TABLE
| Characteristic | Chronic pain* | High-impact chronic pain† | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated no.§ | Crude % (95% CI) | Age-adjusted¶ % (95% CI) | Estimated no.§ | Crude % (95% CI) | Age-adjusted¶ % (95% CI) | |
| Total | 50,009,000 | 20.4 (19.7–21.0) | 19.4 (18.7–20.0) | 19,611,000 | 8.0 (7.6–8.4) | 7.5 (7.1–7.9) |
| Age group (yrs) | ||||||
| 18–24 | 2,082,000 | 7.0 (5.8–8.5) | —** | 446,000 | 1.5 (0.9–2.3) | —** |
| 25–44 | 11,042,000 | 13.2 (12.3–14.1) | —** | 3,681,000 | 4.4 (3.9–5.0) | —** |
| 45–64 | 23,269,000 | 27.8 (26.6–29.0) | —** | 10,044,000 | 12.0 (11.2–12.9) | —** |
| 65–84 | 11,808,000 | 27.6 (26.4–29.0) | —** | 4,578,000 | 10.7 (9.9–11.6) | —** |
| ≥85 | 1,766,000 | 33.6 (30.1–37.3) | —** | 830,000 | 15.8 (13.2–18.9) | —** |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 21,989,000 | 18.6 (17.7–19.5) | 17.8 (17.0–18.7) | 8,276,000 | 7.0 (6.5–7.6) | 6.7 (6.2–7.3) |
| Female | 28,049,000 | 22.1 (21.2–23.0) | 20.8 (19.9–21.6) | 11,296,000 | 8.9 (8.4–9.4) | 8.2 (7.7–8.7) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Hispanic | 5,856,000 | 15.1 (13.6–16.7) | 16.7 (15.2–18.4) | 2,754,000 | 7.1 (6.0–8.3) | 7.9 (6.9–9.2) |
| White, non-Hispanic | 36,226,000 | 23.0 (22.2–23.8) | 21.0 (20.3–21.8) | 13,230,000 | 8.4 (7.9–8.9) | 7.4 (7.0–7.9) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 5,148,000 | 17.9 (16.4–19.6) | 17.8 (16.3–19.4) | 2,387,000 | 8.3 (7.2–9.4) | 8.1 (7.1–9.2) |
| Other, non-Hispanic†† | 2,774,000 | 13.8 (12.1–15.7) | 14.4 (12.7–16.3) | 1,326,000 | 6.6 (5.3–8.1) | 7.0 (5.7–8.5) |
| Education | ||||||
| Less than high school | 7,809,000 | 26.1 (24.2–28.2) | 23.7 (21.7–25.7) | 4,069,000 | 13.6 (12.3–15.2) | 12.1 (10.7–13.7) |
| High school/GED | 14,441,000 | 23.7 (22.5–25.0) | 22.6 (21.2–23.9) | 5,910,000 | 9.7 (9.0–10.6) | 9.1 (8.4–10.0) |
| Some college | 17,129,000 | 22.6 (21.5–23.8) | 22.9 (21.8–24.0) | 6,518,000 | 8.6 (7.9–9.4) | 8.7 (8.0–9.5) |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10,383,000 | 13.4 (12.6–14.3) | 12.4 (11.7–13.3) | 2,944,000 | 3.8 (3.4–4.3) | 3.5 (3.1–4.0) |
| Employment status | ||||||
| Employed | 22,085,000 | 14.7 (14.1–15.5) | 14.5 (13.8–15.2) | 5,108,000 | 3.4 (3.1–3.8) | 3.2 (2.9–3.6) |
| Not employed; worked previously | 25,737,000 | 31.5 (30.3–32.7) | 29.2 (27.8–30.6) | 13,318,000 | 16.3 (15.4–17.2) | 16.1 (15.0–17.3) |
| Not employed; never worked | 2,083,000 | 15.9 (13.8–18.2) | 18.7 (16.1–21.6) | 1,192,000 | 9.1 (7.6–10.9) | 11.1 (9.1–13.4) |
| Poverty status | ||||||
| <100% FPL | 8,017,000 | 25.8 (24.2–27.6) | 29.6 (27.9–31.3) | 4,630,000 | 14.9 (13.6–16.4) | 17.5 (16.1–19.0) |
| 100% ≤FPL<200% | 11,357,000 | 26.2 (24.5–27.9) | 25.9 (24.2–27.7) | 5,375,000 | 12.4 (11.3–13.6) | 12.3 (11.2–13.5) |
| 200% ≤FPL<400% | 14,181,000 | 20.3 (19.2–21.4) | 19.3 (18.3–20.4) | 5,100,000 | 7.3 (6.7–8.1) | 6.9 (6.2–7.6) |
| ≥400% FPL | 16,441,000 | 16.3 (15.4–17.2) | 14.6 (13.8–15.5) | 4,438,000 | 4.4 (4.0–4.9) | 3.9 (3.5–4.4) |
| Veteran | ||||||
| Yes | 6,379,000 | 29.1 (27.1–31.2) | 26.0 (23.5–28.7) | 2,258,000 | 10.3 (9.1–11.8) | 9.2 (7.7–11.1) |
| No | 43,519,000 | 19.5 (18.9–20.2) | 19.0 (18.4–19.7) | 17,407,000 | 7.8 (7.4–8.2) | 7.5 (7.1–7.9) |
| Health insurance coverage§§ | ||||||
| Age <65 yrs | ||||||
