High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened

US estimate 37.4% (95% interval 37.1–37.8), age-adjusted 32.2% (31.9–32.6). Published in the 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 releases.

Population: All Adults
Case definition period: Lifetime
Prevalence (crude and age-adjusted)

38.3%median county, 2025middle half 36.0%–40.3%

2,956counties with a 2025 estimaterange 21.2%–51.4%

High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened: CDC's PLACES 2025 release estimates 37.4% nationally (95% confidence interval 37.1–37.8%), or 32.2% age-adjusted, from 2023 BRFSS responses.

Across the 2,956 counties with a 2025 estimate, the median county is 38.3% and the middle half of counties fall between 36.0% and 40.3%; the full range runs from 21.2% to 51.4%. Population-weighted state figures computed by this site (no interval) range from 30.4% (Utah) to 42.7% (West Virginia).

CDC advises that areas may be compared on individual measures but that the estimates should not be used to rank overall health; the county lists below are ordered by point estimate and every row carries its 95% confidence interval.

CDC's definition

A multi-level regression and post-stratification approach was applied to BRFSS and ACS data to compute a detailed probability among adults who report having ever been screened for high cholesterol and told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that they had high cholesterol. The probability was then applied to the detailed population estimates at the appropriate geographic level to generate the prevalence. The 95% confidence interval was derived using Monte Carlo simulation.

CDC's notes: This measure does not include people with high cholesterol who have not had their blood cholesterol checked. Survey questions are part of the BRFSS Rotating Core (odd years).

Quoted from CDC's PLACES measure definitions (cdc.gov/places/measure-definitions). BRFSS is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the telephone survey the model is trained on.

National distribution across counties

21.2%36.3%51.4%

Crude county point estimates in the 2025 release, 24 equal bins. Deciles: 10th 33.9%, 25th 36.0%, median 38.3%, 75th 40.3%, 90th 42.2%. Counties without a 2025 estimate (Kentucky, Pennsylvania and the states without the social-needs module) are excluded here.

By state

Crude prevalence is the estimated share of all adults. Age-adjusted prevalence is standardised to the 2000 US standard population so that areas with different age structures can be compared. CDC: "Age-adjusted estimates are only available at the county and place-level."

State	State figure, crude (site aggregate)	Lowest county	Highest county	Counties
West Virginia	42.7%	34.6%	47.2%	55
Delaware	41.2%	38.4%	48.5%	3
Alabama	40.7%	36.5%	45.9%	67
New Jersey	39.3%	36.4%	45.9%	21
Florida	39.0%	34.1%	51.4%	67
Mississippi	38.8%	30.5%	43.4%	82
Connecticut	38.4%	36.2%	40.5%	9
Louisiana	38.3%	34.0%	45.0%	64
Tennessee	38.3%	33.0%	46.1%	95
Maryland	38.1%	35.5%	43.7%	24
Nevada	38.1%	35.8%	44.9%	17
South Carolina	38.1%	34.3%	47.7%	46
Arkansas	38.0%	32.8%	45.3%	75
Virginia	38.0%	29.6%	46.7%	133
Indiana	37.8%	34.7%	43.5%	92
New York	37.7%	29.7%	43.9%	62
Oklahoma	37.7%	32.2%	45.2%	77
Missouri	37.5%	29.8%	46.5%	115
Maine	37.4%	33.5%	41.5%	16
Arizona	37.3%	31.6%	43.4%	15
Georgia	36.8%	26.2%	46.0%	159
Kentucky (2024 release)	36.8%	31.1%	42.6%	120*
Kansas	36.7%	25.9%	42.7%	105
Ohio	36.7%	33.0%	43.7%	88
Hawaii	36.1%	35.0%	41.7%	5
North Carolina	35.6%	28.3%	43.4%	100
California	35.4%	31.2%	42.5%	58
Illinois	35.4%	32.2%	42.3%	102
Massachusetts	35.4%	30.3%	40.0%	14
Michigan	35.4%	29.1%	44.2%	83
Iowa	35.3%	29.2%	40.3%	99
New Hampshire	35.2%	33.1%	39.1%	10
New Mexico	35.1%	32.1%	43.7%	33
Texas	35.1%	29.8%	47.4%	253
Washington	34.9%	27.5%	43.4%	39
Oregon	34.4%	31.3%	41.4%	36
Wisconsin	34.4%	28.9%	42.9%	72
Rhode Island	34.2%	33.3%	37.9%	5
South Dakota	34.0%	27.4%	41.1%	66
North Dakota	33.8%	30.8%	42.1%	53
Pennsylvania (2024 release)	33.8%	29.9%	41.0%	67*
Wyoming	33.8%	28.7%	40.1%	23
Alaska	33.4%	31.5%	40.5%	30
Minnesota	33.4%	29.8%	39.7%	87
Idaho	33.2%	21.2%	40.8%	44
Nebraska	33.0%	30.0%	39.5%	93
District of Columbia	32.8%	32.8%	32.8%	1
Montana	32.8%	27.4%	40.1%	56
Vermont	32.1%	28.1%	38.0%	14
Colorado	31.5%	28.2%	40.3%	64
Utah	30.4%	27.0%	39.9%	29

State	State figure, age-adjusted (site aggregate)	Counties
West Virginia	36.2%	55
Alabama	35.6%	67
Delaware	35.0%	3
New Jersey	34.6%	21
Mississippi	34.1%	82
Tennessee	33.9%	95
Louisiana	33.8%	64
Maryland	33.8%	24
Virginia	33.8%	133
Nevada	33.6%	17
Oklahoma	33.6%	77
Indiana	33.5%	92
Connecticut	33.4%	9
Georgia	33.4%	159
District of Columbia	33.3%	1
New York	33.3%	62
Arkansas	33.2%	75
Florida	32.9%	67
South Carolina	32.9%	46
Arizona	32.7%	15
Texas	32.7%	253
Kansas	32.5%	105
Missouri	32.5%	115
California	31.9%	58
Kentucky (2024 release)	31.8%	120*
Ohio	31.7%	88
North Carolina	31.4%	100
Illinois	31.3%	102
Massachusetts	31.3%	14
Washington	31.2%	39
Maine	30.7%	16
Iowa	30.6%	99
Michigan	30.5%	83
North Dakota	30.5%	53
Alaska	30.4%	30
Hawaii	30.1%	5
New Mexico	30.1%	33
Rhode Island	29.8%	5
Oregon	29.7%	36
New Hampshire	29.6%	10
Wisconsin	29.5%	72
South Dakota	29.4%	66
Utah	29.3%	29
Nebraska	29.1%	93
Idaho	29.0%	44
Minnesota	29.0%	87
Wyoming	28.9%	23
Colorado	28.8%	64
Pennsylvania (2024 release)	28.6%	67*
Montana	27.6%	56
Vermont	26.7%	14

State figures are population-weighted county estimates computed by this site (PLACES publishes no state row) and carry no interval; they are listed by point estimate, which is not a ranking of states' health. Lowest and highest county columns are crude point estimates. * This measure was not published for the state in the 2025 release; its figure, county count and county range come from the release in brackets, the most recent that has them.

Highest county estimates

County	Crude	95% interval
Sumter County, FL	51.4%	47.0–55.6
Sussex County, DE	48.5%	44.6–52.4
McCormick County, SC	47.7%	43.0–52.6
Jeff Davis County, TX	47.4%	42.4–52.4
Pendleton County, WV	47.2%	42.5–52.0
Webster County, WV	47.1%	42.4–51.9
Calhoun County, WV	46.8%	42.0–51.6
Lancaster County, VA	46.7%	41.9–51.5
Pocahontas County, WV	46.6%	42.4–51.1
Ritchie County, WV	46.6%	41.8–51.3
Highlands County, FL	46.5%	42.5–50.7
Hickory County, MO	46.5%	41.4–51.3
Tyler County, WV	46.5%	41.7–51.2
Charlotte County, FL	46.3%	42.3–49.8
Mingo County, WV	46.3%	41.8–50.9
Monroe County, WV	46.3%	41.3–51.2
Wyoming County, WV	46.3%	41.7–51.1
Citrus County, FL	46.1%	41.8–50.1
Cumberland County, TN	46.1%	41.7–50.6
Highland County, VA	46.1%	41.1–51.1

County	Age-adj.	95% interval
Mingo County, WV	37.9%	33.5–42.4
Wyoming County, WV	37.8%	33.4–42.4
Chilton County, AL	37.7%	33.3–42.2
Franklin County, AL	37.7%	33.2–42.3
Fayette County, WV	37.6%	33.2–42.3
Winston County, AL	37.5%	33.0–42.1
Gilmer County, WV	37.5%	32.9–42.1
Logan County, WV	37.5%	33.1–42.0
Mercer County, WV	37.5%	33.4–41.7
Ritchie County, WV	37.5%	33.0–42.1
Sussex County, DE	37.4%	33.6–41.2
DeSoto County, FL	37.4%	33.2–41.5
Raleigh County, WV	37.4%	33.3–41.7
Marengo County, AL	37.3%	32.8–41.7
Barbour County, WV	37.2%	32.7–41.5
Mason County, WV	37.2%	32.8–41.7
Tyler County, WV	37.2%	32.6–41.8
Webster County, WV	37.2%	32.7–41.8
Wetzel County, WV	37.2%	32.7–41.7
Bullock County, AL	37.1%	32.7–41.7

