A new CDC survey has found that women report fatigue at significantly higher rates than men, with federal data now backing long-held anecdotal complaints about the gender gap in exhaustion.
The study, which polled nearly 27,000 adults aged 18 and older in 2024, showed that more than half of women felt fatigued “some days,” while nearly 20% experienced it “most days or every day,” according to the report. Men and adults 65 and older were less likely to report feeling worn out.
Jennifer Caspari, a clinical psychologist, attributed the male-female imbalance to women juggling greater responsibilities alongside hormonal fluctuations.
“People are incredibly busy,” Caspari said. “They’re stressed. They’re feeling spread thin. They have a lot on their plates and only so many hours in the day. They’re trying to cram in so much.”
Natalie A.E. Young, a sociologist and the report’s lead author, emphasized that the burden extends beyond mere tiredness. People with frequent fatigue symptoms are more likely to face additional struggles that hamper daily functioning, including cognitive difficulties, depression and anxiety.
“So it’s not just that fatigue is common,” Young said. “It’s that fatigue is common and those with fatigue are facing limitations in their daily lives.”
Younger adults between 18 and 34 also surfaced as the most fatigue-prone demographic in the study. One in every six adults overall reported frequent fatigue, defined as feeling tired “most days or every day.”
The researchers distinguished general fatigue from ordinary sleepiness, defining it as “physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest.”
Geographic patterns emerged in the data as well. Nearly 18% of Americans in both the South and Midwest experienced frequent fatigue, compared to about 15% in both the West and Northeast.
The study did not examine causes behind the fatigue rates or compare them to previous years’ data, leaving questions about whether exhaustion is worsening nationwide unanswered.
Caspari’s observation about packed schedules resonated with the broader findings about younger adults and women carrying heavier loads. The report did not explore specific interventions or policy recommendations to address the disparities it documented.
The CDC released the survey data as part of its ongoing national health tracking efforts, with the full report published this month.