| Private | 20,539,000 | 15.1 (14.3–15.8) | 14.0 (13.3–14.8) | 5,713,000 | 4.2 (3.8–4.7) | 3.8 (3.4–4.2) |
| Medicaid and other public coverage | 8,215,000 | 29.3 (27.3–31.5) | 30.0 (28.0–32.2) | 4,822,000 | 17.2 (15.6–19.0) | 17.8 (16.2–19.6) |
| Other | 3,860,000 | 43.5 (40.0–47.2) | 34.8 (31.2–38.7) | 2,263,000 | 25.5 (22.5–28.8) | 19.3 (16.4–22.5) |
| Uninsured | 3,683,000 | 16.2 (14.4–18.2) | 17.0 (15.2–19.0) | 1,319,000 | 5.8 (4.7–7.2) | 6.2 (5.0–7.6) |
| Age ≥65 yrs | ||||||
| Private | 5,606,000 | 28.0 (26.3–29.9) | 28.1 (26.3–30.0) | 1,842,000 | 9.2 (8.1–10.5) | 9.3 (8.2–10.6) |
| Medicare and Medicaid | 1,428,000 | 42.5 (37.6–47.5) | 42.5 (37.6–47.5) | 816,000 | 24.3 (20.4–28.6) | 24.3 (20.4–28.6) |
| Medicare Advantage | 3,094,000 | 25.5 (23.1–28.1) | 25.8 (23.4–28.4) | 1,226,000 | 10.1 (8.5–11.8) | 10.3 (8.7–12.1) |
| Medicare only, excluding Medicare Advantage | 2,115,000 | 25.9 (23.1–28.9) | 25.9 (23.1–28.9) | 939,000 | 11.5 (9.5–13.7) | 11.5 (9.5–13.7) |
| Other | 1,229,000 | 31.6 (27.2–36.3) | 31.8 (27.4–36.5) | 545,000 | 14.0 (11.3–17.3) | 14.3 (11.5–17.7) |
| Uninsured | 106,000 | —¶¶ | —¶¶ | 59,000 | —¶¶ | —¶¶ |
| Urbanicity*** | ||||||
| Urban | 38,401,000 | 19.0 (18.3–19.7) | 18.4 (17.7–19.0) | 14,754,000 | 7.3 (6.9–7.8) | 7.0 (6.6–7.4) |
| Rural | 11,575,000 | 26.9 (25.4–28.5) | 24.0 (22.5–25.6) | 4,776,000 | 11.1 (10.2–12.2) | 9.8 (8.8–10.9) |
* Pain on most days or every day in the past 6 months.
† Chronic pain limiting life or work activities on most days or every day in the past 6 months.
§ The estimated numbers, rounded to 1,000s, were annualized based on the 2016 data. Counts for adults of unknown status (responses coded as “refused,” “don’t know,” or “not ascertained”) with respect to chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain are not shown separately in the table, nor are they included in the calculation of percentages (as part of either the denominator or the numerator), to provide a more straightforward presentation of the data.
¶ Estimates are age-adjusted using the projected 2000 U.S. population as the standard population and five age groups: 18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and ≥60 years.
** Not applicable.
†† Non-Hispanic other includes non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native only, non-Hispanic Asian only, non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander only, and non-Hispanic multiple race.
§§ Based on a hierarchy of mutually exclusive categories. Adults reporting both private and Medicare Advantage coverage were assigned to the Medicare Advantage category. “Uninsured” includes adults who had no coverage as well as those who had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service such as accidents or dental care. “Other” comprises military health care including TRICARE, VA, and CHAMP-VA, and certain types of local and state governmental coverage, not including the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
¶¶ Estimates are considered unreliable according to the National Center for Health Statistics’ standards of reliability.
*** Based on U.S. Census Bureau definitions of urban and rural areas (https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ua/Defining_Rural.pdf).