A new Gallup poll finds more than 18% of U.S. adults currently report having or being treated for depression, a level that has held at historically high rates since 2024. That proportion equates to roughly 47.8 million Americans this year — about an eight-point increase since 2015 — and highlights growing mental health burdens, especially among young adults and lower-income households.
Survey details
Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index surveyed over 11,000 adults age 18 and older across all 50 states and DC in early to mid-2025, using representative sampling. Respondents were asked whether a health professional had ever diagnosed them with depression and whether they currently have or are being treated for it.
Who is most affected
– Young adults: The rise has been most pronounced among adults under 30. Since 2017, reported depression in this group more than doubled, from 13.0% to 26.7% in 2025. The rate increased from 24.6% in 2023 to 26.7% in 2025, indicating persistent and growing challenges for this cohort.
– Lower-income households: Adults in households earning under $24,000 annually saw depression rates climb from 22.1% in 2017 to 35.1% in 2025 — a 13-point increase over eight years and a 9-point jump since 2023.
Gallup analysts attribute the trend among younger adults partly to higher baseline rates entering early adulthood and partly to rising depression among older adults over the same period, creating an additive effect in younger cohorts.
Loneliness and its link to depression
The poll also highlights loneliness as a significant concern. Among people who reported feeling lonely “a lot of the day” on the previous day, one-third were currently experiencing depression, compared with 13% among those not reporting loneliness. After declining from pandemic-era peaks, the share of adults experiencing daily significant loneliness rose to 21% in late 2024 and early 2025 — the highest level since March 2021. Nearly 3 in 10 adults aged 18–29 (29%) report significant daily loneliness, higher than other age groups; adults 65 and older remained steady at about 15%.
Lifetime diagnoses and persistence
The share of U.S. adults who have ever been diagnosed with depression stands at 28.5%, just under the record 29% seen in early 2023. This suggests many people receive diagnoses but continue to experience ongoing or recurrent depression, underscoring how widespread the condition is.
Expert perspectives
Robert Bell, LPC, LAC, founder of Intrepid Insights, points to multiple drivers: unprecedented stressors for young adults (student debt, social media pressure, economic uncertainty, disrupted career and relationship pathways), financial strain that keeps the nervous system in prolonged stress, and widespread feelings of disconnection despite digital connectivity. He notes cultural ties between identity and productivity in the U.S. can amplify shame when depression impairs work or school performance.
Seeking help and treatment options
Iman Hypolite, MD, CEO and Principal Psychiatrist at Aspira Health and Wellness Consulting, urges anyone experiencing depressive symptoms to seek help. Primary care physicians can be a practical starting point for referrals. Effective treatments include therapy, medications, and evidence-based supplements; lifestyle changes such as improving sleep, nutrition, increasing social connection, getting more sunlight and exercise, simplifying demands, reducing media exposure, and setting healthier boundaries can also help.
Hypolite stresses early intervention: appointments can take weeks, and delaying care raises risks, including suicide, deeper isolation, lost productivity, and worsening financial strain. She emphasizes that depression is not a personal failing but a signal that support and recalibration are needed.
