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Louisiana Value:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported ever receiving a pneumonia vaccine
Louisiana Rank:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported ever receiving a pneumonia vaccine
77.0% - 73.8%
73.7% - 72.7%
72.6% - 71.4%
71.3% - 67.5%
67.4% - 61.0%
No Data
US Value: 70.2 %
Top State(s): South Dakota: 77.0 %
Bottom State(s): Hawaii: 61.0 %
Definition: Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported ever receiving a pneumonia vaccine
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.
In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the recommended pneumococcal vaccination age among adults from 65 to 50. The CDC now recommends that all adults age 50 and older receive a vaccine that helps protect against pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal disease refers to any infection caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. These bacteria can cause many infections, including pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and meningitis. While most pneumococcal infections are mild, some can be fatal or lead to long-term complications like brain damage or hearing loss.
The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease decreased significantly in the United States with the introduction and uptake of pneumococcal vaccines. Currently, there are two types of vaccines to protect against pneumococcal disease: pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV15, PCV20 and PCV21) and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). The CDC recommends which vaccine to get depending on age, previous vaccinations and other medical conditions.
Every year, approximately 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. are diagnosed with pneumonia, and of these, 1 million are hospitalized. Hospitalization and death rates from pneumococcal infections are highest among older adults. Despite the increased risk they face, pneumococcal vaccination rates among older adults in the U.S. remain low, especially within racial and ethnic minority groups.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of pneumococcal vaccination is higher among:
Strategies to increase pneumococcal vaccinations among older adults include:
Additionally, the American Academy of Family Physicians has established grants to support quality improvement initiatives to increase the rates of pneumococcal vaccinations among adults in Kansas, Illinois and New Jersey.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to reduce the rate of hospital admissions for pneumonia among older adults.
Gierke, Ryan, Lesley McGee, Bernard Beall, and Tamara Pilishivili. “Chapter 11: Pneumococcal.” In Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, edited by Sandra W. Roush, Linda M. Baldy, and Mary Ann Kirkconnell Hall. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. https://www.cdc.gov/surv-manual/php/table-of-contents/chapter-11-pneumococcal.html.
Hayes, Brandon H., Dana L. Haberling, Jordan L. Kennedy, Jay K. Varma, Alicia M. Fry, and Neil M. Vora. “Burden of Pneumonia-Associated Hospitalizations.” Chest 153, no. 2 (February 2018): 427–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2017.09.041.
Ho, Hanley J., Yi-Roe Tan, Alex R. Cook, Gerald Koh, Tat Yean Tham, Eve Anwar, Grace Shu Hui Chiang, May O. Lwin, and Mark I. Chen. “Increasing Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Uptake in Seniors Using Point-of-Care Informational Interventions in Primary Care in Singapore: A Pragmatic, Cluster-Randomized Crossover Trial.” American Journal of Public Health 109, no. 12 (October 17, 2019): 1776–83. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305328.
Thomas, Roger E. “Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Those 65 and Older: Rates of Detection, Risk Factors, Vaccine Effectiveness, Hospitalisation and Mortality.” Geriatrics 6, no. 1 (February 4, 2021): 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics6010013.
Valdez, R. Burciaga, and Korazon S. Romero. “Improving Adult Vaccination Status in the United States.” Healthcare 9, no. 11 (October 21, 2021): 1411. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111411.
Williams, Walter W., Peng-Jun Lu, Alissa O’Halloran, David K. Kim, Lisa A. Grohskopf, Tamara Pilishvili, Tami H. Skoff, et al. “Surveillance of Vaccination Coverage among Adult Populations — United States, 2015.” MMWR. Surveillance Summaries 66, no. 11 (May 5, 2017): 1–28. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6611a1.
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