Lowest county estimates

County	Crude	95% interval
Madison County, ID	21.2%	18.4–24.2
Riley County, KS	25.9%	22.9–29.2
Chattahoochee County, GA	26.2%	22.8–29.8
Utah County, UT	27.0%	24.7–29.4
Clay County, SD	27.4%	23.7–31.0
Gallatin County, MT	27.4%	24.5–30.1
Whitman County, WA	27.5%	24.8–30.0
Chittenden County, VT	28.1%	25.8–30.6
Cache County, UT	28.2%	25.0–31.3
Denver County, CO	28.2%	25.5–31.0
Brookings County, SD	28.3%	25.4–31.1
Onslow County, NC	28.3%	24.8–32.1
Albany County, WY	28.7%	25.6–32.1
Geary County, KS	28.7%	25.3–32.4
Dane County, WI	28.9%	26.2–31.6
Washtenaw County, MI	29.1%	26.5–31.7
Latah County, ID	29.1%	25.7–32.6
Johnson County, IA	29.2%	26.4–32.3
Oglala Lakota County, SD	29.5%	26.2–33.2
Gunnison County, CO	29.5%	25.7–33.6

County	Age-adj.	95% interval
Lamoille County, VT	25.0%	21.8–28.2
Windsor County, VT	25.9%	23.1–28.7
Chittenden County, VT	25.9%	23.6–28.4
Twin Falls County, ID	25.9%	22.8–29.2
Lake County, MT	26.0%	22.9–29.2
Windham County, VT	26.3%	23.5–29.5
Grand Isle County, VT	26.3%	22.6–30.0
Carver County, MN	26.3%	23.1–29.6
Bennington County, VT	26.4%	23.3–29.6
Sheridan County, WY	26.5%	23.2–29.9
Rutland County, VT	26.5%	23.6–29.4
Teton County, WY	26.6%	23.1–30.3
Jefferson County, MT	26.6%	23.1–30.5
Mesa County, CO	26.6%	23.2–30.0
Rosebud County, MT	26.7%	23.4–30.2
Richland County, MT	26.7%	23.2–30.3
Crow Wing County, MN	26.7%	23.5–30.1
Treasure County, MT	26.8%	23.0–30.9
Gallatin County, MT	26.8%	23.7–29.8
Big Horn County, MT	26.8%	23.3–30.4

Twenty counties at each end by point estimate. Small counties have wide intervals; many of these intervals overlap one another, so the order within each list is not a meaningful ranking. CDC: "the data should not be used for ranking the overall health of any county, place, census tract, or ZCTA."

National estimate by release

Release	Crude	Age-adjusted	BRFSS year
2022 release	33.6% 33.3–33.9	28.7%	2019
2023 release	36.4% 36.0–36.8	31.0%	2021
2024 release	35.5% 35.2–35.9	30.4%	2021
2025 release	37.4% 37.1–37.8	32.2%	2023

CDC's US row from each release's county file, for reference. Survey questions and modelling details change between releases; see the release pages.

Questions and answers

How does PLACES define "high cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened"?

A multi-level regression and post-stratification approach was applied to BRFSS and ACS data to compute a detailed probability among adults who report having ever been screened for high cholesterol and told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that they had high cholesterol. The probability was then applied to the detailed population estimates at the appropriate geographic level to generate the prevalence. The 95% confidence interval was derived using Monte Carlo simulation. Population: All Adults. Time period of case definition: Lifetime.

What is the national estimate for high Cholesterol?

37.4% (95% confidence interval 37.1–37.8%) crude and 32.2% age-adjusted in the 2025 release.

Which counties have the highest and lowest estimates?

The highest county point estimate is 51.4% (Sumter County, FL) and the lowest 21.2% (Madison County, ID). Because the intervals for neighbouring positions usually overlap, the lists are a reference for point estimates, not a ranking.

Is a higher figure better or worse?

This site does not grade measures. CDC groups them as health outcomes, prevention, health risk behaviors, disability, health status and health-related social needs; for prevention measures such as checkups and screening a higher share reports the service, for the others a higher share reports the condition or circumstance.

Where does this data come from?

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release (data updated 4 Dec 2025); the definition text is CDC's own from its measure definitions pages.

Provenance

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release (data updated 4 Dec 2025), with the 2022, 2023, 2024 releases for reference; US government work, public domain. Dataset on data.cdc.gov. Boundaries and ZIP-to-county relationships: US Census Bureau. Percentages are shown to one decimal as CDC publishes them; state figures are population-weighted means computed by this site. Definition text is CDC's own, from the PLACES measure definitions pages (public domain), with its burden narrative and references omitted. Processing errors are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections. Generated 30 Sep 2026.