Heart Disease and Black/African Americans

• In 2023, Black or African American adults were 20% more likely to have diagnosed hypertension (high blood pressure) than non-Hispanic white adults.¹
• From 2017–2020, Black or African American adults with high blood pressure were 20% less likely to have their blood pressure under control than non-Hispanic white adults with high blood pressure.²
• From 2017–2018, non-Hispanic Black or African American women were 50% more likely to have high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white women.³

Diagnosis

Coronary heart disease among adults age 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
3.7	5.8	0.6

Death Rates

Death due to heart disease, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2021
	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Male	246.0	299.9	0.8
Female	188.7	240.3	0.8
Both Sexes	216.2	269.9	0.8

Hypertension

Adults age 18 and over who have high blood pressure (diagnosed hypertension), percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
35.2	28.9	1.2

Hypertension among adults age 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2017–2018
	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	57.2	50.2	1.1
Women	56.7	36.7	1.5
Both Sexes	57.1	43.6	1.3

Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control, percentage, 2017–2020
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
13.2	16.8	0.8

High Cholesterol

Adults age 18 and over who have high cholesterol, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
19.7	25.8	0.8

Persons age 20 and over who have high cholesterol, age-adjusted percentage, 2017–2020
	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Male	7.1	9.7	0.7
Female	8.6	10.0	0.9
Total	8.0	9.9	0.8

Adults who received a blood cholesterol measurement in the last five years, percentage, 2021
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
92.8	88.9	1.0

Cigarette Smoking

Adults age 18 and over who are current cigarette smokers, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
11.8	12.0	1.0

Adults age 18 and over who were current e-cigarette users, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black /  Non-Hispanic White Ratio
5.7	7.5	0.8

Adult smokers who received advice from a health professional to quit, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
51.3	49.8	1.0

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¹ CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed hypertension for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023. (back)

² CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Healthy People 2030. Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-20. (back)

³ CDC, 2020. National Center for Health Statistics. Data Brief No. 364: Hypertension Prevalence Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2017–2018. Figure 2. (back)