To find Alzheimer’s facts for your state in 2026, start with the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, released April 21, 2026, and consult its state tables for mortality, unpaid caregiving, and Medicaid spending. Then check the CDC/NCHS Alzheimer's mortality tables and maps when you want government-sourced death statistics. For example, a family researching conditions in Ohio can use the Association report to find Ohio’s caregiver estimates, then use the CDC page to examine the state’s age-adjusted mortality rate.
There is an important qualification: “2026 state facts” does not mean that every figure was measured in 2026. The report covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia, but its state mortality data are from 2024, while its caregiver and Medicaid estimates are for 2025. The report’s national prevalence and health care spending projections apply to 2026, so readers should always record both the publication year and the year represented by a particular table.
Medical information disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified health professional about symptoms, medications, tests, or treatment decisions.
Table of Contents
- Where Can You Find Alzheimer’s Facts for Every State in 2026?
- Why the Dates Behind 2026 State Alzheimer’s Data Matter
- Comparing State Alzheimer’s Mortality Without Mixing Rates
- How to Look Up Caregiving and Medicaid Facts for Your State
- Common Mistakes When Reading Alzheimer’s State Tables
- What State Facts Can and Cannot Tell a Family
- How New Treatments Fit Into 2026 Alzheimer’s Facts
- Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can You Find Alzheimer’s Facts for Every State in 2026?
The primary source is the Alzheimer’s Association’s full 2026 report. Its state tables bring several measures together in one place, including Alzheimer’s deaths, unpaid dementia caregiving, the estimated value of that care, and medicaid costs attributed to people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. This makes the report useful for comparing the scale of different burdens within one state.
The report estimates that 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older were living with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia in 2026, with 74% of them age 75 or older. That is a national estimate, not a measured 2026 count for each state. A state caregiver figure in the report therefore should not be divided by 7.4 million and treated as a state-specific caregiver-to-patient ratio; the numerator and denominator represent different populations, methods, and geographic levels.
Why the Dates Behind 2026 State Alzheimer’s Data Matter
The 7.4-million national figure is an estimate produced by extrapolating between projections for 2025 and 2030. According to Appendix A2 of the Association report, the underlying work uses the Chicago Health and aging Project together with U.S. Census population projections. It is more accurate to call the result an estimate or projection than a census, registry total, or count of confirmed diagnoses. State mortality figures carry a different date.
The report’s state death table uses 2024 death-certificate data, the latest available when the report was published. It records 116,022 U.S. deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s disease and an unadjusted national rate of 34.1 deaths per 100,000 people. Labeling these as “2026 deaths” would shift the reference period by two years and could mislead readers assessing recent changes. A careful citation might read, “The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2026 report lists 2024 Alzheimer’s mortality data for the state.” That wording preserves both dates and is more informative than attaching “2026” indiscriminately to every number in the publication.
Comparing State Alzheimer’s Mortality Without Mixing Rates
The CDC/NCHS state mortality resource, updated March 1, 2026, provides 2024 state tables and maps sourced directly from government mortality records. Its rates are age-adjusted, whereas the Alzheimer’s Association’s state table presents unadjusted rates. These are not interchangeable measures. Age adjustment helps compare populations with different age structures by applying a common statistical standard.
An unadjusted rate describes deaths relative to the state’s actual population. For example, a state with an unusually large older population may have a high unadjusted rate partly because Alzheimer’s mortality is concentrated at older ages; its age-adjusted rate answers a different comparative question. CDC also warns that state differences do not account for every population characteristic and that rates or rankings can be unstable when death counts are small. A “best state” or “worst state” label can therefore conceal differences in age, death-certificate reporting, population size, and statistical reliability.
How to Look Up Caregiving and Medicaid Facts for Your State
For unpaid care, turn to Table 10 of the 2026 Association report and locate your state or the District of Columbia. The table reports estimated caregiver counts, hours of care, and dollar values for 2025. Nationally, an estimated 12.734 million unpaid caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias provided 19.608 billion hours of care, valued at $446.312 billion. Those figures describe Alzheimer’s or other dementias and cognitive impairment, not Alzheimer’s disease alone. The caregiver counts are modeled using the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System caregiver module and supplemental survey-based adjustments.
They are not administrative records identifying every caregiver. For example, an adult daughter who coordinates appointments, meals, transportation, and medication may be represented statistically even though no state agency has registered her as a caregiver. The report also provides state Medicaid estimates for 2025, but these should not be presented as complete current treatment costs. They rely on an earlier state-prevalence estimate, and the central cost model predates lecanemab and donanemab. The report handles estimated spending on those drugs separately in its national 2026 calculations, creating a tradeoff between a consistent state comparison and a fully current accounting of newer therapies.
Common Mistakes When Reading Alzheimer’s State Tables
One common error is to compare raw totals as though states had equal populations. California and Wyoming, for example, can have very different caregiver or death totals simply because their populations differ greatly. Rates may improve comparability, but only when the rates use the same definition and adjustment method. Another mistake is adding unlike categories. The estimated $446.312 billion value of unpaid care is not part of the projected $409 billion in national 2026 health, long-term-care, and hospice payments for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
Medicare and Medicaid are projected to cover $263 billion, or 64%, of that $409 billion. Informal caregiving value is excluded, so combining the figures without explanation would blur paid expenditures and an imputed economic value. Readers should also avoid describing a modeled caregiver count as an exact head count or a projected prevalence estimate as a diagnosis registry. A useful worksheet should include columns for measure, geography, reference year, units, population covered, method, and source. That prevents a 2024 death rate, a 2025 Medicaid estimate, and a 2026 national projection from appearing to describe the same period.
What State Facts Can and Cannot Tell a Family
State data can help families understand the wider care environment, but they do not show whether a particular county has neurologists, memory clinics, adult day programs, respite services, or affordable residential care. A statewide caregiver estimate may establish the scale of unpaid care while saying little about a family’s drive time to the nearest diagnostic center.
A practical search can pair the state report with local information. Someone planning care in rural Pennsylvania, for example, might first document Pennsylvania’s caregiver and Medicaid estimates, then consult state and county agencies for nearby respite programs, Medicaid eligibility rules, transportation, and dementia-capable services.
How New Treatments Fit Into 2026 Alzheimer’s Facts
Treatment news needs the same precision as state statistics. On April 30, 2026, the FDA approved an expanded indication for Auvelity, extended-release dextromethorphan and bupropion tablets, for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
The FDA described it as the first non-antipsychotic treatment approved for that condition. Auvelity treats a symptom associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease; the approval does not mean that it treats, stops, or reverses Alzheimer’s disease itself. It also should not be assumed to be fully represented in 2025 state Medicaid estimates published before the April 30, 2026 approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 2026 Alzheimer’s report include every state?
Yes. It includes Alzheimer’s-impact data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, although the state measures do not all represent 2026.
Is 7.4 million an exact count of Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s?
No. It is a 2026 national estimate of Americans age 65 and older living with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, based on an extrapolation between population projections.
Why might the CDC and Alzheimer’s Association mortality rates differ?
The CDC presents age-adjusted rates, while the Association’s state table uses unadjusted rates. The two series answer different questions and should not be ranked together as though they were identical.
Are the caregiver figures limited to Alzheimer’s disease?
No. They cover unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias and cognitive impairment, and the counts are modeled estimates rather than a complete administrative census.
Do state Medicaid figures include every current Alzheimer’s treatment cost?
No. The figures are 2025 estimates based partly on earlier prevalence information, and the core model predates lecanemab and donanemab.
