Child sleep statistics show that insufficient sleep is common across U.S. childhood and adolescence. In the CDC’s 2016–2018 National Survey of Children’s Health analysis, 34.9% of children and adolescents ages 4 months to 17 years slept less than recommended. A later CDC FastStats update using 2020–2021 survey data reported insufficient sleep for children ages 4 months to 14 years ranging from 25% in Minnesota to 50% in Louisiana.
Contents
- Key child sleep figures
- Short sleep by age
- Differences by race and family resources
- Health and bedtime routines
- State-by-state statistics
- What the newer CDC update reports
Key child sleep figures
The CDC MMWR 2021 analysis provides a national baseline for short sleep among children and adolescents ages 4 months to 17 years. Its overall estimate was 34.9% for 2016–2018. That means the measure covered infants, children, and teenagers together; it should not be read as a single recommended sleep duration for every age.
The same analysis found a small difference by sex. Short sleep was reported for 35.0% of boys and 34.7% of girls. The overall figure also concealed wider differences by age, race and ethnicity, household income, parent education, health status, bedtime regularity, and state.
The figures below all describe the percentage with short sleep unless otherwise noted.
| Group or measure | Percentage | Measurement period and source |
|---|---|---|
| All children and adolescents ages 4 months–17 years | 34.9% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Boys ages 4 months–17 years | 35.0% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Girls ages 4 months–17 years | 34.7% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Children with a regular bedtime | 27.5% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Children without a regular bedtime | 38.6% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Children with special health care needs | 38.3% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
| Children without special health care needs | 34.1% | 2016–2018, CDC MMWR 2021 |
These estimates describe survey groups, not diagnoses. They also come from two different reporting periods: the detailed subgroup and state figures are from 2016–2018, while the later FastStats figures use NSCH 2020–2021.
Short sleep by age
Short sleep varied across the age groups in the CDC MMWR 2021 analysis. Among infants ages 4–11 months, 40.3% had short sleep duration. The estimate was 33.3% among children ages 1–2 years and 34.8% among children ages 3–5 years.
Among school-age children, 37.4% of those ages 6–12 years had short sleep duration. Among adolescents ages 13–17 years, the figure was 31.2%. These percentages are not a progression for an individual child; they are separate estimates for age groups measured during 2016–2018.
The age breakdown is useful because an all-ages percentage can hide differences between developmental stages. In this dataset, the highest listed age-group estimate was for infants ages 4–11 months at 40.3%, followed by children ages 6–12 years at 37.4%. The lowest listed age-group estimate was for adolescents ages 13–17 years at 31.2%.
The CDC FastStats 2024 update uses a different period and age range. It reported that 37% of children ages 4 months to 5 years did not get enough sleep in NSCH 2020–2021. Because the definition, age range, and measurement period differ from the MMWR analysis, this 37% figure should be kept separate from the 2016–2018 age estimates rather than treated as a direct trend.
Differences by race and family resources
The CDC MMWR 2021 estimates show substantial differences among racial and ethnic groups. Short sleep was reported for 39.1% of Hispanic children and adolescents, 28.8% of non-Hispanic White children and adolescents, 50.8% of non-Hispanic Black children and adolescents, and 34.6% of non-Hispanic children in other race groups.
The largest percentage in this set was 50.8% among non-Hispanic Black children and adolescents. The lowest was 28.8% among non-Hispanic White children and adolescents. These are population estimates for the specified groups, not explanations of why the groups differed.
Household income also corresponded with different short-sleep percentages. Among children below 100% of the federal poverty level, 45.6% had short sleep. The estimate was 39.2% for children at 100% to under 200% of the federal poverty level, 33.2% for children at 200% to under 400%, and 26.0% for children at 400% or more.
| Federal poverty-level group | Short sleep |
|---|---|
| Below 100% | 45.6% |
| 100% to under 200% | 39.2% |
| 200% to under 400% | 33.2% |
| 400% or more | 26.0% |
Parent education showed a similar spread in the CDC MMWR 2021 figures. Short sleep affected 46.2% of children whose parent had less than a high school education, 43.3% whose parent had a high school education, 39.3% whose parent had some college, and 27.2% whose parent was a college graduate.
