The number of Americans living with Alzheimer's is growing — and growing fast. Over 7 million Americans have Alzheimer's.

• An estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's in 2025. Seventy-four percent are age 75 or older.

• About 1 in 9 people age 65 and older (11%) has Alzheimer's.

• Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women.

• Older Black Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer's or other dementias as older Whites.

• Older Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer's or other dementias as older Whites.

• People younger than 65 can also develop Alzheimer's dementia. Although prevalence studies are limited, researchers believe about 110 of every 100,000 people age 30 to 64 years, or about 200,000 Americans in total, have younger-onset dementia.

Alzheimer's is not just memory loss. Alzheimer's kills.

• One in 3 older Americans dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

• Alzheimer's disease was the sixth-leading cause of death among people age 65 and older in 2022.

• Deaths from Alzheimer's have more than doubled between 2000 and 2022, while those from heart disease — the leading cause of death — have decreased.

• At age 70, older Americans living with Alzheimer's are twice as likely to die before age 80 than those who do not have the disease.

People age 65 and older survive an average of four to eight years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, yet some live as long as 20 years with Alzheimer's. This reflects the slow, uncertain progression of the disease.

Eighty-three percent of the help provided to older adults in the United States comes from family members, friends or other unpaid caregivers. Nearly half of all caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone living with Alzheimer's or another dementia.

Who are the caregivers?

• Nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for a family member or friend with dementia. The value of these unpaid hours is valued at $413.5 billion — nearly 16 times the total revenue of McDonald's in 2023.

• About 30% of caregivers are age 65 or older.

• Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women; more specifically, over one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters.

• Most caregivers (66%) live with the person with dementia in the community.

• Approximately one-quarter of dementia caregivers are "sandwich generation" caregivers — meaning that they care not only for an aging parent but also for at least one child.

Alzheimer's takes a devastating toll on caregivers. Compared with caregivers of people without dementia, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia indicate substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties.

Of the total lifetime cost of caring for someone with dementia, 70% is borne by families — either through out-of-pocket health and long-term care expenses or from the value of unpaid care.

As the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease increases, so does the need for more members of the paid workforce to be knowledgeable and skillful about working with different populations of people living with dementia, as well as with their families.

• Fifty-five percent of primary care physicians (PCPs) caring for people living with Alzheimer's report there are not enough dementia care specialists in their communities.

• Between 2022 and 2032, nearly 900,000 additional direct care workers will be needed to care for the growing population of people living with dementia — the largest worker gap of any single occupation in the U.S.

• Half of PCPs reported that they do not feel adequately prepared to care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other dementias.

• The U.S. will have to more than double the number of geriatricians to effectively care for the number of people projected to have Alzheimer's in 2050.

• Turnover rates for direct care workers are high — estimated at 80% annually for those providing home care and 99% for nursing assistants in nursing homes.

The costs of health care and long-term care for individuals living with Alzheimer's or other dementias are substantial, and dementia is one of the costliest conditions to society.

In 2025, health and long-term care costs for people living with Alzheimer's and other dementias are projected to reach $384 billion — not including the value of unpaid caregiving. Medicare and Medicaid are expected to cover $246 billion (64%), while out-of-pocket spending is expected to be $97 billion. Total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice care for people living with dementia are projected to increase to nearly $1 trillion in 2050.

• The total lifetime cost of care for a person living with dementia is estimated at $405,262. Seventy percent of these costs are borne by family caregivers in the forms of unpaid caregiving and out-of-pocket expenses.

• Medicaid costs for a person living with dementia are 22 times higher than for older adults without dementia. Medicare costs are 3 times higher.

• People living with Alzheimer's or other dementias have twice as many hospital stays per year as other older people.

• Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's or other dementias are more likely than those without dementia to have other chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

• Older people living with Alzheimer's or other dementias have more skilled nursing facility stays and home health care visits per year than other older people.

• People living with Alzheimer's or other dementias make up a large proportion of all elderly people who receive adult day services and nursing home care.

