An estimated 5.6 million people are living with dementia in the United States as of 2025, with 5 million of them aged 65 or older. That number has been climbing steadily as the population ages, and it carries enormous consequences for families, caregivers, and the healthcare system.
Prevalence by Age Group
Dementia risk rises sharply with age. Among adults 65 to 74, about 1.7% have a dementia diagnosis. That jumps to 5.7% for those 75 to 84, and reaches 13.1% for people 85 and older. Roughly 600,000 of the 5.6 million total are younger than 65, a population often described as having “early-onset” or “younger-onset” dementia.
These figures likely undercount the true number. Millions of dementia cases go undiagnosed due to barriers at every level, from patients attributing symptoms to normal aging to providers lacking time or tools for thorough cognitive screening. Many people live with noticeable memory and thinking problems for years before anyone puts a name to it.
Racial and Ethnic Differences
Dementia does not affect all communities equally. CDC data from 2015 to 2020 found that self-reported cognitive decline (an early marker that often precedes a dementia diagnosis) was highest among American Indian and Alaska Native adults at 16.7%, followed by Hispanic adults at 11.4%. White adults reported a rate of 9.3%, Black adults 10.1%, and Asian or Pacific Islander adults 5.0%.
These gaps reflect a tangle of factors: differences in rates of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure (all of which raise dementia risk), unequal access to healthcare, and socioeconomic disparities that accumulate over a lifetime. They also mean that some communities bear a disproportionate share of the caregiving and financial burden.
Types of Dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term, not a single disease. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60% to 80% of all cases, making it by far the most common form. It involves a gradual buildup of abnormal proteins in the brain that destroy nerve cells, typically starting with short-term memory loss and progressing to affect language, reasoning, and eventually basic physical functions.
Vascular dementia is the second most common type, responsible for roughly 5% to 10% of cases. It results from reduced blood flow to the brain, often after strokes or from chronic conditions like high blood pressure. Other forms include Lewy body dementia, which causes visual hallucinations and movement problems similar to Parkinson’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia, which tends to strike earlier in life and primarily affects personality and behavior. Many people have “mixed dementia,” where more than one type is present at the same time.
Dementia as a Cause of Death
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for more than 116,000 deaths per year based on the most recent CDC mortality data. That figure almost certainly undercounts the true toll. Death certificates often list the immediate cause of death (pneumonia, for instance, or a fall-related injury) rather than the underlying dementia that made the person vulnerable in the first place.
Unlike heart disease and many cancers, Alzheimer’s has no treatment that stops or reverses its progression. Newer medications can modestly slow cognitive decline in early stages for some patients, but the disease remains terminal. The average person lives four to eight years after diagnosis, though some live 20 years or more.
The Caregiving Reality
Behind the 5.6 million people with dementia are millions of family members providing daily, hands-on care. The broader unpaid caregiving population in the U.S. grew from 43.5 million in 2015 to roughly 53 million by 2020, and dementia caregivers shoulder some of the heaviest demands within that group. Caring for someone with dementia typically involves helping with bathing, dressing, and eating, managing medications, handling finances, and providing near-constant supervision as the disease advances.
The physical and emotional toll is significant. Dementia caregivers report higher rates of depression, sleep problems, and chronic health conditions compared to non-caregivers. Many reduce their work hours or leave jobs entirely, compounding the financial strain.
The Economic Burden
The total economic cost of dementia in the U.S. is projected to reach $781 billion in 2025, according to a model funded by the National Institute on Aging. That figure includes direct medical spending through Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care costs, and the economic value of unpaid caregiving hours. For context, that is more than the entire annual revenue of all but a handful of the world’s largest corporations.
Much of the cost falls on families. Nursing home care and assisted living facilities are expensive, and Medicare covers only limited portions of long-term care. Out-of-pocket spending for a person with dementia is dramatically higher than for someone with other chronic conditions, often depleting retirement savings and leaving surviving spouses financially vulnerable.