{"id":13521,"date":"2020-07-21T19:09:16","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T23:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=13521"},"modified":"2026-03-27T15:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:29:26","slug":"autism-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Autism statistics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children with impaired social skills, such as those who find it difficult to hold a conversation, make eye contact, or empathize with others, might fit somewhere on the autism spectrum. They may have compulsive behavior or repetitive movements. Although they may be captivated by a handful of things, they could be behind in their language or learning skills. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 36 children in the United States, and symptoms look a little different from person to person. There isn\u2019t a cure for autism, and it\u2019s a lifelong condition. Still, an<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> early diagnosis <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can improve the quality of life of individuals with autism as well as their careers and relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-autism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is autism?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/topics\/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd\/index.shtml\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">developmental disorder<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that affects communication and behavior. The causes of autism are believed to be due to both <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/Disorders\/Patient-Caregiver-Education\/Fact-Sheets\/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder-Fact-Sheet\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">genetic factors and environmental factors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, although the exact causes of autism remain unknown. Those with autism find social interaction and communication difficult and have repetitive behaviors and focused interests. Autism is also a spectrum disorder, meaning the severity and range of symptoms are different from person to person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below are a few diagnostic criteria of autism, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No babbling or pointing by age 1<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No single words by age 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impaired ability to make friends with peers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repetitive or unusual use of language<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abnormally intense or focused interest<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preoccupation with objects or subjects<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cASD can be thought of as something that impacts language and theory of mind,\u201d says <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriamsaunders.com\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Merriam Saunders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, LMFT, a psychotherapist based in California. \u201cFor some, the language impact means they are non-vocal or have limited language use. These are typically the [most severe] cases. Theory of mind is a fancy term for one\u2019s ability to understand that what is in your head is not necessarily in your head, too. It is sometimes because of this difficulty that people with ASD have difficulty understanding [that] someone else might not want to talk about or hear at length about the thing they are most passionate about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saunders also explains that other symptoms, such as sensory issues (difficulty with sounds, taste, touch, and light), can range from severe to mild.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-common-is-autism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How common is autism?<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among 8-year-old children, 1 in 36 U.S. children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism was four times more prevalent among boys than among girls as of 2020 in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, ASD diagnosis rates have increased by approximately 175% from 2011 to 2022 (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JAMA Network Open<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"autism-statistics-by-age\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism statistics by age<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, autism diagnoses usually happen in early childhood, which may be why autism rates in children are higher than those in adults. However, because the definition of autism spectrum disorder has drastically <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spectrumnews.org\/news\/evolution-autism-diagnosis-explained\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">evolved<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on a greater understanding of the condition, many teens and adults could be living with undiagnosed ASD.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to national surveys, of those children with autism, 49% were evaluated by age 3. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children with a clinical diagnosis of autism had a median age of diagnosis of 4 years and 1 month. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One in 45 adults have a diagnosis of autism (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Autism and Development Disorders<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2022)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"autism-statistics-by-sex\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism statistics by sex\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The estimated prevalence of ASD is higher in males than females, with the ratio of diagnosis about 4:1 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A higher proportion of males with ASD have average or above-average IQ in comparison to females with ASD (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Autism and Development Disorders<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2013).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Females are known to engage in disguising their autistic symptoms more than males, known as \u201ccamouflaging,\u201d suggesting that it may simply be more challenging to diagnose females than males (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2017)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"autism-statistics-by-race-and-ethnicity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism statistics by race and ethnicity<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism prevalence in children is higher among Black (2.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (3.3%) children than white (2.4%) children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minority groups are diagnosed with autism later and less often (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Developmental &amp; Behavioral Pediatrics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2021)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average age of diagnosis of Black children with ASD was over 5 years of age, and 3 years after parents first raised concerns regarding child development, which differs from the average age of diagnosis occurring in 4-year-old children overall (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pediatrics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2020)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"autism-statistics-by-socioeconomic-status\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism statistics by socioeconomic status<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reasons for differences in age at diagnosis with autism are numerous but include socioeconomic factors.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies have reported a positive association between lower socioeconomic status and prevalence rates of autism (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PLoS One<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2010)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families with parental roles with higher education suggest earlier ASD detection, which may be due to better access to healthcare services, financial resources, and education resources like early intervention. Disparities may also have more to do with the underrepresentation of lower socioeconomic classes (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Autism and Development Disorders<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2013)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"cognitive-functioning-among-children-with-autism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive functioning among children with autism<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism is not a learning disability, but it can affect cognitive function. Some children on the autism spectrum have delays in speech or learning, while others do not. Because it is a spectrum disorder, these delays can range from mild to severe.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One-third of children with autism were classified as having an intellectual disability (IQ equal to or less than 70).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More girls than boys were identified as having an intellectual disability with autism (42% versus 37%).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twenty-four percent of children with autism had an IQ in the borderline range (IQ 71-85).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black (21%) and Hispanic children (35%) were more likely to have an intellectual disability with autism than white children (32%), who had the lowest rate.