California faces high Alzheimer's toll with 17,000 deaths per year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
More than 7 million seniors now live with Alzheimer's in the U.S. — the highest number ever recorded, according to data shared in a new Alzheimer's Association report.
State of play: Over 17,300 people die from Alzheimer's in California every year, but addressing cognitive decline early can help stave off the disease.
- That's especially important with every Bay Area county aging faster than the U.S. overall.
By the numbers: 12% of Americans over 65 in California are living with Alzheimer's as of 2020, per the report.
- That's almost 720,000 people.
- 44.5 per 100,000 people in California die from it every year.
Zoom out: The highest rates of seniors with Alzheimer's are in D.C. (16.8%), Maryland (12.9%), and New York (12.7%), according to the association.
- Nearly two-thirds of all Americans with the disease are women, per data cited in the report.
Warning signs to watch for in high-risk age groups:
- Trouble finding the right word.
- Difficulty judging distances.
- Misplacing things and struggling to retrace steps.
Be smart: Keeping your brain on its toes, so to speak, can help prevent dementia.
- That means learning new things and staying social.
- For example, doing a word puzzle and talking through clues with a friend checks two boxes for brain health: mental stimulation and social connection, Eichenberger says.
- And don't skimp on sleep. It's a myth that older adults need fewer Zs.
Go deeper: Take a short quiz to assess brain health.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show national Alzheimer's data is from 2025 (not 2020).