Nearly 3 In 4 Americans Report Feeling Fatigued

If you’ve been feeling more tired than usual lately, you’re certainly not alone. According to a recent CDC fatigue report, nearly three out of every four American adults report feeling “very tired or exhausted” on multiple days over the last three months. The findings come from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey and include responses from adults ages 18 and older.

While the number itself is striking, there is an important distinction that should be kept in mind. Feeling tired occasionally isn’t the same thing as frequent or chronic fatigue. The data provided by the CDC suggests that while exhaustion is common, a smaller but still substantial portion of adults are dealing with it every day. Find out more about American fatigue, what may be behind it, and how prevalent it really is.

What The CDC Actually Found About Fatigue

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics found that 71.5% of U.S. adults reported feeling “very tired or exhausted” at least some days during the three months covered by the survey. About 28.5% said they never experienced that level of tiredness during the period.

The more concerning figure is what the CDC fatigue report classified as frequent fatigue, a term that refers to feeling “very tired or exhausted” most days or every day. The study found that 16.6% of participants fell into that category. 10.7% of participants said that they felt exhausted most days, while 5.9% said they experienced fatigue every day.

In other words, the “nearly 3 in 4” statistic shouldn't be interpreted as meaning that three-quarters of Americans are chronically exhausted. It means that roughly three-quarters experienced significant tiredness at least occasionally over a three-month period. The distinction is important because fatigue is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It may have multiple causes, and the CDC fatigue report was published in an effort to help measure how common it is, not explain why people have it.