Hearing Loss Statistics
Hearing loss by the numbers
We’d like to share some of the most important statistics regarding hearing loss – many of which may surprise you.
- Approximately 3 million children in the U.S. have a hearing loss which can significantly impact speech/language development and education. 1.3 million of them are under the age of three!
- More than a million school-aged children have a hearing loss that can affect their rate of learning.
- About one out of three U.S. adults 65 or older is affected by hearing loss.
- Only one out of four people that would benefit from a hearing aid wear one.
- Between 30 and 40% of people over 65 have hearing loss.
- 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day – ten million have suffered irreversible noise-induced hearing loss.
- Today’s youth are hearing more, but not better. Concerts, sporting events, headphones, and even movie theaters have left 15 out of every 1,000 people under the age of 18 with hearing loss.
- Hearing loss occurs in 5 out of every 1,000 newborns.
- Exposure to a noisy subway, for just 15 minutes a day, can cause permanent damage to hearing over time.
- People with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help.
- Only 16% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss.