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Senior Fall Statistics 2026: Key Numbers on Falls in Adults 65+

How often older adults fall, how many end up in the emergency room, who is most at risk of dying from a fall, and what falls cost — every figure linked to its original source.

See the key numbers
CDC dataEvery figure sourcedChecked 30 October 2026

Compiled by SK Kutubuddin, Founder & Senior Care Researcher · Figures checked against the original sources on 30 October 2026

Key numbers at a glance

1 in 4+

adults 65 and older fall each year[1]

4.5 million

emergency room visits a year for falls in older adults[1]

41,400

adults 65+ died from an unintentional fall in 2023[2]

319,000

older adults hospitalized for a hip fracture each year[1]

Under half

of older adults who fall tell their doctor[1]

~$50 billion

in medical costs from older adult falls (2015)[3]

How often older adults fall

  • More than 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older fall each year.[1]
  • Less than half of them tell their doctor, so many falls never reach a medical record.[1]
  • Falling once doubles the chance of falling again.[1]
  • About 1 in 10 falls causes an injury that limits normal activity for a day or more or leads to medical care. Counted per person rather than per fall, about 37% of older adults who fall report an injury like this.[1]

Injuries and hospital care

Falls by older adults lead to about 4.5 million emergency room visits a year. About 3.1 million of those patients are treated and sent home; about 1.4 million are admitted to hospital.[1]

  • Nearly 319,000 older adults are hospitalized for a hip fracture each year.[1]
  • Falls cause 88% of emergency visits and hospital stays for hip fractures, and 83% of hip-fracture deaths.[1]
  • Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury in older adults.[1]
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Fall deaths by age and sex

In 2023, 41,400 adults aged 65 and older died from an unintentional fall — 69.9 deaths for every 100,000 people in that age group. The risk climbs steeply with age, and men had higher rates than women in every age group.[2]

Fall death rates among adults 65 and older, by age and sex, 2023Deaths per 100,000. Ages 65 to 74: men 24.7, women 14.2. Ages 75 to 84: men 89.6, women 62.8. Ages 85 and older: men 373.3, women 319.7. Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 532.MenWomen010020030040065–74Men 65–74: 24.7 deaths per 100,00024.7Women 65–74: 14.2 deaths per 100,00014.275–84Men 75–84: 89.6 deaths per 100,00089.6Women 75–84: 62.8 deaths per 100,00062.885+Men 85+: 373.3 deaths per 100,000373.3Women 85+: 319.7 deaths per 100,000319.7Deaths per 100,000 people in each age group
Fall death rates per 100,000, adults 65+, United States, 2023. Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 532.[2]

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How the rates changed from 2003 to 2023

Death rates from falls rose in every age group over those 20 years. The sharpest rise was among women aged 85 and older.[2]

Fall death rates per 100,000 by age group and sex, 2003 and 2023
Age groupSex2003 (per 100,000)2023 (per 100,000)Change
65–74Men14.324.7+73%
65–74Women8.314.2+71%
75–84Men51.389.6+75%
75–84Women33.662.8+87%
85+Men178.3373.3+109%
85+Women128.5319.7+149%

Rates from CDC NCHS Data Brief 532; the change column is our own calculation from those rates.

Fall death rates by state

Where an older person lives makes a large difference. In 2023 the highest state rate was more than five times the lowest.[2]

Highest rates, 2023
StateDeaths per 100,000 (65+)
Wisconsin158.4
Minnesota132.6
Maine126.5
Oklahoma122.2
Vermont120.9
Lowest rates, 2023
StateDeaths per 100,000 (65+)
Alabama29.5
New Jersey34.6
California40.0
Louisiana45.6
Georgia45.9

What falls cost

The most-cited estimate puts medical spending on falls in adults 65+ at about $50 billion in 2015. Roughly three-quarters of it was paid by Medicare and Medicaid.[3]

Medical costs of falls in adults 65 and older, 2015
Who paid (non-fatal falls)2015 cost
Medicareabout $29 billion
Private insurance and out-of-pocketabout $12 billion
Medicaidabout $8.7 billion
Fatal falls (all payers)about $754 million

Figures are in 2015 dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation.

What these numbers mean for your family

Two facts above matter most at home: falls often go unreported, and one fall raises the chance of another. If your parent has fallen — even without injury — that is worth raising with their doctor.

About these numbers

ElderlyDaily did not collect this data. We compiled it from the publishers listed below and link every figure to its source. Different sources cover different years, so we give the year wherever the source does. We check the figures against the original pages and update this page when the CDC publishes newer data.

How to cite this page

ElderlyDaily. “Senior Fall Statistics 2026: Key Numbers on Falls in Adults 65+.” Updated 30 October 2026. https://elderlydaily.com/resources/senior-fall-statistics

Journalists and researchers: see our press page for data requests.

Download this data (CSV), with a source link on every row.

Sources

  1. [1] CDC — Older Adult Falls Data: Facts and Stats (page updated 4 September 2026)
  2. [2] CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Data Brief No. 532, Unintentional Fall Deaths in Adults Age 65 and Older: United States, 2023 (June 2025)
  3. [3] Florence CS, Bergen G, Atherly A, Burns E. Medical Costs of Fatal and Nonfatal Falls in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2018; 66(4): 693–698

This page is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor about any fall or fall risk.