Find my starting point
Data · Autism statistics

Autism statistics in the U.S., and what each one measures.

Two national sources count autism in different ways. CDC estimates how many 8-year-olds have autism in the communities it monitors. The U.S. Department of Education counts students who receive special education under the autism category in every state. Here are both, with the source for each figure.

CDC ADDM, all monitored sites · 202232.2 per 1,000
Students served under IDEA with autism, ages 5–21 · 2024-251,111,435
States, DC and Puerto Rico with a published count · 2024-2551 of 52
CDC surveillance · ADDM

How common autism is: CDC surveillance

Every two years, CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network reviews health and education records for 8-year-olds in selected communities. It is the closest thing to a national prevalence estimate, but it covers specific communities in selected states, not the whole country or any whole state.

Identified with autism, per 1,000 eight-year-olds, all monitored sites combined32.2Surveillance year 2022

95% confidence interval 31.6–32.9. About 1 in 31.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Autism identified among 8-year-olds, per 1,000, ADDM sites combinedShaded band is the 95% confidence interval reported by CDC
01020304020002002200420062008201020122014201620182020202232.2
Show the numbers
PeriodADDM sites combined
20006.7 (6.3–7.0)
20026.6 (6.3–6.8)
20048.0 (7.6–8.4)
20069.0 (8.6–9.3)
200811.3 (11.0–11.7)
201014.7 (14.3–15.1)
201214.8 (14.4–15.2)
201416.8 (16.4–17.3)
201618.5 (18.0–19.1)
201823.0 (22.3–23.6)
202027.6 (26.9–28.3)
202232.2 (31.6–32.9)
Each monitored site, 2022Per 1,000 eight-year-olds in the communities monitored in each state. Not statewide rates.
  • California53.1
  • Pennsylvania47.4
  • Wisconsin38.4
  • Minnesota35.5
  • New Jersey34.0
  • Tennessee34.0
  • Georgia32.6
  • Missouri32.1
  • Arizona31.3
  • Arkansas29.8
  • Utah27.0
  • Puerto Rico26.4
  • Maryland26.3
  • Indiana18.3
  • Texas14.3

What this measures: Applies only to the sampled surveillance communities for each year. A state-named ADDM site covers specific communities, not the whole state, and is not a county or statewide rate.

Public schools · U.S. Dept. of Education

Students served under the autism category

Every state reports a fall count of students receiving special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the U.S. Department of Education. Each student is counted in one disability category. This shows how many are served under autism, which depends on each state's eligibility rules and identification practices as well as on how common autism is.

Students served under IDEA with autism, ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 211,111,4352024-25 school year · fall child count

768,179 in 2020-21

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
Share of all IDEA students ages 5–21 served under autism14.6%2024-25 school year · fall child countU.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
Children served under IDEA with autism, ages 3–5, not in kindergarten107,3862024-25 school year · fall child countU.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

National figures are the Department of Education's total for all reporting entities: the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, U.S. outlying areas and the freely associated states.

Students served under IDEA with autism, ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21All IDEA reporting entities, fall child count of each school year
0300,000600,000900,0001,200,0002020-212021-222022-232023-242024-251,111,435
Show the numbers
PeriodAll reporting entities
2020-21768,179
2021-22828,410
2022-23909,055
2023-24998,348
2024-251,111,435

What this measures: Counts students served under IDEA Part B on the state's fall child count date whose disability category is autism. Eligibility rules and identification practices differ between states, so differences between states reflect those systems as well as children. Not a count of all autistic children and not a prevalence rate.

Public schools · U.S. Dept. of Education

Every state

Students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA with autism, by state. We compare school-age counts only, because states report preschool disability categories very differently. Differences between states reflect their eligibility rules and services as well as their children, so these are not prevalence rates.

