The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that among 8-year-old children, 1 in 31 are autistic. This number has increased from the one in 34 prevalence reported in previous estimates.
Most recent CDC study
The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network is an active surveillance program that estimates prevalence and characteristics of ASD and monitors timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years based on data collected in 2022. The data analyzed in this report was collected in 16 communities across the United States.
Overview
The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network has tracked autism rates in 8-year-old children every two years since 2000.
The number of children identified with autism has increased from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 36 in 2020. Over time, the groups of children most likely to be diagnosed with autism have changed. Before 2016, White children and those from wealthier neighborhoods were most often identified. By 2020, more children from historically underserved groups—including Black and Hispanic children—were being diagnosed.
Key Findings (2022 Data)
- Autism affected 32.2 out of every 1,000 8-year-olds (or about 1 in 31) across 16 monitored sites.
- Boys were 3.4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed (49.2 per 1,000 boys vs. 14.3 per 1,000 girls).
- Of the 8-year-olds with autism who had information on their thinking and learning abilities, about 40% also had an intellectual disability.
- Autism rates were higher in 2022 than in earlier years, especially among Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and Hispanic children compared to White children—a trend first seen in 2020.
Additional Insights
- Living in a certain area doesn’t appear to increase a child’s chances of developing autism. Differences in how often children are diagnosed might be due to the availability of early services and how autism is evaluated in different places.
- Fewer children were identified as “possibly having autism” than those with a confirmed diagnosis. This suggests that once children receive a full evaluation, most doctors are moving forward with a diagnosis instead of taking a “wait and see” approach.
- However, since ADDM gets records from specialists rather than primary care doctors, there may still be delays or gaps in how quickly children move from concern to diagnosis at the primary care level.
Timing of Evaluation and Diagnosis
- Of the 7,227 children with autism who had evaluation records, just over half (50.3%) were evaluated by age 3. This varied by state, from 42.2% in Missouri to 63.6% in Pennsylvania.
- For 5,887 children with a documented autism diagnosis, the average age at first diagnosis was 47 months (just under 4 years). This also varied by location—from 36 months in California to almost 70 months in Laredo, Texas.
- Children with both autism and intellectual disability were diagnosed earlier (average age 43 months) than those without intellectual disability (average age 49 months).
If your child is showing signs of developmental delays or autism, early intervention gives your child a better chance at long-term success. Our experts can help your find answers. Make an appointment with us for an evaluation.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/ss/ss7402a1.htm | Public domain. Retrieved April 17, 2025
