Mapping hearing loss in the US

See worldwide hearing loss by age group and country

This 2023 data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows the estimated number of people with complete hearing loss in different age groups per 100,000 people in the population. Individuals aged 70 or older make up the largest group with this type of hearing deficit.

More than 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss

Disabling hearing loss is defined as hearing loss greater than 35 decibels in the better hearing ear. (For context, that means the sound of leaves rustling, at roughly 30 decibels, would be inaudible even to your better-hearing ear.) The World Health Organization's data suggests that more than 5% of the world's population has this level of loss requiring rehabilitation, which amounts to 430 million people—including 34 million children.

More than 90% of American deaf children are born to hearing parents

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders have collated top statistics about hearing loss in the US including differences by age, racial groups, and other factors.

Hearing loss can affect balance and make falls more likely

For reasons that are not yet fully understood, hearing loss seems to increase the risk of falls. One explanation is that reduced environmental awareness due to hearing loss may put people at greater risk. Another theory is that the brain has to work harder to process sound with hearing loss and that cognitive load may also boost the chances of falls. One study found that for every 10 decibel increase in hearing loss, there was a 1.4 fold increased odds of falling in the preceding 12 months.

Tinnitus estimates vary, but may occur in 10%-15% of the population

This video discusses the mechanisms underlying tinnitus and explores the knowns and unknowns about the condition. Tinnitus most commonly occurs among those with hearing loss, suggesting that cochlear damage may be a factor.

See this graphic describing what different decibel levels mean for hearing loss

From the sound of a ticking watch, which is roughly 20 decibels, to the sound of a gunshot at 140 decibels, the Hearing Health Foundation breaks down the decibels of daily sounds in this chart, noting that sounds louder than 70 decibels are considered harmful.

Age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis, is a top cause of hearing loss

This video walks through the biology of why presbycusis (prez-buh-kyoo-sis) occurs and its etiology. This type of hearing loss is gradual and typically starts with reductions in the ability to hear high-pitched sounds.

Age-related macular degeneration is the primary cause of blindness in older Americans

Around 20 million Americans suffer from macular degeneration, and it's the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Risk factors for age-related macular degeneration include aging, genetics, smoking, hypertension, obesity, and diet.

Roughly 15 of every 1,000 people in the US have smell disorders

Anosmia is a lack of a sense of smell. It can be present at birth, related to diseases including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and COVID-19, or have unknown causes.

OTC hearing aids are now available in the US and cheaper than prescription ones

The devices, available in recent years, are typically more affordable than prescription ones and are intended for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, yet surveys suggest people often don't feel comfortable choosing one on their own. The nonprofit Consumer Reports ranked available OTC options to help patients navigate the market.

25% of US households had no regular income as of 2024

Some states had higher shares of no-income households than others: West Virginia, for instance, had a national high of 34% of households with no income. These states tend to have older populations, higher rates of disability, and lower median incomes overall. In such contexts, a larger portion of households rely on non-earned income sources or report no income during the survey period.

Noise from data centers may disrupt wildlife and local residents

Individuals living where local ordinances have allowed data centers to be built next to residential areas have reported that the constant humming and vibrations from cooling systems have prevented them from sleeping and exposed them to chronic noise, which the American Public Health Association says can lead to cardiovascular disease and increased stress.

Visualizing obesity rates across the US

Nearly 70% of adults in the US are either overweight or obese, rates that have tripled over the last 60 years. Severe cases have risen tenfold during this period. Factors like location, income level, and demographics contribute to various obesity levels across the US. Visualize the statistics with this article and chart series.

Murder rates spiked in the US after COVID-19, and then declined in 2023

Criminologist and former investigator Jillian Peterson says whether a murder is solved in the US is nearly up to the flip of a coin, with the clearance rate for murder cases being about 50%. The US, which has more guns than citizens, has about roughly five gun homicides per 100,000 residents, resulting in the 28th-highest rate of deaths from gun violence compared to the rest of the world.

Black Americans with diabetes have amputation rates three times higher than average

Annually, 130,000 US diabetics undergo amputations due to complications from diabetes, with many patients located in low-income and uninsured neighborhoods. More than half of US diabetics who lose lower limbs are not subject to pre-surgery angiograms, imaging that shows blood flow blockages to determine if (and where) amputation is necessary.

Search Lyme disease incidence in your county

The searchable database at the bottom of this webpage allows users to check the reported incidence of Lyme disease in US counties and Canadian health regions. In 2022, for example, Baltimore County in Maryland had a rate of about 34 probable and confirmed cases per 100,000 people. Arlington, County in Virginia was less than half of that for the same time period.

Swimmer's ear is America's most common waterborne illness

Federal government analysis of the roughly 7 million waterborne illness cases that occur annually in the US found that swimmer's ear comprises some 4.7 million, or 65%, of the annual waterborne illnesses and 20% of hospitalizations. Norovirus infection comes in second place.

Some animals possess sensitive hearing to help pinpoint prey and map the world

Bats and dolphins produce sound to reflect off surfaces and create a mental image of their surroundings. Owls' faces are dish-shaped to help funnel sounds to their ears, including that of mice moving along leaves or snow. Pinnipeds, such as seals and walruses, hear in both air and water.

Why you may hate the sound of your voice

It's a relatively common experience to cringe while listening to a recording of your own voice. This Popular Science article offers physiological explanations for the discrepancy between what we hear when we speak versus what others hear. The piece also expands on the psychology behind this discontent, and how our voices influence our self-perception and social interactions.

1 in 5 Americans get local news from the radio

According to a 2023 Pew Research Center report, radio remains the second most popular medium for local news, remaining a vital source for local concerns. Audiences for national public radio, however, have declined, with listenership for NPR-affiliated stations down 10%.

An interactive sound map of 8,000 locations around the world

Cities and Memory's global sound map covers 140 countries, featuring paired recordings: original field captures of a moment in time and an artist's recomposition built from the same source. The structure treats every location as both document and raw material, giving 2,500 contributors the same prompt with unpredictable results.

As of 2026, the majority of US states have unsafe radon exposure levels

Alaska, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Washington top the list of states with exposure levels above 4 picocuries per liter for this naturally occurring radioactive gas. While these state-level averages vary from one county, municipality, and home to another, the EPA encourages those in the highest-risk states to test their homes.

Map of union membership by state

In the United States, unions exist across the entire country, but some states have more union members than others. Multiple reasons exist: from policy differences across states, to industrial and cultural influences. Want to learn more? Find out which state has the highest percentage of union membership, and which one has the lowest, through this map.

Rural vs. urban: Exploring the digital health divide

Though digital health tools (DHT) hold potential to transform healthcare accessibility, their adoption varies across urban and rural landscapes. This comprehensive study, drawing from the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey, evaluates the...

Ambient sounds on Mars are lower-pitched and more muted than those on Earth

The planet's thin atmosphere absorbs higher frequencies, and audio captured by the Perseverance rover from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter revealed that sound waves travel farther than previous atmospheric models suggested.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

This real-time tracking of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak in May 2026 offers a unique glimpse into the global reach of the outbreak and whether the virus sickened passengers and their communities around the world.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

Use this calculator to find the dollar value of your mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care for your children.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.