● Rates of depression remain highest among those ages 18-24, with nearly half (47%) reporting levels that would be considered sufficient to require further evaluation and possibly treatment. (By comparison, a 2019 survey found rates of 7% among those 18-29, or 21% including mild depression).

● A similar proportion of young adults (44%) report levels of anxiety that could suggest the need for further evaluation.

● These rates are substantially greater than those in older age groups - for example, 32% of those 25-44, and 22% of those 45-64.

● Rates have remained elevated in this age group throughout the pandemic, with 2 spikes - one prior to the 2020 election, and another in summer 2022.

● We see substantial variation in rates of depression among all adults from state to state: Levels of depression are greatest in West Virginia and Alaska, followed by Idaho, Utah, Mississippi, Vermont, and North Dakota. Levels are lowest in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

● There are large differences in rates of depression among young adults; rates are highest in those without a high school degree, those with the lowest levels of household income, and those who are unemployed.

● Young adults who identify politically as Independents were most likely to report depression, followed by Democrats and then Republicans.

● There are also geographic effects among young adults, with more depression among those in more rural settings. Rates of depression are greatest in the West and Midwest, and least in the South.

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