StateAutism, 2020-21Autism, 2024-25Share of IDEA students, 2024-25
Alabama8,65113,13712.7%
Alaska1,6062,09210.8%
Arizona15,28413,9269.5%
Arkansas5,7088,28411.5%
California105,935163,25320.0%
Colorado8,84812,58211.3%
Connecticut10,42814,23516.4%
Delaware2,3263,94915.0%
District of Columbia1,3742,40815.4%
Florida46,30162,54614.7%
Georgia23,74934,23114.9%
Hawaii1,8622,67314.4%
Idaho3,6284,91012.8%
Illinois26,94837,38013.2%
Indiana16,19921,08911.5%
IowaWithheld (data quality)Withheld (data quality)Not available
Kansas4,7776,3408.6%
Kentucky8,26512,50912.0%
LouisianaWithheld (data quality)8,51310.3%
Maine3,5784,88814.0%
Maryland12,84919,22617.4%
Massachusetts22,41230,11116.6%
Michigan19,96726,34313.2%
Minnesota20,39727,01018.0%
Mississippi5,3547,32010.8%
Missouri13,65418,22515.3%
Montana1,0171,3156.4%
Nebraska4,4706,45312.3%
Nevada8,47212,24019.1%
New Hampshire2,9653,67212.3%
New Jersey23,90531,87213.2%
New Mexico3,7276,27211.1%
New York51,21874,42314.8%
North Carolina21,42331,74815.6%
North Dakota1,5042,03612.2%
Ohio27,04238,04514.1%
Oklahoma7,70611,3359.3%
Oregon10,57014,35017.1%
Pennsylvania37,17952,71715.1%
Rhode Island2,4532,98012.4%
South Carolina9,85914,26013.3%
South Dakota1,5572,26310.1%
Tennessee12,49518,88314.4%
Texas79,806130,12916.0%
Utah7,0149,21310.4%
Vermont1,1211,48310.0%
Virginia23,02731,47617.9%
Washington16,30822,50514.7%
West Virginia2,8884,2429.2%
Wisconsin12,76517,05814.2%
Wyoming9611,2418.5%
Puerto Rico5,80910,67712.2%

Not published by the Department of Education: Iowa (both years); Louisiana (2020-21). We show the gap rather than estimate it.

Explore by state

State breakdowns

State pages add each state's own sources, such as its department of education and developmental services agencies, down to county level where the data allows. California is first; more states are on the way.

California autism statistics
Why the numbers disagree

Different systems, different questions.

CDC surveillance · ADDM
Who is counted
8-year-olds in monitored communities who meet CDC's case definition after record review
Answers
How common is autism among children in these communities?
Does not answer
How common autism is in a whole state, county, or school district
Public schools · U.S. Dept. of Education
Who is counted
Students ages 3–21 receiving special education whose IDEA category is autism
Answers
How many students each state serves under the autism category?
Does not answer
How many autistic children live in a state. Many are served under another category or have no IEP.
State services
Who is counted
People enrolled in a state's developmental disability services with autism on record, under that state's rules
Answers
How many people a state agency serves with autism?
Does not answer
How many autistic people live in the state, or how states compare. Programs differ too much.
How we handle each source
Next steps

Statistics can't tell you about your child.

If you have questions about your child's development, an evaluation is how you get answers. Start with what you're noticing.

Autism evaluation guideSigns families noticeWhich evaluation?California autism statistics
Sources

Where these numbers come from

Figures are copied from public files without adjustment. Suppressed cells stay blank. Each source's own definitions apply.

Read the methodology
  1. CDC surveillance · ADDMCDC Autism Data Visualization Tool — prevalence estimates over timeCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network
    Editions used
    cdc-data-viz
    Retrieved
    Oct 16, 2026
    License
    Public domain (U.S. Government work)
    Pipeline run
    cdc-addm-20261016180038-0d33
  2. Public schools · U.S. Dept. of EducationIDEA Section 618 State Part B Child Count and Educational EnvironmentsU.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, IDEA Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Collection (EDFacts file specifications 002 and 089)
    Editions used
    2024-25
    Retrieved
    Oct 16, 2026
    License
    Creative Commons CC0
    Pipeline run
    idea-partb-child-count-20261016193854-6789