Nearly three in four American adults say they experience fatigue at least occasionally, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, the health statistics agency of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis estimates that 71.5% of U.S. adults felt fatigue at least a few times within a three-month period, making the complaint one of the most widely reported health issues in the country.
The findings draw on self-reported data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey and cover individuals ages 18 and older. More than 27,000 adults contributed responses to the dataset, which the report used to estimate the prevalence of fatigue symptoms. The study does not compare its results with previous years, so it offers a snapshot of fatigue rather than a measure of whether the problem is growing or shrinking over time.
The report defines fatigue as distinct from ordinary sleepiness or tiredness. It describes the condition as «physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest.» That distinction matters, researchers say, because fatigue can persist even when a person has had adequate opportunity to recover.
The consequences extend well beyond feeling worn down. Adults who report fatigue regularly are also more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and cognitive difficulties, according to the study. «So it's not just that fatigue is common,» lead author Natalie A.E. Young told NBC News. «It's that fatigue is common, and those with fatigue are facing limitations in their daily lives.»
Frequency varied considerably across the survey population. More than half of participants reported fatigue on «some days» during the three-month window. Another 10.7% said they experienced it on «most days,» while 5.9% reported feeling fatigued «every day.» Taken together, the figures suggest that for a substantial minority of adults, fatigue is not an occasional inconvenience but a recurring feature of daily life.
Women were more likely than men to report frequent fatigue, defined as symptoms occurring most days or every day. About 20% of women fell into that category, compared with roughly 13% of men. The gap points to differences in how often and how intensely fatigue is experienced across demographic groups.
Geography and socioeconomic status also appeared to shape the results. Frequent fatigue tended to decline as family income rose, the report found. At the same time, rates of frequent fatigue increased as levels of urbanization decreased, producing higher prevalence in the South and the Midwest than in more densely populated parts of the country.
The report leaves a central question unanswered: what causes fatigue in the first place. The study did not explore the underlying causes of the condition, focusing instead on how often it occurs and which groups report it most. That limitation means the findings describe the scale of the problem without identifying the medical, occupational, or social factors driving it.
Even so, the numbers give public health officials and clinicians a clearer picture of how many Americans are living with exhaustion that rest does not resolve. With roughly seven in ten adults affected at least intermittently, and with frequent fatigue concentrated among women and lower-income households, the report adds detail to a complaint that is often dismissed as an unavoidable part of modern life.