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ADHD diagnosis

Millions of U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD.1

An estimated 7 million (11.4%) U.S. children aged 3–17 years have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to a national survey of parents using data from 2022.

ADHD estimates by sex, race, and ethnicity:1

• Boys (15%) were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls (8%).
• Black children and White children were more often diagnosed with ADHD (both 12%) than Asian children (4%). American Indian/Alaska Native children (10%) were also more often diagnosed with ADHD than Asian children.
• Approximately 6% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children were diagnosed with ADHD.
• Overall, non-Hispanic children (12%) were diagnosed with ADHD more often than Hispanic children (10%).

ADHD symptoms can vary in severity.

• About 6 in 10 children had moderate or severe ADHD.
• Children with both ADHD and another co-occurring condition, such as behavioral or conduct problems, learning disorders, anxiety, or depression, more often had severe ADHD than children with ADHD without other co-occurring conditions.

Estimates for ADHD diagnosis and treatment vary by state.3

• National estimates among U.S. children aged 3–17 years who have ever been diagnosed with ADHD vary from 6% to 16% across states.
• Estimates for receiving any ADHD treatment among children with current ADHD vary from 58% to 92% across states. ADHD treatments include:

Other concerns and conditions with ADHD

Many children with ADHD also have other co-occurring conditions.1

According to a national 2022 parent survey, nearly 78% of children with ADHD had at least one other co-occurring condition:

• Almost half of the children with ADHD had a behavior or conduct problem.
• About 4 in 10 of the children with ADHD had anxiety.

Other conditions affecting children with ADHD include depression, autism spectrum disorder, and Tourette syndrome.

Co-occurring Conditions with ADHD – Interactive Data Charts1

Treatment of ADHD

Nearly 2 million U.S. children with ADHD did not receive ADHD-specific treatment in 2022.1

A national parent survey from 2022 reported on medication and behavior treatment for children 3–17 years of age with current ADHD:

• About 30% of children with ADHD did not receive medication treatment or behavior treatment, compared with 23% of children 2–17 years of age with ADHD in 2016.13
  
• About 32% children with ADHD received both medication treatment and behavior treatment.
• Overall, the total number of children receiving behavior treatment increased from 2016 (2.5 million) to 2022 (2.8 million).
  

Treatment of ADHD – Interactive Data Charts1

ADHD care is provided by many different healthcare professionals.4

In addition to parent-reported data, healthcare claims data from Medicaid or employer-sponsored insurance provide another way to understand treatment patterns. In 2021, among U.S. children ages 3–17 years:

• Many children received ADHD care from a primary care clinician, such as a pediatrician or family doctor. Almost half of children covered through private insurance and about 1 in 4 children with Medicaid received ADHD care from a pediatrician.
• Nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurses also play an important role in ADHD care for children, providing care for nearly 1 in 5 children with Medicaid.
• Children with Medicaid were less likely to receive ADHD care from a healthcare specialist, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.

More information on ADHD data trends in the United States

• Facts About ADHD Throughout the Years
• State-based Prevalence of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment 2016–2019

Where the data come from

• MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters (CCE) Database & MarketScan® Multi-State Medicaid Database | Merative™
• National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome