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United States Value:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported falling in the past 12 months
Percentage of non-Hispanic Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults age 65 and older who reported falling in the past 12 months
12.4%
No Data
US Value: 27.8 %
Top State(s): New Jersey: 22.0 %
Bottom State(s): Montana: 35.3 %
Definition: Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported falling in the past 12 months
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Falls among older adults can lead to serious injuries with high medical costs and threaten their independence. The fatality rate from falls has increased steadily over the last few decades, particularly among those age 85 and older. In 2021, there were more than 38,700 deaths related to falls among older adults in the United States.
Risk factors for falls include vitamin D deficiency, difficulty with walking and balance, use of certain medications, vision problems and hazards in the home like uneven steps.
Falls among older adults result in substantial medical costs. In 2020, the medical costs attributable to nonfatal falls in the U.S. was approximately $80 billion; Medicaid and Medicare covered over 70% of those costs.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of falls is higher among:
Actions older adults can take to prevent falls include:
Fall prevention education increases knowledge about avoiding falls and hip fractures and encourages older adults to stay active. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative to help health care providers make fall prevention routine. STEADI is based on clinical guidelines and provides information and resources for patients, caregivers and members of the health care team.
The National Council on Aging offers a Falls Free CheckUp tool, which can help an individual identify their fall risk and provides resources and tools to reduce the risk.
Garnett, Matthew. “QuickStats: Death Rates from Unintentional Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1999–2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 71, no. 38 (September 23, 2022): 1225. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7138a4.
Haddad, Yara K., Gabrielle F. Miller, Ramakrishna Kakara, Curtis Florence, Gwen Bergen, Elizabeth Rose Burns, and Adam Atherly. “Healthcare Spending for Non-Fatal Falls among Older Adults, USA.” Injury Prevention 30, no. 4 (August 2024): 272–76. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-045023.
Kakara, Ramakrishna, Gwen Bergen, Elizabeth Burns, and Mark Stevens. “Nonfatal and Fatal Falls Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2020–2021.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 35 (September 1, 2023): 938–43. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7235a1.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
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