Young adults have higher rates of long COVID than older Americans: See the charts
Nearly one in four adults who contracted COVID-19 developed long COVID symptoms, according to the most recent data from the Census Bureau. Although research to treat these symptoms is still underway, much progress has been made since the emergence of long COVID, a condition that can devastate people's lives for months or years.
Anyone infected with COVID-19 can develop long COVID, but the condition is more common in people who had severe COVID-19 symptoms, as well as women, older adults, people with underlying health conditions and people who did not get vaccinated, according to the Washington state Health Department.
People who get COVID-19 multiple times may also have more health risks including long COVID.
An analysis of Census Bureau data shows the rate of adults experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for three months or longer. The following demographics have the highest rates of long COVID:
Who is impacted by long COVID?
The largest group of people living with long COVID is younger than you might think: U.S. adults aged 25-39 had the highest rates of long COVID symptoms, closely followed by adults aged 40-54. This data reflects Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) findings that in 2022, adults ages 35–49 were the age group most likely to ever have (8.9%) or currently have (4.7%) long COVID.
Cisgender women had the highest rates of long COVID, according to Census data. The Census Bureau tracked the sexual orientation of adults who contracted long COVID. Data shows that bisexual adults were the second largest group (following those identifying as straight) to report long COVID symptoms, with 8.5 million having symptoms last 3 months or longer.
Long COVID by state:These states have the highest rates of long COVID, Census data shows
Long COVID and vaccinations
As of May 2023, about 70% of the U.S. population received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. But only 17% of the population has an updated booster shot, according to the CDC.
Most Americans got their last shot more than a year ago, which means that when they catch COVID-19, the immunity they got from it will have faded. They won't get as sick as a person who'd never been vaccinated or exposed to the virus at all, but they will get sicker than if they'd had a recent shot, experts say.
Dr. Leora Horwitz, who helped lead long COVID research from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine told USA TODAY that vaccination clearly reduces the risk of long COVID.
"There's almost nothing we can say to people to reduce their risk of long COVID, but the one thing we can say that is in their control is vaccination (including boosting)," Horwitz said.
Long COVID symptoms
Researchers involved in the long COVID study identified symptoms that are the most distinctive to long COVID, including: fatigue, especially after exercise; brain fog; dizziness; gastrointestinal symptoms; heart palpitations; issues with sexual desire or capacity; loss of smell or taste; thirst; chronic cough; chest pain; and abnormal movements.
Looking at the symptoms that distinguish long COVID is helpful for getting a clearer sense of the condition, Horwitz said.
Karen Weintraub contributed to this reporting.