health care, by sex and age group: United States, 2024
Characteristic	Percent (95% confidence interval)	Standard error
Total	77.5 (76.7–78.3)	0.4
Sex
Men	¹72.6 (71.5–73.7)	0.6
Women	82.2 (81.3–83.1)	0.4
Age group
18–34	²67.7 (66.2–69.2)	0.8
35–49	73.4 (71.9–74.7)	0.7
50–64	82.8 (81.7–83.8)	0.5
65 and older	88.8 (88.0–89.6)	0.4

¹Significantly different from women (p < 0.05).
²Significant increasing linear trend by age (p < 0.05).
NOTES: Data are based on either a “yes” or “more than one place” response to the survey question, “Is there a place that you usually go if you are sick and need health care?“ and a “doctor’s office or other health center” response to the survey question, “What kind of place do you go to most often—a doctor’s office or health center; an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store; a hospital emergency room; a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic; or some other place?” Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. VA is Veterans Affairs.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2024.

Urgent care center or clinic

In 2024, 8.6% of adults reported an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual health care (Figure 3, Table 3).
The percentages of men and women with an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual care were similar.
The percentage of adults with an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual care decreased with age, from 12.2% of adults ages 18–34 to 3.8% of adults 65 and older.

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Data table for Figure 3. Percentage of adults age 18 and older who reported an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual health care, by sex and age group: United States, 2024
Characteristic	Percent (95% confidence interval)	Standard error
Total	8.6 (8.1–9.1)	0.3
Sex
Men	8.9 (8.3–9.6)	0.4
Women	8.3 (7.7–8.9)	0.3
Age group
18–34	¹12.2 (11.2–13.3)	0.5
35–49	10.5 (9.6–11.5)	0.5
50–64	6.8 (6.1–7.6)	0.4
65 and older	3.8 (3.3–4.3)	0.3

¹Significant decreasing linear trend by age (p < 0.05).
NOTES: Data are based on either a “yes” or “more than one place” response to the survey question, “Is there a place that you usually go if you are sick and need health care?“ and an “urgent care center or grocery or drug store clinic” response to the survey question, “What kind of place do you go to most often—a doctor’s office or health center; an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store; a hospital emergency room; a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic; or some other place?” Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. VA is Veterans Affairs.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2024.

VA medical center or clinic

In 2024, 1.5% of adults used a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual health care (Figure 4, Table 4).
Men were more likely (2.6%) than women (0.4%) to report a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual care.
The percentage of adults with a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual care increased with age, from 0.7% of adults ages 18–34 to 2.6% of adults 65 and older.

Figure 4 is a bar chart of the percentage of adults who reported a veterans affairs medical center or outpatient clinic as their source of usual health care, by sex and age for 2024.

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Data table for Figure 4. Percentage of adults age 18 and older who reported a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual health care, by sex and age group: United States, 2024
Characteristic	Percent (95% confidence interval)	Standard error
Total	1.5 (1.3–1.7)	0.1
Sex
Men	¹2.6 (2.3–3.0)	0.2
Women	0.4 (0.3–0.6)	0.1
Age group
18–34	²0.7 (0.5–0.9)	0.1
35–49	1.1 (0.8–1.5)	0.2
50–64	1.8 (1.4–2.2)	0.2
65 and older	2.6 (2.3–3.0)	0.2

¹Significantly different from women (p < 0.05).
²Significant increasing linear trend by age (p < 0.05).
NOTES: Data are based on either a “yes” or “more than one place” response to the survey question, “Is there a place that you usually go if you are sick and need health care?“ and a “VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic” response to the survey question, “What kind of place do you go to most often—a doctor’s office or health center; an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store; a hospital emergency room; a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic; or some other place?” Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. VA is Veterans Affairs.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2024.

Hospital emergency room

In 2024, a hospital emergency room was the source of usual health care for 1.7% of adults (Figure 5, Table 5).
Men (2.0%) were more likely than women (1.5%) to use a hospital emergency room as their source of usual care.
Adults ages 18–34 (2.0%) and 35–49 (1.9%) were more likely to use a hospital emergency room as their source of usual care than adults 50–64 (1.4%) or 65 and older (1.5%).

