Contents
- Adult physical activity statistics: U.S. adults meeting leisure-time aerobic guidelines
- Adult physical activity statistics by age, sex, and race or ethnicity
- Adult physical activity statistics by family income and education
- Adult physical activity statistics by U.S. region and urbanization
- Adult physical activity statistics for combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines
- Adult physical activity statistics for women aged 18–44 by subgroup
- Sources
Adult physical activity statistics: U.S. adults meeting leisure-time aerobic guidelines
In 2024, 47.2% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older met federal aerobic physical activity guidelines through leisure-time activity. The estimate describes the civilian noninstitutionalized adult population and comes from self-reported activity in the National Health Interview Survey. Its 95% confidence interval was 46.3%–48.0%. This is a measure of guideline attainment during leisure time; it does not represent every form of movement across work, transportation, or daily tasks. CDC, Aerobic Physical Activity Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2024
The overall estimate gives a useful reference point for reading the subgroup figures below. Those estimates use the same 2024 leisure-time aerobic measure, but describe different population groups. They should be read as percentages within each named group, not as shares of all active adults. The confidence intervals also show that each published estimate has sampling uncertainty.
| Population | Meeting leisure-time aerobic guidelines, 2024 | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults aged 18 and older | 47.2% | 46.3%–48.0% |
CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, total estimate
Adult physical activity statistics by age, sex, and race or ethnicity
Age-specific estimates show a descending pattern across the reported adult age groups. In 2024, 54.0% of adults aged 18–34 met the leisure-time aerobic guideline, as did 49.8% of adults aged 35–49, 44.6% of those aged 50–64, and 38.4% of adults aged 65 and older. Each number refers to the age group shown. These figures describe reported guideline attainment, not the amount or intensity of activity among people who met the threshold. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, Figure 1
| Age group | Meeting guideline, 2024 | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 54.0% | 52.5%–55.6% |
| 35–49 | 49.8% | 48.3%–51.3% |
| 50–64 | 44.6% | 43.1%–46.0% |
| 65 and older | 38.4% | 37.1%–39.7% |
CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, age estimates
The 2024 estimates by sex were 52.3% for men aged 18 and older and 42.4% for women aged 18 and older. These are population-level leisure-time aerobic estimates. A comparison between the two values does not explain why they differ, and the table does not establish a cause. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, sex estimates
For race and Hispanic origin, the reported 2024 estimates were 49.2% for non-Hispanic White adults, 47.9% for non-Hispanic Asian adults, 43.8% for Hispanic adults, and 41.4% for non-Hispanic Black adults. The Hispanic category may include people of any race; the non-Hispanic racial categories refer to the groups identified in the CDC table. The estimates retain the same self-reported leisure-time activity definition used for the overall result. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, race and Hispanic origin estimates
Adult physical activity statistics by family income and education
In 2024, the percentage meeting leisure-time aerobic guidelines increased across the reported family income categories. It was 35.4% among adults in families below 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL), 36.7% for those at 100% to less than 200% FPL, 43.8% at 200% to less than 400% FPL, and 56.5% at 400% FPL or more. FPL categories express family income relative to the federal poverty level; they are not dollar amounts. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, Figure 2
| Family income as percentage of FPL | Meeting guideline, 2024 | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 100% | 35.4% | 33.1%–37.8% |
| 100% to less than 200% | 36.7% | 35.0%–38.4% |
| 200% to less than 400% | 43.8% | 42.3%–45.2% |
| 400% or more | 56.5% | 55.3%–57.6% |
CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, family income estimates
The education estimates also differed by attainment. In 2024, 32.3% of adults with less than a high school diploma or GED met the aerobic guideline. The estimate was 38.6% for adults with a high school diploma or GED, 47.4% for adults with an associate’s degree or some college, and 58.5% for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Education groups are categories in the survey table; these percentages do not indicate that education itself caused a particular activity level. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, education estimates
| Education | Meeting guideline, 2024 | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma or GED | 32.3% | 30.0%–34.7% |
| High school diploma or GED | 38.6% | 37.1%–40.2% |
| Associate’s degree or some college | 47.4% | 46.0%–48.8% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 58.5% | 57.3%–59.6% |
CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, education estimates
Adult physical activity statistics by U.S. region and urbanization
Across the four U.S. regions, the 2024 share meeting leisure-time aerobic guidelines was 48.4% in the Northeast, 46.4% in the Midwest, 44.1% in the South, and 51.9% in the West. These regional figures describe adults residing in each region and preserve the CDC’s 2024 survey measure. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, Figure 3
