How many people in the US have hearing loss? 2026 statistics

Ask how many Americans have hearing loss and you will find answers from 30 million to 72.9 million, and much smaller counts of deaf Americans. Each is correct for what it measures. Hearing tests in a national health survey from 2001 to 2008 found hearing loss in at least one ear in 48.1 million Americans aged 12 and over, 20.3%². A modelled estimate for 2019 puts it at 72.88 million people of all ages³, while 37.5 million adults said they had some trouble hearing in a 2012 survey¹.

This page puts the US figures side by side, explains what each one counts, and links every number to its source. For the world, the UK and the WHO definitions, see how many people are deaf or hard of hearing.

How many Americans have hearing loss? The main figures

Why do the numbers differ so much?

The US hearing loss figures differ because they measure different things. Some come from hearing tests, others from what people say about their own hearing, and some count one ear while others need both.

The first national estimate based on hearing tests was higher than earlier ones. Lin and colleagues defined hearing loss as an average threshold above 25 dB in the speech frequencies, the level at which it begins to impair communication in daily life, and noted that earlier national estimates, based on self-report or on hearing tests of some age groups only, had been lower, 21 to 29 million². Self-reports can miss hearing loss, especially in older adults, who tend to underestimate their level of hearing loss⁴. Most US hearing loss is mild: 64.3% of cases in the Global Burden of Disease estimate³.

The Global Burden of Disease estimate counts the most people partly because it sets a lower bar: hearing loss from 20 dB in the better ear, where Lin and colleagues counted from above 25 dB, and it covers all ages in 2019³.

The narrowest figures ask about deafness. The American Community Survey asks whether a person is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing, and 3.7% of Americans said yes in 2024, about 12.4 million people, not counting people living in institutions⁶. A Gallaudet University analysis of another federal survey counted close to 1 million functionally deaf people and nearly 10 million more who are hard of hearing, only among those who report difficulty hearing normal conversation⁷. Sign language reaches further than deafness: about 2.8% of US adults used sign language in the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Surveys, more often women and younger adults, and deaf adults far more often than people with any other level of hearing¹⁰.

How does hearing loss change with age?

Hearing loss in the US becomes much more common after 50. In hearing tests from 2015 to 2020, about 5% of adults aged 45 to 54 had disabling hearing loss (35 dB or more in the better ear, the level at which adults could generally benefit from hearing aids), rising to 10% at 55 to 64, 22% at 65 to 74 and 55% at 75 and older¹.

Hearing tests of adults aged 71 and over in 2021 found hearing loss in 65.3% of them, an estimated 21.5 million people: 37.0% mild, 24.1% moderate and 4.2% severe⁴. Among adults aged 90 and older, 96.2% had hearing loss⁴.

Among adults aged 20 to 69, the rate has fallen slightly over time, from 16% (28.0 million people) in 1999 to 2004 to 14% (27.7 million) in 2011 to 2012¹.

How many children are born with hearing loss?

About 2 to 3 of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears¹. Nearly every newborn is now screened: in 2022, 98.1% of births were screened and 6,272 babies were confirmed deaf or hard of hearing, 1.7 per 1,000 births⁵.

The gap is what happens after screening. Only 39.9% of babies who didn't pass had a documented diagnosis before 3 months of age, and only 40.9% of the babies confirmed deaf or hard of hearing were enrolled in early intervention before 6 months. For 34.0% of babies who didn't pass, the diagnosis was lost to follow-up or never documented⁵.

How many Americans use hearing aids?

Most Americans who could benefit from hearing aids don't use them. About 28.8 million US adults could benefit from hearing aids¹. Among adults aged 70 and older who could benefit, fewer than 1 in 3 (30%) has ever used them, and among adults aged 20 to 69 it is about 16%¹. In hearing tests from 2021 of adults aged 71 and over, only 29.2% of those with hearing loss used hearing aids, an estimated 6.4 million people⁴.

Since October 17, 2022, adults aged 18 and over with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids over the counter, in a store or online, without a prescription or a visit to a hearing professional⁹. The FDA says they are not for severe or profound hearing loss, that children need hearing aids by prescription, and that sudden changes in hearing, ear pain, discharge or dizziness are reasons to see a doctor⁹.

Cochlear implants reach far fewer people: roughly 118,100 devices had been implanted in adults and 65,000 in children in the United States, according to manufacturers' reports to the FDA up to December 2019¹.

How common is hearing loss at work?

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical health condition among US adults, after high blood pressure and arthritis⁸. About 1 in 9 people in the US working population has hearing difficulty, and about 27 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise at work each year⁸. NIOSH advises getting your hearing tested if you notice a change in your hearing or develop tinnitus⁸.

Noise leaves a mark. Among adults aged 20 to 69 who report 5 or more years of very loud noise at work, about 18% have speech-frequency hearing loss in both ears, compared with 5.5% of those with no noise exposure at work¹. Of the six disability types the American Community Survey asks about, working-age people (21 to 64) with a hearing disability have the highest employment rate, 60.3% in 2024, compared with 81.7% of people without a disability⁶. For what helps when several people talk at once, see live captions for meetings.

How many Americans have tinnitus?

Roughly 10% of US adults, about 25 million people, have had tinnitus lasting at least 5 minutes in the past year¹. Tinnitus and hearing loss often come together: in the Global Burden of Disease estimate, 32.5% of Americans with hearing loss also had tinnitus³, and about 1 in 25 people in the working population has both⁸.

What the numbers mean in daily life

Most of the tens of millions of Americans with hearing loss are not deaf. Most US hearing loss is mild, which the Global Burden of Disease study describes as great difficulty hearing and understanding another person talking in a noisy place³, and most adults who could benefit from hearing aids have never used them¹. The places where that matters most are ordinary ones: a doctor's appointment, a pharmacy counter, a classroom, a family dinner.

Captio AI, a live captioning app for deaf and hard of hearing people, is one of the tools for those moments. Its Live Captions show what people around you say as text on your phone while they are still talking, in 60+ languages including English, on iPhone and Android.