How many Americans get flu shots?

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During the 2019-2020 flu season, 52.1% of people ages six months and older got a flu vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That’s the highest level since the 2009-2010 flu season, but well below the 70% target that the Department of Health and Human Services set in 2010 for the entire population.

Historically, children have been more likely to be vaccinated than adults. During the 2020-2021 season, 58.6% of children between six months and 17 years got a flu shot. Among adults, 50.2% of people got vaccines.

The vaccination rate varied by race and ethnicity, with 56.4% of non-Hispanic white people getting the vaccine compared with 42.7% of non-Hispanic Black people. Among Hispanic people, 44.9% got vaccinated.

States in the Northeast and the Great Plains tend to have higher vaccination rates. During the 2020-2021 season, 66.5% of people 6 months and older in Massachusetts received vaccines, the highest of any state. Florida had the lowest vaccination rate at 41.7%.