The number of people living with diabetes is rising rapidly. Since 2011, there has been a 15% increase in the number of diabetics nationwide. Nearly 40 million people (1 in 10) have diabetes, and another 100 million (1 in 3) are prediabetic.
Key findings:
- West Virginia, New Mexico and California have seen the biggest increases in the number of people with diabetes
- Washington is the only state where diabetes levels are decreasing
- The average cost of insulin is now $572 a year
States with the most diabetics
From 7% of people in Colorado to 16% of people in West Virginia, the number of people living with diabetes varies from state to state. It is also increasing in almost every state, sometimes drastically.
West Virginia has seen a 33% increase in the number of people with diabetes, followed closely by New Mexico (32%) and California (31%). In all, we found 11 states where the number of people with diabetes has increased by more than 20%. Washington is the only state where we found a decrease in people living with diabetes.
| State | % of people with diabetes | % increase since 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 16% | 33% |
| New Mexico | 13% | 32% |
| California | 12% | 30% |
| Alabama | 15% | 28% |
| Kentucky | 14% | 28% |
| Ohio | 13% | 26% |
| Tennessee | 14% | 25% |
| Rhode Island | 10% | 24% |
| Delaware | 12% | 24% |
| Minnesota | 9% | 23% |
| Mississippi | 15% | 23% |
| Georgia | 12% | 21% |
| Utah | 8% | 19% |
| Indiana | 12% | 19% |
| Iowa | 10% | 18% |
| New Jersey | 10% | 17% |
| Kansas | 11% | 17% |
| Maryland | 11% | 17% |
| Pennsylvania | 11% | 17% |
| North Carolina | 13% | 17% |
| Connecticut | 11% | 16% |
| North Dakota | 10% | 16% |
| Arizona | 11% | 16% |
| Oklahoma | 13% | 15% |
| Louisiana | 14% | 15% |
| Nebraska | 10% | 14% |
| South Dakota | 11% | 14% |
| South Carolina | 14% | 13% |
| Hawaii | 10% | 13% |
| Texas | 12% | 13% |
| Nevada | 12% | 12% |
| Arkansas | 13% | 12% |
| Illinois | 11% | 11% |
| Massachusetts | 9% | 11% |
| Montana | 9% | 11% |
| Missouri | 11% | 11% |
| Vermont | 9% | 10% |
| Virginia | 11% | 10% |
| New York | 11% | 9% |
| Maine | 10% | 8% |
| Wisconsin | 9% | 8% |
| Michigan | 11% | 8% |
| Wyoming | 9% | 7% |
| Alaska | 8% | 5% |
| Colorado | 7% | 4% |
| Idaho | 10% | 4% |
| Oregon | 10% | 3% |
| New Hampshire | 9% | 1% |
| Washington | 9% | -2% |
| United States | 11% | 15% |
The cost of diabetes in each state
The number of diabetics is rising in almost every state, and so is the cost. From 2012 to 2017, the direct medical cost for diabetes went from $245 billion to $327 billion a year. On average, diabetics spend more than $6,700 a year on medical care — twice as much as non-diabetics.
The price of insulin is also a major factor in the cost of diabetes. Insulin prices are up 600% in the last 20 years. And even though both state and federal efforts have been made to cut costs, diabetics on Medicare Part D spend an average of $572 a year on insulin.
Diabetic costs and the cost of insulin vary by hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars depending on location. North Dakota spends the most on insulin, while Alaska spends the least. Florida, meanwhile, has the highest overall diabetic costs at nearly $9,000. Compare that to Nebraska, where being diabetic costs around $5,100 a year.
| State | Average insulin cost | Average diabetic health care costs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $573 | $6,110 |
| Alaska | $337 | $7,307 |
| Arizona | $585 | $6,891 |
| Arkansas | $690 | $6,005 |
| California | $349 | $6,527 |
| Colorado | $544 | $6,256 |
| Connecticut | $595 | $7,709 |
| Delaware | $529 | $6,473 |
| Florida | $476 | $8,680 |
| Georgia | $591 | $6,571 |
| Hawaii | $345 | $6,442 |
| Idaho | $704 | $6,627 |
| Illinois | $621 | $6,687 |
| Indiana | $668 | $6,186 |
| Iowa | $857 | $6,362 |
| Kansas | $810 | $5,562 |
| Kentucky | $584 | $6,266 |
| Louisiana | $565 | $6,612 |
| Maine | $650 | $7,000 |
| Maryland | $504 | $7,820 |
| Massachusetts | $579 | $8,435 |
| Michigan | $497 | $6,379 |
| Minnesota | $815 | $8,059 |
| Mississippi | $676 | $5,653 |
| Missouri | $630 | $7,713 |
| Montana | $723 | $7,212 |
| Nebraska | $810 | $5,113 |
| Nevada | $490 | $6,470 |
| New Hampshire | $649 | $7,938 |
| New Jersey | $512 | $6,791 |
| New Mexico | $565 | $6,697 |
| New York | $493 | $7,341 |
| North Carolina | $591 | $6,576 |
| North Dakota | $995 | $7,357 |
| Ohio | $634 | $6,828 |
| Oklahoma | $651 | $5,606 |
| Oregon | $661 | $7,788 |
| Pennsylvania | $575 | $6,859 |
| Rhode Island | $646 | $8,508 |
| South Carolina | $603 | $6,391 |
| South Dakota | $867 | $5,158 |
| Tennessee | $613 | $5,917 |
| Texas | $564 | $5,608 |
| Utah | $743 | $5,900 |
| Vermont | $673 | $7,811 |
| Virginia | $614 | $6,863 |
| Washington | $675 | $7,400 |
| West Virginia | $551 | $6,155 |
| Wisconsin | $771 | $7,779 |
| Wyoming | $754 | $5,758 |
| United States | $572 | $6,763 |
Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on crude prevalence of people with diabetes to compare the number of diabetics in each state from 2011 to 2021. The cost of diabetes per diabetic was found by using data from the American Diabetes Association and represents average costs as of 2017. The cost of insulin in each state was determined by using data from Kaiser Family Foundation regarding average annual out-of-pocket spending on insulin.
References:
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