As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease tops over 7 million for the first time, American Perspectives on Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Era of Treatment (PDF) finds that Americans are increasingly interested in early detection and treatment. The nationwide survey of more than 1,700 Americans aged 45 and older examined awareness and attitudes about Alzheimer’s disease, early detection and diagnosis, tests used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s, and treatments.

Currently, the process of getting an Alzheimer's diagnosis can be challenging. Accurate diagnosis can involve complex testing, which can take months to complete. Barriers to accessing health care — whether they be logistical issues like work schedules and financial constraints, or other health care constraints like the scarcity of specialists and brain imaging equipment — are additional challenges to early detection and timely diagnosis.

Yet the promise of simple, accurate and accessible diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's may soon be a reality. The latest advancement in Alzheimer’s detection is blood-based biomarker tests, which are relatively simple to administer in a doctor's office, and are already used to monitor or diagnose other conditions. Experts believe that blood-based biomarker tests could improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis when used as a complement to other testing, offering a viable path to earlier Alzheimer’s detection and diagnosis. For many, early detection can bring peace of mind, time to plan ahead, agency over decisions and the opportunity for treatments that slow disease progression.

The special report found that Americans want to know if they have Alzheimer's disease and want early access to testing.

• The vast majority (99%) of Americans believe that early diagnosis is important.

• 79% would want to know if they had Alzheimer’s disease before experiencing symptoms or before symptoms interfere with daily activities.

• 91% said they would want to take a simple test — such as a blood biomarker test — if it were available, although very few are familiar with these tests. Access to early treatment and care is the main reason cited for wanting a simple test.

• 80% said they would ask to be tested rather than wait for their doctor to suggest testing.

Americans want medication to slow the progression of the disease and would accept some risk.

• 92% would probably or definitely want to take a medication that could slow the progression of the disease following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

• 58% said they would accept moderate to very high levels of risk with taking medication to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in the early stages.

Americans are optimistic about new treatments to slow or prevent Alzheimer's disease, and are interested in helping advance science by participating in research.

• 81% believe that new treatments to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s will emerge in the next decade.

• 66% believe that new treatments to prevent the disease will be available soon.

• If diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, 83% would be willing to participate in a clinical trial for treatment to help slow or cure the disease.

• 48% cited the ability to participate in clinical trials as a reason for wanting Alzheimer’s testing.

However, Americans are concerned about Alzheimer’s testing and how it could affect future care.

• 44% worry that insurance will not cover future care and treatment following testing.

• 41% are concerned about test accuracy.

• Other concerns include the cost of testing, and losing confidence in abilities or not being allowed to do certain activities (such as driving).

The special report highlights several key efforts to improve early detection, diagnosis and treatment for more Americans, including:

• Continuing research to discover, validate and advance biomarker testing, so that they can be widely used in clinical settings to detect and diagnose Alzheimer's and other dementias at the earliest stages.

• Creating clinical practice guidelines to keep pace with rapidly evolving science, new evidence and the experiences of health care professionals.

• Improving conversations among patients, caregivers and clinicians about testing, diagnosis and treatment.

• Addressing potential ethical concerns of early detection by making sure patients understand testing, and ensuring test results are shared by a physician who can provide context to avoid misinterpretation or undue emotional distress.

• Advocating for laws and policies that require insurance coverage of tests. This will help speed up diagnosis, provide faster access to treatments that slow disease progression and support better care planning.

• Leveraging public health efforts to promote the importance of early detection and diagnosis through awareness campaigns and provider education.

Learn more in American Perspectives on Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Era of Treatment (PDF) and view the special report infographic (PDF).

Read past special reports

• Mapping a Better Future for Dementia Care Navigation (2024)

• The Patient Journey in an Era of New Treatments (2023)

• More Than Normal Aging: Understanding Mild Cognitive Impairment (2022)

• Race, Ethnicity and Alzheimer's in America (2021)

• On the Front Lines: Primary Care Physicians and Alzheimer’s Care in America (2020)

Alzheimer's in each state

The 2025 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (PDF) report contains data on the impact of this disease in every state across the nation. Click below to see the effect that Alzheimer's is having in your state.