Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2021

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In 2021, the United States reported 7,882 TB cases and an incidence rate of 2.4 cases per 100,000 persons, which represents a 9.9% and 9.8% increase, respectively, compared with 2020 (TB Incidence and Mortality: 1953–2021).

In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, drastic changes in immigration and travel, health care and public health services, social exposures, and mortality occurred, which probably led to a combination of TB underdiagnosis and a true reduction in TB incidence in the United States. In 2021, the partial rebound in TB incidence in the United States is probably explained by many of the same factors that affected TB incidence in 2020, but to a lesser degree, including an increase in diagnoses of TB for which symptoms began in 2020 but were not detected until 2021.

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The National Vital Statistics System collects information on reported TB disease-related deaths. Data are released after a 1-year lag.

There were 600 TB-related deaths (0.2 deaths per 100,000 persons) reported in 2020, the most recent year for which data are available (TB Incidence and Mortality: 1953–2021).

• This represents a 14.1% increase from 2019 in deaths and is the first time since 2006 that TB-related deaths met or exceeded 600.
• The TB mortality rate was 0.2 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2020, 13.0% higher than the rate in 2019 (when calculated using unrounded numbers).

Learn more in the Executive Commentary.