Loneliness Statistics in the United States

Loneliness has become one of the most documented public health problems in America. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a formal advisory declaring loneliness and social isolation an epidemic, comparing the health impact to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For families affected by autism, these statistics carry an additional weight: autistic individuals experience loneliness at significantly higher rates than the general population, and so do their parents and siblings.

Understanding the data on loneliness is the first step toward addressing it. This post covers the core statistics, the specific loneliness patterns seen in autism, and what families can do to build genuine connection for their children and themselves.

General Loneliness Statistics in the U.S.

• According to a 2023 Surgeon General advisory, approximately 1 in 2 U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.
• Young adults (ages 18 to 25) report the highest rates of loneliness of any age group, according to a Harvard Graduate School of Education survey.
• According to Cigna’s Loneliness Index, 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely in 2020, an increase from 54% in 2018.
• The COVID-19 pandemic intensified loneliness across all demographics, with social isolation measures affecting mental health outcomes for millions of people.
• Only about 16% of Americans feel they can rely on people beyond their immediate family for support, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

Loneliness and Physical Health: The Data

• The Surgeon General’s advisory reported that social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%.
• Chronic loneliness is associated with a 26% increase in the risk of premature mortality, according to research published in Perspectives on Psychological Science.
• Loneliness is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline across age groups.
• Socially isolated individuals are more likely to experience sleep disturbances, weakened immune function, and slower recovery from illness.
• The health consequences of chronic loneliness are comparable to well-established risk factors like obesity and physical inactivity, according to the NIH.

Loneliness Among Children and Teens

• A CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 37% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, which are closely linked to loneliness and social disconnection.
• Children who experience chronic loneliness are at higher risk for academic difficulties, behavioral problems, and diagnosable mental health conditions in adolescence.
• Social media use has a complex relationship with teen loneliness. While it can facilitate connection, heavy use is consistently associated with increased feelings of social comparison and isolation, particularly in younger teens.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) identified declining social connection among children as a significant contributor to the current youth mental health crisis.

Loneliness and Autism: What the Research Shows

Loneliness affects autistic individuals at disproportionately high rates. This is not because autistic people do not want connection. It is because the barriers to achieving it are higher, and the misunderstanding from the outside world is deeper.

• Studies published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders have found that autistic adults report significantly higher levels of loneliness compared to the general population, even when controlling for other variables.
• Many autistic individuals desire social connection but face barriers related to communication differences, sensory sensitivities, and difficulty interpreting the unwritten social rules that neurotypical interactions depend on.
• Autistic children frequently experience social exclusion at school, not due to lack of social motivation but due to the challenge of navigating peer groups organized around implicit social norms. This exclusion can contribute to loneliness that persists into adulthood.
• A 2019 study in Autism found that autistic adults reported greater unmet need for social connection than non-autistic adults, regardless of whether they were identified as high-support or low-support.
• The gap between wanting social connection and being able to achieve it is one of the primary drivers of loneliness and associated depression in the autism community.

Loneliness in Families of Children With Autism

Autism-related isolation does not only affect the child. Parents and siblings are often significantly affected as well. This is an underreported dimension of the autism experience.

• Parents of children with autism report higher rates of social isolation than parents of typically developing children, according to research in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
• The time and energy demands of managing ABA therapy schedules, IEP meetings, and intensive parenting reduce the social bandwidth available to parents for maintaining their own friendships and support networks.
• Siblings of children with autism often experience their own form of social isolation, particularly in families where the autistic child’s needs require most of the family’s emotional and logistical resources.
• Caregiver burnout, which has documented loneliness as a component, affects a significant proportion of parents of children with autism, according to NIH-funded research.

How ABA Therapy Builds the Skills That Combat Loneliness

For autistic children, the most effective protection against lifelong loneliness is developing real social and communication skills early. This is not about making autistic children appear neurotypical. It is about giving them the tools to build genuine connections on their own terms.

ABA therapy directly targets the skill areas most relevant to social connection:

• Requesting and initiating: Learning to initiate social contact, ask for what you want, and start conversations opens the door to relationships.
• Responding to social bids: Recognizing when someone is attempting to engage and knowing how to respond is foundational to friendship.
• Joint attention: Sharing focus on an object or activity with another person is one of the earliest building blocks of social connection. ABA programs target joint attention in young children as a core developmental priority.
• Perspective-taking: Understanding that other people have thoughts, feelings, and intentions different from your own enables the empathy that sustains relationships.
• Emotion regulation: Children who can manage frustration, disappointment, and sensory overload are better equipped to stay in social situations long enough to form bonds.

Research in JABA and other peer-reviewed journals shows that structured social skills training using ABA methods produces measurable improvements in social interaction, peer relationships, and quality of life for children with autism.

Beyond Therapy: Building Community for Autistic Families

Skill-building in therapy is necessary but not sufficient. Children need opportunities to practice those skills in real social contexts, and families need their own sources of connection and support.

Strategies that help reduce isolation for both children and families:

• Interest-based social groups: Autistic individuals often form stronger connections through shared interests than through traditional social settings. Coding clubs, Minecraft groups, nature programs, and other interest-based activities can be more natural social contexts than unstructured playdates.
• Autism parent support groups: Local and online groups provide parents with a community of people who understand their situation without needing it explained. Many families describe finding their first autism support group as a turning point in their own isolation.
• Inclusive school environments: Schools that actively facilitate peer interaction for autistic students, rather than leaving socialization to chance at recess, produce meaningfully better social outcomes.
• Family-centered ABA programs: ABA programs that include parent training help families generalize therapy skills into everyday contexts, including social ones. When parents know how to prompt and reinforce social skills at home, progress accelerates.

Treetop’s Family-Centered Approach

At Treetop ABA Therapy, we recognize that addressing loneliness for autistic children means more than clinic hours. Our programs include social skills goals tailored to each child’s developmental level and interests, parent training that helps families create connection opportunities at home, and coordination with school teams to generalize skills across settings.

We serve families across multiple states through center-based and in-home ABA therapy. We accept most insurance plans including Medicaid.

If your child struggles with social connection and loneliness, or if you are looking for community as a parent, contact us to learn about our programs and to find out if services are available in your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

How common is loneliness in the U.S.?

Very common. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory, approximately half of U.S. adults experience measurable levels of loneliness. Young adults report the highest rates, and the problem has intensified over the past decade.

Are autistic people more likely to be lonely?

Research consistently shows that autistic individuals experience loneliness at higher rates than the general population. This is typically driven not by a lack of desire for social connection, but by barriers to achieving it, including communication differences, social exclusion, and unwritten social rules that are harder to navigate.

Can ABA therapy help with social isolation?

Yes. ABA therapy directly targets the social and communication skills that make forming and maintaining friendships possible. Early social skills intervention produces better long-term outcomes for social connection. Contact Treetop to learn more about our social skills programs.

What are the health effects of loneliness?

Chronic loneliness is associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and premature mortality, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory and peer-reviewed research published in Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Do parents of children with autism experience more loneliness?

Research shows that parents of children with autism report higher rates of social isolation than parents of typically developing children. The intensive demands of caregiving reduce social bandwidth. Finding a parent support community, either local or online, is one of the most consistent protective factors against caregiver isolation.

What is the connection between autism and social skills?

Social communication differences are a defining feature of autism. Autistic individuals may find unstructured social situations difficult to navigate, not because they do not want connection, but because the implicit rules governing most social interactions are not intuitive for them. ABA therapy, particularly programs using naturalistic teaching approaches, can help children develop these skills in a meaningful way. Visit our services page for more detail.