Most adults underactive

Fewer than half of U.S. adults met the federal target for aerobic exercise in 2024, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. (cdc.gov) The report, based on the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, found that 47.2% of adults age 18 and older hit the aerobic guideline during leisure time. Men did so at a 52.3% rate, compared with 42.4% for women. (cdc.gov) The age gap was sharp. About 54.0% of adults ages 18 to 34 met the guideline, versus 38.4% of adults 65 and older. (cdc.gov) The federal benchmark is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of the two. Separate guidance also calls for muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week. (cdc.gov) The new figure did not mark a broad national jump. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Active People, Healthy Nation tracker shows 47.1% of adults met the aerobic guideline in 2020, 47.3% in 2022, and 47.2% in 2024. (cdc.gov) The same tracker says 26.2% of adults were inactive outside work in 2024, compared with 27.2% in 2022 and 27.0% in 2020. The agency says those changes were not statistically significant. (cdc.gov) The gaps were wider across income, education, disability, and health status. Adults living in the West were more likely to meet the guideline than adults in other regions, and adults without disabilities, adults with healthy weight, and adults reporting excellent or very good health also posted higher rates. (cdc.gov) Federal health guidance does not require long workouts in one block. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults can split the 150 minutes across a week, including 30 minutes a day for five days, and says “some physical activity is better than none.” (cdc.gov) That leaves the headline unchanged in April 2026: in a country where the weekly target can be broken into short sessions, most adults still are not reaching the aerobic minimum. (cdc.gov)