The nation's flu vaccination rate has increased slightly over the past two seasons, though this growth has been slower than in past years, likely due to pandemic disruptions, a Feb. 7 report from ValuePenguin found.
The financial research and analysis website analyzed CDC data on seasonal flu vaccination rates for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 flu seasons.
Four report findings:
1. Last flu season, 52.1 percent of eligible Americans got a flu shot, up slightly from 51.8 in the 2019-20 season. For context, this figure sat at 43 percent for the 2010-11 flu season.
2. Overall, 27 states saw vaccination rates increase between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 flu seasons, with Massachusetts, Illinois and Rhode Island reporting the largest jumps.
3. New England states had the highest flu vaccination rates, while Southern states had the lowest during the 2020-21 flu season. This rate was highest in Massachusetts (66.5 percent) and lowest in Florida (41.7).
4. People ages 65 and older were the most vaccinated age group last flu season, surpassing children under 5, who held the top spot in 2019-20.
View the full report here.