The estimates by urbanization level were 51.5% for adults in large central metropolitan areas, 48.8% in large fringe metropolitan areas, 44.5% in medium and small metropolitan areas, and 40.2% in nonmetropolitan areas. Urbanization categories distinguish types of residence; they are not a ranking of individual neighborhoods or a measure of access to exercise facilities. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, urbanization estimates
The same 2024 report includes several health-status group estimates. Among adults without disabilities, 49.8% met the leisure-time aerobic guideline; among adults with disabilities, the estimate was 22.4%. For BMI categories, the reported estimates were 54.8% among adults classified as healthy weight and 49.8% among adults classified as overweight. These are separate group descriptions within the report, not evidence that disability or BMI alone determines activity. The values should be interpreted with their stated categories and self-reported leisure-time measure. CDC, 2024 aerobic activity data table, Figure 4
Adult physical activity statistics for combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines
The combined-guideline figures below are historical estimates from 2020, not current-year measurements. They classify adults according to whether they met both federal guideline types, only the aerobic guideline, only the muscle-strengthening guideline, or neither. Among U.S. adults aged 18 and older, 24.2% met both criteria, 22.7% met aerobic criteria only, 6.8% met strength criteria only, and 46.3% met neither. The estimates use NHIS data and are unadjusted. CDC, Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020 — Data Tables
| 2020 guideline status | U.S. adults aged 18 and older |
|---|---|
| Met both criteria | 24.2% |
| Met aerobic only | 22.7% |
| Met strength only | 6.8% |
| Met neither criteria | 46.3% |
CDC, 2020 combined-guideline data table, Figure 1
In the same 2020 tables, 28.3% of men aged 18 and older and 20.4% of women aged 18 and older met both guideline types. The age-specific figures supplied for men were 41.3% at ages 18–34, 29.4% at ages 35–49, 21.6% at ages 50–64, and 15.3% at ages 65 and older. These estimates show how the combined measure varied across the reported male age groups in 2020; they should not be substituted for the 2024 leisure-time aerobic estimates above. CDC, 2020 combined-guideline data tables, Figure 2
For women in 2020, 28.7% of those aged 18–34 met both guideline types, while 22.7% of women aged 35–49 did so. The CDC also published a separate 2020 measure of muscle-strengthening guideline attainment by age group and sex. That QuickStats source provides context for the strength component, but the observations retained here report only the combined-guideline values listed above. CDC, 2020 combined-guideline data tables, Figure 2; CDC, 2020 muscle-strengthening QuickStats
Adult physical activity statistics for women aged 18–44 by subgroup
The women’s estimates here pool NHIS 2022 and 2024 and cover U.S. women aged 18–44. The table separates four leisure-time outcomes: meeting both recommendations, meeting aerobic only, meeting muscle-strengthening only, and meeting neither. In the total population, 25.1% met both, 21.7% met aerobic only, 6.1% met muscle-strengthening only, and 47.2% met neither. These pooled estimates are distinct from the single-year 2024 adult estimates in earlier sections. CDC, Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Women of Reproductive Age — United States, 2022 and 2024, Table 1
| Outcome among women aged 18–44 | Pooled 2022 and 2024 |
|---|---|
| Met both recommendations | 25.1% |
| Met aerobic only | 21.7% |
| Met muscle-strengthening only | 6.1% |
| Met neither | 47.2% |
CDC, pooled 2022 and 2024 women’s activity estimates, Table 1
By age, the share meeting both leisure-time recommendations was 27.8% among women aged 18–24, 26.2% among women aged 25–29, 23.2% among women aged 30–34, and 24.2% among women aged 35–39. Each estimate pools 2022 and 2024 and applies to the age band shown. The supplied values do not include an estimate for every possible subgroup or age band, so these figures should be read only for the categories reported. CDC, pooled 2022 and 2024 women’s activity estimates, Table 1
By race and ethnicity, 27.6% of non-Hispanic White women aged 18–44 met both recommendations, 20.4% of non-Hispanic Asian women did so, and 21.4% of non-Hispanic Black women did so. Among Hispanic or Latino women aged 18–44, 23.4% met both; that category includes women of any race. All four estimates refer to pooled NHIS 2022 and 2024 leisure-time reports. They describe the named populations and do not establish reasons for subgroup differences. CDC, pooled 2022 and 2024 women’s activity estimates, Table 1
Sources
- Aerobic Physical Activity Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2024
- Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020 — Data Tables
- QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Met the Federal Guidelines for Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activity, by Age Group and Sex — United States, 2020
- QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Met the 2018 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Both Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity, by Urbanization Level — United States, 2020
- Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Women of Reproductive Age — United States, 2022 and 2024