Allergy Facts

• Allergic conditions are one of the most common health issues affecting children in the U.S.³
• On average, it is estimated that anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) results in 45,000-50,000 emergency room visits in the United States each year.⁴
  • From 2008 to 2016, emergency room visits for anaphylaxis more than doubled.⁴

• An allergy is when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance, called an allergen. This reaction causes specific clinical symptoms. The allergen could be something you eat, inhale into your lungs, inject into your body, or touch.
• An allergic reaction can cause coughing, sneezing, hives, rashes, itchy eyes, a runny nose, swelling, and a scratchy throat. In severe cases, it can cause low blood pressure, breathing trouble, asthma attacks, and even death if not treated promptly and appropriately.
• There is no cure for allergies. You can manage allergies with exposure control, prevention, and medical treatment.
• Allergies are among the country’s most common, but overlooked, diseases.

• More than 106 million people in the U.S. experience various types of allergies each year. This equals about 31 out of 100 (or 1 out of 3) people in the United States. Common examples include seasonal allergies, eczema, and food allergies.^1,2
• Nearly 32 out of 100 U.S. adults and more than 30 out of 100 U.S. children have a seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy.^1,2

• While the rates of allergies are steadily rising, the overwhelming majority of allergy emergencies do not result in death. It is rare to die from an allergic reaction – the probability is very low. Estimates of allergy-related deaths in the U.S. are around 200-500 people per year.⁵
• The most common triggers for serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) are medicines, food, and insect stings.⁶ Medicines cause most allergy-related deaths.⁷
• Of people who die from allergic reactions, most are older adults (over age 65) due to allergic reactions to medicines.⁷

• The cost of nasal allergies is between $3 billion and $4 billion each year.⁸
• A 2025 study estimates that food allergies may cost the United States nearly $371 billion per year.⁹

• Indoor and outdoor allergies can lead to sinus swelling/pain, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. Airborne allergens can cause seasonal (sometimes called “hay fever”) or perennial (called “persistent”) allergies.
• Many people with allergies often have more than one type of allergy. The most common indoor/outdoor allergy triggers are: tree pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen, mold spores, dust mites, cockroaches, cat and dog dander, and rodent dander.

• In 2024, more that 82 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies). This equals around 67 million adults, which is 25 out of 100 adults, and around 14 million children, which is 21 out of 100 of children.^1,2
• Seasonal allergic rhinitis is an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds. This type of rhinitis occurs mainly when pollen from trees (spring), grasses (summer), and weeds (fall) are in the air. People with certain mold allergies may also have seasonal allergies when mold counts increase during wet seasons.
• In 2024, non-Hispanic Black adults and non-Hispanic White adults were more likely to have a seasonal allergy than Hispanic and non-Hispanic Asian adults.¹
• The same triggers for indoor/outdoor allergies can also cause eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis). Pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds tend to cause most eye allergy reactions.

Skin allergies include skin inflammation, eczema, hives, chronic hives, and contact allergies.

• In 2024, over 20 million adults had eczema. This equals around 8 out of 100 adults.¹
• In 2024, over 9 million children had eczema. This equals around 13 out of 100 children.²
  • Children ages 6 to 11 are most likely to have eczema.²
• Chronic hives affect up to 2 out of 100 people.¹⁰
  • Chronic hives can affect up to 5 out of 100 of children. ¹⁰
  • Females are more likely to have chronic hives than males. ¹⁰
• Contact allergies affect about 20 out of 100 people.¹¹
  • The most common causes of contact allergies are nickel, other metals (such as cobalt), certain plants (such as poison ivy, poison oaks, and poison sumac), fragrance, hair dyes, and other chemical compounds found in personal care products.¹¹
  • Plants like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are the most common skin contact allergy triggers and cause symptoms a few days after exposure.¹²
  • Skin contact with metals (such as nickel), hair dyes, preservatives, fragrances, sunscreens, cockroaches and dust mites, certain foods, and/or latex may also cause skin allergy symptoms.¹³
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Nine foods cause most food allergy reactions. They are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame.

• As of 2024, nearly 22 million people have food allergies in the U.S. This equals about 6 out of 100 people.^1,2
  • About 18 million (7 out of 100) U.S. adults have food allergies.¹
  • About 4 million (5 out of 100) U.S. children have food allergies.²
• In 2024, 10 out of 100 non-Hispanic Black adults had food allergies, compared to 6 out of 100 non-Hispanic White adults.¹
  • Food allergy has increased among U.S. children over the past 20 years, with the greatest increase in Black children.¹⁴
• Milk is the most common food allergen for children, followed by egg and peanut.¹⁵
• Shellfish is the most food common allergen for adults, followed by peanut and tree nut.¹⁵
• Sesame is a rising food allergy. It impacts an estimated 1 out of 1,000 people in the United States.¹⁶ It was declared a major allergen in the United States in 2021.

• For every 100 adverse reactions to drugs, between 5 to 10 are from allergic reactions.¹⁷
• For every 100 hospital admissions in the United States, between 3 to 6 are caused by adverse drug reactions.¹⁸
• The most commonly reported drug allergy is to penicillin, with up to 10 out of 100 people saying they are allergic to this type of drug. However, less than 10 out of 100 of these people (or less than 1 out of 100 of the total population) are actually allergic to penicillin drugs when evaluated for these allergies.¹⁹

• About 4 out of 100 people have a latex allergy.²⁰
• Latex allergy is more common in certain occupations, especially with frequent use and exposure to powdered latex gloves (such as health care and dental workers). Approximately 10 out of 100 health care workers have a latex allergy.²⁰

Insect stings, bites or “debris” can trigger an allergic reaction in people.

• The most common stinging insects that cause allergic reactions are bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and fire ants.
• Cockroaches and dust mites may also cause nasal or skin allergy symptoms. They may be the most common cause of year-round allergic asthma.
• Insect sting allergies affect about 3 out of 100 people in the U.S.²¹
• In the United States between 2011 – 2021, there were a total of 788 deaths from hornet, wasp, and bee stings with an average of 72 deaths per year. Overall, 84 out of every 100 of these deaths occurred among males.²²