These categories are descriptive comparisons from the 2016–2018 survey. They do not establish that income or education alone caused a child’s sleep duration, and the figures should not be used to predict an individual child’s sleep.
The later CDC FastStats 2024 update adds one specific racial and ethnic estimate from NSCH 2020–2021: 61% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children did not get enough sleep. This estimate belongs to the newer reporting period and uses the update’s insufficient-sleep wording.
Health and bedtime routines
The CDC MMWR 2021 analysis also compared sleep with health-related characteristics. Short sleep was reported for 38.3% of children with special health care needs and 34.1% of children without special health care needs.
Reported general health status showed another difference. Among children in excellent or very good health, 33.5% had short sleep. Among children in good, fair, or poor health, 46.8% had short sleep.
Bedtime regularity was associated with a particularly clear descriptive gap. The short-sleep estimate was 27.5% among children with a regular bedtime and 38.6% among children without a regular bedtime. The two percentages come from the same 2016–2018 CDC MMWR analysis, but they are group comparisons rather than evidence that a bedtime routine by itself determines sleep duration.
Taken together, these measures show why “child sleep statistics” should be read across several dimensions. A national percentage can coexist with different estimates for children with and without special health care needs, different reported health categories, and different bedtime patterns. None of these figures supplies a clinical assessment for a particular child.
State-by-state statistics
The CDC MMWR 2021 state estimates ranged from 25.3% in Maine to 48.9% in Mississippi. Minnesota and North Dakota were each at 25.4%, while Louisiana was at 46.6% and West Virginia at 42.9%.
The complete state percentages reported for 2016–2018 were:
| State or district | Short sleep | State or district | Short sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 42.5% | Alaska | 27.7% |
| Arizona | 35.6% | Arkansas | 40.8% |
| California | 34.2% | Colorado | 26.8% |
| Connecticut | 32.8% | Delaware | 39.1% |
| District of Columbia | 36.5% | Florida | 38.6% |
| Georgia | 40.3% | Hawaii | 38.4% |
| Idaho | 26.9% | Illinois | 30.1% |
| Indiana | 38.6% | Iowa | 29.0% |
| Kansas | 30.3% | Kentucky | 35.8% |
| Louisiana | 46.6% | Maine | 25.3% |
| Maryland | 37.4% | Massachusetts | 30.0% |
| Michigan | 32.4% | Minnesota | 25.4% |
| Mississippi | 48.9% | Missouri | 35.8% |
| Montana | 27.5% | Nebraska | 30.8% |
| Nevada | 32.4% | New Hampshire | 27.0% |
| New Jersey | 34.6% | New Mexico | 33.8% |
| New York | 36.2% | North Carolina | 36.8% |
| North Dakota | 25.4% | Ohio | 34.8% |
| Oklahoma | 35.3% | Oregon | 27.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 32.8% | Rhode Island | 33.9% |
| South Carolina | 40.2% | South Dakota | 30.0% |
| Tennessee | 39.1% | Texas | 36.7% |
| Utah | 29.3% | Vermont | 25.6% |
| Virginia | 32.7% | Washington | 30.5% |
| West Virginia | 42.9% | Wisconsin | 28.9% |
| Wyoming | 31.9% |
The state table should not be interpreted as a ranking of current conditions. The measurement period for every state value in this table is 2016–2018, and the source is the CDC MMWR 2021 analysis. State percentages are useful for describing geographic variation within that period, but they are not forecasts.
What the newer CDC update reports
The CDC FastStats 2024 update, using NSCH 2020–2021, reported that insufficient sleep among children ages 4 months to 14 years ranged from 25% in Minnesota to 50% in Louisiana. This newer range uses a broader rounded presentation than the detailed 2016–2018 state percentages above.
The update also reported that 37% of children ages 4 months to 5 years did not get enough sleep, and that 61% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander children did not get enough sleep. These figures provide newer reference points, but they should not be combined arithmetically with the CDC MMWR 2021 estimates because the periods, age coverage, and reported measures differ.
Across the available CDC figures, the consistent message is that insufficient sleep is measured in every broad age group and varies across demographic, socioeconomic, health, routine, and geographic categories. The most precise interpretation is always tied to the source, population, definition, and measurement period shown with each statistic.