Serious Psychological Distress Among U.S. Adults by Family Income, 2021

Serious psychological distress is a measure of how often a person has recently felt deeply sad, anxious or hopeless. The National Health Interview Survey, based on household interviews with a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population, measured it among adults in 2021.

How it was measured

Adults were asked how often, in the past 30 days, they had felt:

1. so sad that nothing could cheer them up;
2. nervous;
3. restless or fidgety;
4. hopeless;
5. that everything was an effort; or
6. worthless.

Each answer — none, a little, some, most or all of the time — scored 0 to 4, for a total of 0 to 24. A score of 13 or more counted as serious psychological distress. Only people who answered all six questions were included, and the figures are age-adjusted.

Family income was measured against the federal poverty level (FPL), which the Census Bureau sets according to family size and the number of children.

What it found

In 2021, 3.8% of adults aged 18 and older had serious psychological distress in the past 30 days. The share fell steadily as family income rose:

Age-adjusted percentage of adults with serious psychological distress in the past 30 days, by family income, 2021. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals. Image from CDC’s page.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Sources

Based on "QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years with Serious Psychological Distress During the Past 30 Days, by Family Income — National Health Interview Survey, 2021," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using data from the National Center for Health Statistics; a work of the United States government in the public domain.