Stroke Facts

Find facts and statistics about stroke in the United States.

Stroke Statistics

• Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 20 deaths.¹
• Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of stroke.²
• Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.²
• About 185,00 strokes—nearly 1 of 4—are in people who have had a previous stroke.²
• About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.²
• Stroke costs the United States an estimated $34 billion each year.² This total includes the cost of health care services, medicines to treat stroke, and missed days of work.
• Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.² Stroke reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors age 65 and over.²

Stroke Statistics by Race and Ethnicity

• Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans, but the risk of having a stroke varies with race and ethnicity.
• Risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for blacks as for whites,² and blacks have the highest rate of death due to stroke.¹
• Though stroke death rates have declined for decades among all race/ethnicities, Hispanics have seen an increase in death rates since 2013.¹

Stroke Risk Varies by Age

• Stroke risk increases with age, but strokes can—and do—occur at any age.
• In 2009, 34%of people hospitalized for stroke were less than 65 years old.³

Early Action Is Important for Stroke

Know the warning signs and symptoms of stroke so that you can act fast if you or someone you know might be having a stroke. The chances of survival are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly.

• In one survey, most respondents—93%—recognized sudden numbness on one side as a symptom of stroke. Only 38% were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 9-1-1 when someone was having a stroke.⁴
• Patients who arrive at the emergency room within 3 hours of their first symptoms often have less disability 3 months after a stroke than those who received delayed care.⁴

Americans at Risk for Stroke

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes are leading causes of stroke. 1 in 3 US adults has at least one of these conditions or habits.² 

You can take steps to prevent stroke.

More Information

From CDC:

• Stroke
• Vital Signs: Preventing Stroke Deaths
• Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity

From other organizations:

• What You Need to Know About Stroke—National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• Know Stroke: Know the Signs, Act in Time–NINDS
• Mind Your Risks–National Institutes of Health
• Stroke–Medline Plus
• Brain Attack Coalition
• Cryptogenic Stroke Public Health Conference Report 2015
• Internet Stroke Center
• Stroke Resource Center–American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
• World Stroke Organization

References

1. Vital Signs: Recent trends in stroke death rates – United States, 2000-2015. MMWR 2017;66.
2. Benjamin EJ, Blaha MJ, Chiuve SE, et al. on behalf of the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2017 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017;135:e229-e445.
3. Hall MJ, Levant S, DeFrances CJ. Hospitalization for stroke in U.S. hospitals, 1989–2009. NCHS data brief, No. 95. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012.
4. Fang J, Keenan NL, Ayala C, Dai S, Merritt R, Denny CH. Awareness of stroke warning symptoms—13 states and the District of Columbia, 2005. MMWR 2008;57:481–5.