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"autism-and-co-occurring-conditions\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism and co-occurring conditions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no cure or medication for autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral therapy is the most effective autism treatment. However, the vast majority (95%) of autistic children have at least one co-occurring condition, and 78% have at least one mental health condition, which is often treatable (Autism Research Institute, 2021)<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approximately 80% of individuals with autism suffer from a sleep disorder (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2021)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gastrointestinal conditions, like chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, gastroesophageal reflux and\/or disease, and others, are observed in up to 84% of children with autism. (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2021)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Five percent of children with autism and 12% of adults with autism on Medicaid have a co-occurring seizure disorder (National Autism Data Center, Drexel Autism Institute, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thirty-five percent of children with autism and 21% of adults with autism suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Medicaid claims (National Autism Data Center, Drexel Autism Institute, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost of autism<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism costs $60,000 per year on average through childhood due to special education services like speech therapy, healthcare costs, and lost wages among parents. (My Team ABA, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Costs increase in people with autism and intellectual disability, comorbidities, and level of disability. (My Team ABA, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Costs for a person with autism is $1.4 million across the life span; lifetime cost estimates increase to $2.4 million in those with intellectual disabilities (My Team ABA, 2024)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost of caring for people with autism is predicted to reach $461 billion by 2025 in the U.S. (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2015)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"is-autism-an-epidemic\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is autism an epidemic?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before discussing whether these numbers suggest an epidemic, it\u2019s necessary to understand <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">why<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> autism statistics have increased. An epidemic is a spike in the rate of new cases. However, it\u2019s unclear whether the prevalence of autism has really increased or if it\u2019s just an increase in diagnoses due to greater access to early identification.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sociallearningcenter.org\/about-us\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Abildgaard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, LPC, a writer for Autism Parenting Magazine, explains that there is an increase in identified cases of autism due to, \u201cexpanding the definition from autism to autism spectrum disorder (ASD); increasing knowledge of the disorder by professionals, which leads to an increase in better and earlier diagnoses; more consistency by CDC\u2019s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network in the method used to identify cases; (and) an actual increase in the rate of children being born with the disorder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Children with impaired social skills, such as those who find it difficult to hold a conversation, make eye contact, or empathize with others, might fit somewhere on the autism spectrum. They may have compulsive behavior or repetitive movements. Although they may be captivated by a handful of things, they could be behind in their language [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4114],"tags":[16413],"coauthors":[8861],"class_list":["post-13521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-singlecare-stats","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Autism statistics 2026: Is autism an epidemic?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One in 54 children has autism in the U.S., many of which are diagnosed at age 4. Autism statistics have increased, but is autism really an epidemic?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Autism statistics 2020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"See the latest numbers on autism spectrum disorder (ASD)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Checkup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SingleCare Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Autism statistics 2020\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"See the latest numbers on autism spectrum disorder (ASD)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SingleCare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SingleCare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SingleCare Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SingleCare Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/403ef50a9f402fb9ce49c429659555f5\"},\"headline\":\"Autism statistics\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1326,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/AutismStatistics.png\",\"keywords\":[\"SingleCare stats\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/\",\"name\":\"Autism statistics 2026: Is autism an epidemic?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/AutismStatistics.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"One in 54 children has autism in the U.S., many of which are diagnosed at age 4. Autism statistics have increased, but is autism really an epidemic?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/AutismStatistics.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/AutismStatistics.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Map of America with charts and graphs: Autism statistics\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/news\\\/autism-statistics\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Autism statistics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Checkup, a health blog by SingleCare\",\"description\":\"Read the latest in prescription, wellness, and healthcare news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SingleCare\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/placeholderimage-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/placeholderimage-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"SingleCare\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/singlecare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SingleCare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/singlecare\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/singlecare\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCd9kiPIjCQw95-2BHCYePKA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/403ef50a9f402fb9ce49c429659555f5\",\"name\":\"SingleCare Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=gcda8e0f4c5718cb7f68c0ee812f6fafb\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SingleCare Team\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/singlecareteam\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Autism statistics 2026: Is autism an epidemic?","description":"One in 54 children has autism in the U.S., many of which are diagnosed at age 4. Autism statistics have increased, but is autism really an epidemic?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Autism statistics 2020","og_description":"See the latest numbers on autism spectrum disorder (ASD)","og_url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/","og_site_name":"The Checkup","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare","article_published_time":"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"SingleCare Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Autism statistics 2020","twitter_description":"See the latest numbers on autism spectrum disorder (ASD)","twitter_creator":"@SingleCare","twitter_site":"@SingleCare","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SingleCare Team","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/"},"author":{"name":"SingleCare Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/403ef50a9f402fb9ce49c429659555f5"},"headline":"Autism statistics","datePublished":"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/"},"wordCount":1326,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png","keywords":["SingleCare stats"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/","name":"Autism statistics 2026: Is autism an epidemic?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png","datePublished":"2020-07-21T23:09:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-27T19:29:26+00:00","description":"One in 54 children has autism in the U.S., many of which are diagnosed at age 4. Autism statistics have increased, but is autism really an epidemic?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AutismStatistics.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Map of America with charts and graphs: Autism statistics"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/autism-statistics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Autism statistics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/","name":"The Checkup, a health blog by SingleCare","description":"Read the latest in prescription, wellness, and healthcare news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"SingleCare","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/placeholderimage-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/placeholderimage-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"SingleCare"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare","https:\/\/x.com\/SingleCare","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/singlecare\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/singlecare\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCd9kiPIjCQw95-2BHCYePKA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/403ef50a9f402fb9ce49c429659555f5","name":"SingleCare Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=gcda8e0f4c5718cb7f68c0ee812f6fafb","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c56ea35da6164263b446caa5424dd8beeb331518803b6043b40932812936fb2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SingleCare Team"},"url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/author\/singlecareteam\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}