Autism rates across CDC monitoring sites
The CDC's 1-in-31 estimate describes eight-year-olds in 16 monitoring sites in 2022. Those sites are not representative samples of their states.
Autism identification varies across monitoring sites
Children identified per 1,000 eight-year-olds
CDC ADDM, 2022. These are local sites, not statewide estimates. Bars are not a ranking of state autism prevalence.
Where the 1-in-31 figure comes from
The study reviewed records for 274,857 eight-year-olds. It identified 8,854 with autism across the participating areas. Divide the second count by the first and the result is about 32.2 per thousand, commonly expressed as 1 in 31.
Those children lived in selected communities. They were not drawn at random from every state. A headline can lose that distinction even when it quotes the number correctly.
There is no single Texas row
Look for Texas in the source table and you find two sites: Austin and Laredo. Their areas and estimates differ. Averaging them would not produce a statewide estimate.
The same problem appears when a school count is used to fill a state's missing monitoring data. Schools count children eligible for services under an education category. That is useful information, but it answers another question. We publish it in a separate report.
What this data cannot tell you
- ADDM monitoring sites are selected local areas, not random statewide samples.
- The age group is eight-year-olds; this is not an all-age prevalence estimate.
- Identification can differ with local evaluation, records, and service access.
- The 95% confidence intervals describe uncertainty in the site estimates, not all sources of measurement difference.
How this report was built
Our table follows Table 1 of the 2025 surveillance report. We checked the population and identified-child counts against the saved source, then recomputed the rounded rates. The download retains the reported 95% confidence bounds and each site's geographic description. Places outside the network are not given invented estimates.
Underlying research files were retrieved on October 12, 2026. The website release was checked against those saved source versions on October 13. Live source pages may change after that date.
Read the publication methodCite this report
Autism Stats. Autism rates across CDC monitoring sites. Version 1.0, October 13, 2026. https://autismstats.com/statistics/autism-rates-by-state
When quoting a figure, include the population and collection year. Link to the original source as well when your publication requires it.