10 States with The Highest Childhood Asthma Rates in The US

When it comes to pollution, and the presence of allergens in the air, states with the highest childhood asthma rates in the US, probably have both in abundance.

Being a child and suffering from asthma can be very traumatic. When I was five years old, I developed an allergy to dust and pollen. My allergy, wasn’t causing asthma, but it was causing allergic rhinitis, brilliantly combined with allergic bronchitis, which is also called chronic bronchitis. “Chronic bronchitis in childhood may have considerable overlap with asthma with respect to etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment”. So, I know what it is like, when you experience wheezing, and shortness of breath very well. What for me was traumatic, wasn’t the disease on its own. It was my parents’ approach, who treated me like a ticking bomb, combined with the fact that I realized that doctors do not have a clue what to do with me. I am pretty sure that is how most children with asthma must feel. Consider this statement from American Asthma Foundation: “Despite the overwhelming prevalence of the disease and the suffering it causes, relatively little progress has been made to date in improving treatment, understanding the causes, preventing, and finding a cure”. My worst was when I was seven years old, and it culminated with me ending up in a hospital, with a ridiculous fever, and fear that my bronchitis is turning into pneumonia. My mother was afraid that I might die, at least that is how I remember it. Never trust a thermometer I guess. Joking aside, the first sane person, when it comes to my health problems was an MD, that was also an acupuncturist. She was the first person that seemed to know what she was doing, and she helped me, whether or not was that due to acupuncture or just a placebo effect is totally irrelevant for me. I never had bronchitis since, though my allergic rhinitis resurfaces occasionally. My point is that if you have a child with asthma do not worry that much, because children sense that, and then they begin to worry. Find a reassuring doctor, which will not look like it doesn’t have a clue, and will teach your child to avoid asthma attack triggers, and to use appropriate medication when necessary.

There are some interesting differences in asthma prevalence, in different age, sex, and racial groups. Children aged from 5 to 9 years have the biggest asthma prevalence rate of 10 percent, while children up to 4 years old have the lowest of 6.3 percent. Boys have higher asthma prevalence of 10 percent compared to 7.1 percent in girls. Black and multi-race children have significantly higher prevalence rates, of 14 and 13.2 percent compared with white children that have asthma prevalence of 7.4 percent.

If you are interested in which states adults suffer from asthma the most, check out our article States with The Highest Asthma Rates in The US.

For our ranking we are using childhood asthma prevalence in percent, data is for 2014 and taken from CDC, we will also provide an estimated number of children per state having asthma from the same data source. Only 35 states, and District of Columbia have childhood asthma rate statistics. States for which the statistics are not provided are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Wyoming. Total childhood asthma prevalence in percent for the 36 states in the statistics is 9.2 which translates in to 5,160,000 children with asthma. Estimates for 2015, for all states are asthma rate of 8.4, or 6.2 million children with asthma. State with the lowest childhood asthma rate is Nebraska, with childhood asthma rate of 6.1 percent, and about 28,000 children with asthma. Now, let’s see the list of states with the highest childhood asthma rates in the US.

9. Pennsylvania

childhood asthma rate  –  10.8 percent

Pennsylvania has childhood asthma rate of 10.8 percent, or in other words, about 282,000 children is living there with asthma.

9. Kentucky

childhood asthma rate  – 10.8 percent

Childhood asthma rate for Kentucky is 10.8 percent, which gives us 105,000 children living with asthma in Kentucky.

8. Rhode Island

childhood asthma rate  – 11.1 percent

Rhode Island has childhood asthma rate of 11.1 percent, which gives us about 23,000 children with asthma living there.

7. Missouri

childhood asthma rate  – 11.2 percent

Childhood asthma rate for Missouri, the number 7 on our list of states with the highest childhood asthma rates is 11.2 percent, which translates to about 152,000 children with asthma in Missouri.

6. North Carolina

childhood asthma rate – 11.5 percent

North Carolina is fifth on our list of 10 states with the highest childhood asthma rates with asthma rate of 11.5 percent, and about 250,000 children suffering from asthma.

4. Oklahoma

childhood asthma rate – 11.7 percent

Oklahoma has childhood asthma rate of 11.7 percent, which translates to about 110,000 children with asthma in Oklahoma.

4. Mississippi

childhood asthma rate – 11.7 percent

Childhood asthma rate of 11.7 percent, gives us about 84,000 children with asthma in Mississippi.

3. Alabama

childhood asthma rate – 13.2 percent

At the third spot on our list of states with the highest childhood asthma rates we have Alabama that has childhood asthma rate of 13.2 percent, which translates to about 142,000 children having asthma in Alabama.

2. District of Columbia

childhood asthma rate –  14.6 percent

Childhood Asthma rate of 14.6 percent, gives us about 17,000 children with Asthma in DC.

1. Hawaii

childhood asthma rate  – 16 percent

Pollen, mold and dust mites year-round in great quantities for everyone, only in Hawaii – now, that would be a bizarre travel commercial slogan. However, year-round growing season, and specific climate actually result in that “slogan” being an accurate depiction of what Hawaii has to offer for those suffering from allergies, and that is why Hawaii has childhood asthma rate of 16 percent and about 50,000 children suffering from asthma. We finish our list of states with the highest childhood asthma rates, with this state that has almost 75 percent higher childhood asthma rate than what is a global average for all 36 states that we have data for.