Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV. Based on the most recent CDC data from 2022, an estimated 31,800 new infections occur each year, and roughly 38,000 people receive a new diagnosis annually. While those numbers remain significant, they represent a decline from earlier peaks of the epidemic, and the vast majority of people living with HIV today can manage the virus effectively with treatment.
New Infections and Diagnoses Each Year
In 2022, an estimated 31,800 new HIV infections occurred in the U.S. That same year, 37,981 people aged 13 and older received a formal HIV diagnosis. The gap between those two numbers reflects the reality that some people are diagnosed months or even years after they were initially infected.
People aged 25 to 44 accounted for 60% of all new diagnoses, with the 25-to-34 age group making up the single largest share at 37% (about 14,386 diagnoses). Yet when it comes to people already living with diagnosed HIV, the age picture looks different: the largest group is people aged 55 to 64, who account for 26% of all prevalent cases (roughly 300,160 people). This reflects the success of modern treatment in keeping people alive for decades after diagnosis.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
HIV does not affect all communities equally, and the disparities are stark. In 2022, Black and African American people made up about 12% of the U.S. population but accounted for 37% of new infections (roughly 11,900) and 38% of new diagnoses (14,553). Hispanic and Latino people, representing 18% of the population, accounted for 33% of new infections (about 10,500) and 32% of new diagnoses (12,167). White people, who make up 61% of the population, accounted for 24% of new infections (7,600).
These gaps are driven largely by structural factors: unequal access to healthcare, differences in insurance coverage, poverty, stigma, and historical underinvestment in public health infrastructure in communities of color. The virus itself doesn’t discriminate, but the systems that determine who gets tested, treated, and connected to prevention do.
Where HIV Is Concentrated Geographically
The South bears the heaviest burden. In 2022, southern states accounted for nearly half (49%) of all estimated new HIV infections in the country. The region has higher rates of poverty, fewer Medicaid expansion states, and more rural areas where HIV services are harder to access.
That said, if you adjust for population size, the Northeast actually has the highest rate of people living with HIV, a reflection of the epidemic’s early concentration in cities like New York. Across the country, most HIV cases cluster in metropolitan areas with 500,000 or more people.
How Many People Know Their Status
A significant portion of people with HIV don’t know they have it. The CDC estimates that roughly 13% of people living with HIV in the U.S. have not been diagnosed. That translates to more than 150,000 people who are unaware of their infection, which matters because people who don’t know their status can’t start treatment and are more likely to transmit the virus to others.
The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested at least once, and that people at higher risk get tested annually or more often. Testing is widely available at clinics, community health centers, and through at-home kits.
Treatment and Viral Suppression
Modern HIV treatment can reduce the virus to undetectable levels in the blood, which keeps the immune system healthy and effectively eliminates the risk of transmitting HIV to sexual partners. But reaching that goal requires consistent care, and the U.S. still has gaps in the treatment pipeline.
In 2022, over 80% of people newly diagnosed with HIV were linked to care within one month. From there, the numbers thin out: 76% of people with diagnosed HIV had received some care, 54% were retained in ongoing care, and only 65% had achieved viral suppression. That means roughly one in three people with diagnosed HIV are not virally suppressed, often because of barriers like cost, transportation, housing instability, or stigma.
Prevention With PrEP
PrEP, a daily or injectable medication that prevents HIV infection in people who don’t have the virus, is one of the most effective prevention tools available. Between 2023 and 2024, PrEP use grew by 17%, reaching about 591,475 people. That growth is encouraging, but it still falls well short of need. The CDC has estimated that approximately 1.2 million people could benefit from comprehensive HIV prevention strategies including PrEP, and some recent research suggests the true number of people who could benefit may be double that.
The gap between PrEP eligibility and actual use is especially wide among Black and Latino communities, the same groups that face disproportionate rates of new infection. Expanding access to PrEP in these communities remains a central goal of national HIV prevention efforts.