Overview
- Gallup’s 2024–25 two-year average shows 9.7% of adults report having been told they had cancer, a record high up from about 7% in 2008–09.
- Older adults account for the largest share, with 21.5% of people 65 and over reporting a lifetime diagnosis, while increases have been fastest among Black adults, men, and seniors.
- Men now slightly exceed women in lifetime prevalence (9.8% versus 9.6%), reflecting bigger mortality gains for men in cancers such as lung and prostate.
- Federal data show overall incidence fell about 4% from 2013 to 2022 and mortality continues to decline, even as NIH researchers report rising rates in multiple cancers among adults under 50.
- Gallup warns that more survivors will require ongoing scans and specialist care, raising concerns about health-system capacity as the U.S. population skews older in the coming decade.