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Data table for Figure 5. Percentage of adults age 18 and older who reported a hospital emergency room as their source of usual health care, by sex and age group: United States, 2024
Characteristic	Percent (95% confidence interval)	Standard error
Total	1.7 (1.5–1.9)	0.1
Sex
Men	¹2.0 (1.7–2.4)	0.2
Women	1.5 (1.2–1.7)	0.1
Age group
18–34	²2.0 (1.6–2.5)	0.2
35–49	1.9 (1.6–2.4)	0.2
50–64	1.4 (1.1–1.8)	0.2
65 and older	1.5 (1.2–1.8)	0.1

¹Significantly different from women (p < 0.05).
²Significant decreasing linear trend by age (p < 0.05).
NOTES: Data are based on either a “yes” or “more than one place” response to the survey question, “Is there a place that you usually go if you are sick and need health care?“ and a “hospital emergency room” response to the survey question, “What kind of place do you go to most often—a doctor’s office or health center; an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store; a hospital emergency room; a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic; or some other place?” Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. VA is Veterans Affairs.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2024.

Summary

Using nationally representative data, this report examines the source of usual health care among adults age 18 and older by sex and age group. In 2024, 9 in 10 adults had a source of usual health care. Women were more likely than men both to have a source of usual care and to report a doctor’s office or health center as their source of usual care. Men were more likely than women to report a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic or a hospital emergency room as their source of usual care. The percentage of adults with a doctor’s office or health center or a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic as their source of usual care increased with age, while the percentage of adults with an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store as their source of usual care declined with age.

Definition

Source of usual care: Based on either a “yes” or “more than one place” response to the survey question, “Is there a place that you usually go if you are sick and need health care?” Adults responding “yes” or “more than one place” were then asked, “What kind of place do you go to most often—a doctor’s office or health center; an urgent care center or clinic in a drug store or grocery store; a hospital emergency room; a VA medical center or VA outpatient clinic; or some other place?” Estimates for “some other place” are not shown but are included in total estimates.

Data source and methods

Data from the Sample Adult module of the 2024 NHIS were used for this analysis. NHIS is a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. NHIS is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Interviews are typically initiated face-to-face in respondents’ homes, with follow-ups conducted by telephone as needed (4). For more information about NHIS, visit https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.html. Point estimates and corresponding variances for this analysis were calculated using SAS-callable SUDAAN software version 11.0 (5) to account for the complex sample design of NHIS. All estimates are based on self-report and meet NCHS data presentation standards for proportions (6). Differences between percentages were evaluated using two-sided significance tests at the 0.05 level. Linear trends by age group were evaluated using orthogonal polynomials in logistic regression.

About the authors

Laryssa Mykyta and Julie D. Weeks are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Analysis and Epidemiology. The authors would like to acknowledge Nazik Elgaddal, Division of Analysis and Epidemiology, for providing content review of figures and tables.

References

Blewett LA, Johnson PT, Lee BR, Scal PB. When a usual source of care and usual provider matter: Adult prevention and screening services. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 May;23(9):1354–60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0659-0.
Lee DC, Shi L, Wang J, Sun G. Usual source of care and access to care in the US: 2005 vs. 2015. Orueta JF, editor. PLOS ONE. 2023 Jan;18(1):e0278015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278015.
Croke K, Mosa Moshabela, Kapoor NR, Doubova SV, Garcia-Elorrio E, HaileMariam D, et al. Primary health care in practice: Usual source of care and health system performance across 14 countries. The Lancet Global Health. 2024 Jan;12(1):e134–44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00513-2.
National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey: 2024 survey description. 2025. Available from: https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Dataset_Documentation/NHIS/2024/srvydesc-508.pdf.
RTI International. SUDAAN (Release 11.0.3) [software]. 2018. Available from: https://www.rti.org/impact/sudaanr-statistical-software-analyzing-correlated-data.
Parker JD, Talih M, Malec DJ, Beresovsky V, Carroll M, Gonzalez JF Jr, et al. National Center for Health Statistics data presentation standards for proportions. Vital Health Stat 2. 2017 Aug;(175):1–22.

Suggested citation

Mykyta L, Weeks JD. Source of usual health care for adults age 18 and older: United States, 2024. NCHS Data Brief. 2026 Apr;(558):1─11. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/252437.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Carolyn M. Greene, M.D., Acting Director
Amy M. Branum, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science

Division of Analysis and Epidemiology

Irma E. Arispe, Ph.D., Director
Kimberly A. Lochner, Sc.D., Associate Director for Science