An estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. That number has been climbing steadily as the U.S. population ages, and it’s expected to continue rising in the decades ahead. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the country, killing more than 116,000 people in 2024 alone.
Who Is Most Affected
Alzheimer’s is not evenly distributed across the population. Almost two-thirds of Americans living with the disease are women. Of the roughly 7.4 million people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s (a figure the Alzheimer’s Association also uses when including slightly broader estimates), 4.5 million are women. The conventional explanation is straightforward: women live longer than men on average, and age is the single biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s. But researchers are increasingly investigating whether biological or genetic differences may also make women more vulnerable at any given age.
Racial and ethnic disparities also shape who develops cognitive decline. CDC data on early cognitive symptoms among adults 45 and older shows notable differences. American Indian and Alaska Native adults reported symptoms at the highest rate (16.7%), followed by Hispanic adults (11.4%), Black adults (10.1%), and White adults (9.3%). Asian and Pacific Islander adults had the lowest rate at 5.0%. These gaps reflect a mix of factors, including unequal access to healthcare, higher rates of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, and differences in diagnosis patterns.
Deaths Have More Than Doubled Since 2000
Alzheimer’s killed 116,022 Americans in 2024, making it the sixth leading cause of death overall and the fifth leading cause among people 65 and older. That translates to about 34 deaths per 100,000 people. Deaths from the disease have increased 134% between 2000 and 2024, a surge driven partly by better diagnosis and reporting, but mostly by the sheer growth of the older population.
One statistic captures the scale of the problem: one in three older Americans dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. That doesn’t mean Alzheimer’s is always the direct cause of death, but it means the disease is present and contributing to decline in a staggering share of people at the end of life.
Where Rates Are Highest and Lowest
Alzheimer’s mortality varies dramatically by state. Mississippi has the highest age-adjusted death rate at 46.9 per 100,000 people, followed by South Dakota (42.0), Louisiana (38.0), Idaho (37.6), and Utah (37.6). The Southeast and parts of the Mountain West consistently rank near the top.
At the other end, New York has one of the lowest rates at 11.3 per 100,000, and the District of Columbia has the lowest at 10.9. Florida, despite its large elderly population, has a relatively low rate of 15.6 per 100,000. These differences reflect a complicated mix of factors: how death certificates are completed, access to specialist care, the prevalence of risk factors like obesity and diabetes, and demographic composition. States with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and fewer neurologists tend to report worse outcomes.
The Financial Toll
Caring for people with dementia costs the United States $232 billion a year in medical and long-term care expenses. Medicare covers the largest share at $106 billion, followed by Medicaid at $58 billion. But families bear a massive burden directly: $52 billion comes out of pocket from individuals and their loved ones. Private insurance and other payers account for the remaining $16 billion.
These numbers don’t capture the full picture. Millions of family members provide unpaid care, often reducing their own work hours or leaving jobs entirely. The economic and emotional weight on caregivers is one of the least visible but most significant consequences of the disease’s spread.
Risk Factors You Can Influence
Age and genetics are the two biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s, and neither is within your control. But a meaningful portion of risk ties back to conditions that are manageable. The CDC identifies high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, depression, smoking, and hearing loss as established modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Addressing even a few of these, particularly in midlife, can meaningfully lower your chances of developing cognitive decline later.
Hearing loss is one that surprises many people. Untreated hearing loss forces the brain to work harder to process sound, which appears to accelerate cognitive decline over time. Using hearing aids when needed is one of the simpler interventions available.
The Numbers Are Still Growing
The 7.2 million figure reflects a population that is aging fast. The youngest baby boomers are now in their early 60s, and the oldest are approaching 80, which is the age range where Alzheimer’s risk climbs most sharply. As this massive generation moves deeper into old age, the number of people living with the disease is projected to rise substantially over the next two to three decades. Some projections estimate the total could nearly double by mid-century if no major breakthroughs in prevention or treatment change the trajectory.
New medications that target the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s have reached the market in recent years, but they work only in early stages and their long-term impact on these population-level numbers remains uncertain. For now, the trend line points clearly upward.