26.6% of Americans 65 and over live alone
That share ranges from state to state, and so does the death rate from falls. Find your state on the map, then in the table.
Three things the numbers show
- District of Columbia has the highest share of people 65 and over living alone, at 40.4%. Hawaii has the lowest, at 19.3% (Census ACS 2020-2024).
- The fall death rate for people 65 and over runs from 28.6 per 100,000 in Alabama to 181.0 in Wisconsin (CDC, 2024).
- Fewer Medicare Advantage plans list a medical alert for 2027: 592, down from 742 in 2026. Counties with at least one fell from 2,718 to 2,427 (CMS benefit files).
Tap a state to see its value.
- 19.3% to 25.4%
- 25.4% to 27.8%
- 27.8% to 28.6%
- 28.6% to 29.1%
- 29.1% to 40.4%
Tap a state to see its value.
- 28.6 to 60.3
- 60.3 to 76.5
- 76.5 to 93.5
- 93.5 to 110.8
- 110.8 to 181.0
Each fall death rate covers one year, 2024. In smaller states the rate can move from one year to the next, so treat states a few places apart as close to tied.
The ten highest and lowest states
Most 65+ living alone
- District of Columbia: 40.4%
- North Dakota: 31.5%
- Ohio: 30.4%
- Wyoming: 30.1%
- Louisiana: 29.9%
- Nebraska: 29.6%
- Kentucky: 29.4%
- Wisconsin: 29.3%
- Oklahoma: 29.2%
- Illinois: 29.1%
Fewest 65+ living alone
Highest fall death rate
- Wisconsin: 181.0
- Minnesota: 158.7
- Vermont: 148.2
- Maine: 144.5
- Oklahoma: 140.6
- Oregon: 127.1
- Rhode Island: 126.7
- Iowa: 122.2
- Idaho: 121.9
- South Dakota: 117.5
Lowest fall death rate
- Alabama: 28.6
- New Jersey: 38.2
- California: 41.3
- Louisiana: 49.2
- Delaware: 50.9
- New York: 52.2
- Hawaii: 54.7
- District of Columbia: 55.2
- Georgia: 57.1
- Arkansas: 57.2
Every state, sortable
| Alabama | 28.3% | 255,569 | 28.6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 25.7% | 26,185 | 73.3 |
| Arizona | 24.8% | 346,980 | 86.3 |
| Arkansas | 28.1% | 150,468 | 57.2 |
| California | 21.9% | 1,346,810 | 41.3 |
| Colorado | 27.0% | 246,788 | 107.0 |
| Connecticut | 28.1% | 188,283 | 64.6 |
| Delaware | 24.9% | 52,251 | 50.9 |
| District of Columbia | 40.4% | 35,240 | 55.2 |
| Florida | 24.2% | 1,157,090 | 82.0 |
| Georgia | 25.3% | 414,375 | 57.1 |
| Hawaii | 19.3% | 56,905 | 54.7 |
| Idaho | 23.7% | 77,940 | 121.9 |
| Illinois | 29.1% | 627,921 | 67.5 |
| Indiana | 28.5% | 326,986 | 66.7 |
| Iowa | 29.1% | 169,673 | 122.2 |
| Kansas | 29.1% | 145,269 | 92.8 |
| Kentucky | 29.4% | 230,405 | 66.4 |
| Louisiana | 29.9% | 230,616 | 49.2 |
| Maine | 28.0% | 86,797 | 144.5 |
| Maryland | 26.4% | 272,787 | 82.1 |
| Massachusetts | 28.0% | 352,390 | 102.2 |
| Michigan | 28.7% | 538,231 | 91.4 |
| Minnesota | 28.6% | 284,114 | 158.7 |
| Mississippi | 29.0% | 146,916 | 78.0 |
| Missouri | 29.1% | 322,276 | 87.4 |
| Montana | 28.1% | 63,186 | 96.5 |
| Nebraska | 29.6% | 97,948 | 68.3 |
| Nevada | 24.4% | 131,942 | 71.5 |
| New Hampshire | 25.8% | 72,389 | 110.8 |
| New Jersey | 26.2% | 420,334 | 38.2 |
| New Mexico | 29.1% | 118,617 | 64.8 |
| New York | 28.3% | 1,005,727 | 52.2 |
| North Carolina | 27.2% | 502,383 | 107.4 |
| North Dakota | 31.5% | 40,958 | 80.3 |
| Ohio | 30.4% | 654,898 | 97.2 |
| Oklahoma | 29.2% | 192,072 | 140.6 |
| Oregon | 26.3% | 213,224 | 127.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 28.6% | 724,013 | 93.5 |
| Rhode Island | 28.8% | 59,326 | 126.7 |
| South Carolina | 25.9% | 258,970 | 76.5 |
| South Dakota | 28.6% | 46,784 | 117.5 |
| Tennessee | 27.8% | 335,287 | 97.6 |
| Texas | 24.2% | 981,431 | 60.3 |
| Utah | 21.7% | 87,400 | 104.7 |
| Vermont | 29.1% | 40,338 | 148.2 |
| Virginia | 26.6% | 386,204 | 65.4 |
| Washington | 25.4% | 329,518 | 96.7 |
| West Virginia | 29.1% | 108,870 | 96.9 |
| Wisconsin | 29.3% | 320,658 | 181.0 |
| Wyoming | 30.1% | 32,438 | 81.0 |
Download the data (CSV, with sources)
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How we got these numbers
- Living alone: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B09020. We divide householders 65 and over who live alone by everyone 65 and over in households and group quarters.
- Fall deaths: CDC figures for unintentional fall deaths, ages 65 and over, age-adjusted per 100,000 people (2024).
- The national share above is our sum of the state counts. It is not a separate Census figure.
- Colours split the states into five groups of about equal size. The table holds the exact values.
- Full method, refresh schedule and limits: our methodology page.
For journalists: questions about the data go to hello@medicalalertreview.com. Please credit Medical Alert Review and link to this page. Data checked October 12, 2026.
Sources & references
Every figure is copied from the source above for its state, with the date we read it. We do not estimate missing values.
Pricing and plan details are drawn from each provider's official website and verified periodically; confirm current rates at the point of purchase. Statistics are cited from the sources above.