Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults — 19.1% — reported having or being treated for depression in the first quarter of 2026, equal to about 51 million people, according to a recent Gallup analysis.
Results are based on surveys conducted Feb. 18 to March 3 among 5,017 U.S. adults via the probability-based Gallup Panel. Respondents were asked whether they currently have or are being treated for depression. In 2021 and 2022, there were no measurement periods for the metric.
Here are five things to know:
- The rate held near a record high of 20% in the prior quarter and is up nearly nine percentage points since 2015.
- The survey found 29.5% of adults say they have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, up from 19.6% in 2015.
- Depression rates peaked at 19.2% between quarter three (2019) and quarter two (2013), and fell to 17.4% by quarter two (2024).
- Young adults have seen some of the sharpest rises, with rates among those ages 18 to 29 reaching 28% in 2026, up from 13% in quarter two (2017).
- Adults in households earning less than $24,000 saw depression rates climb from 22.1% in 2017 to 37.4% in 2026, partially explained by age, Gallup said. Thirty-three percent of adults reporting recent loneliness also reported depression, compared to 13% of those who did not.
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