Overview
- The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics published an analysis on Sept. 3, 2026, using about 27,000 responses from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey that found 71.5% of adults reported feeling tired on multiple days and 16.6% experienced frequent fatigue.
- Frequent fatigue was highest among younger adults (about 19.5% of those ages 18–34) and women (20% versus 13% of men), and rates were elevated for American Indian and Alaska Native adults, lower-income and rural populations, and people in the South and Midwest.
- Adults with frequent fatigue were much more likely to report poor mental-health and cognitive symptoms, with more than three times the odds of depression and roughly double the odds of anxiety or cognitive difficulty, and many reported limits in daily activities and work.
- The study is cross-sectional and relies on self-reported symptoms, so it cannot prove causes or show whether fatigue has risen or fallen over time, a limitation the authors and reporters emphasize when urging more research.
- Public-health takeaways in coverage include calls for primary-care screening for persistent fatigue, workplace accommodations for people with functional limits, and clinical evaluation when exhaustion does not improve with sleep plus basic lifestyle advice such as routine sleep, exercise and hydration.