Sarah Bennett
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States has been an ongoing mass immunization program since December 2020. As of August 2021, 48.9% to 49.7% of the population was fully vaccinated, with 57.9% having received at least one dose. Vaccination rates vary across the country, with Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine among the states with the highest percentage of vaccinated people, and Louisiana, Wyoming, and Alabama among those with the lowest. The US military has also been pushing for mandatory vaccinations, with about two-thirds of service members vaccinated by late April 2021. Studies suggest that vaccinations prevented millions of deaths, hospitalizations, and infections in the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Population of the United States | 328 million |
| Total vaccine doses distributed | 984,444,295 |
| Total vaccine doses used | 676,728,782 |
| Percentage of the population that has received at least one dose | 81% |
| Percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated | 70% |
| Average percentage of the population partially vaccinated | 56.1% |
| Top five states with the highest percentage of their population partially vaccinated | Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, and Maine |
| Bottom five states with the least percentage of their population partially vaccinated | Idaho, Louisiana, Wyoming, Alabama, and Mississippi |
| Average percentage of the population fully vaccinated | 48.9% |
| Top five states with the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated | Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island |
| Bottom five states with the least percentage of their population fully vaccinated | Louisiana, Wyoming, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi |
| Percentage of people by sex receiving at least one dose or fully vaccinated | 99% |
| Percentage of people by race or ethnicity receiving at least one dose | 75% |
| Percentage of people by race or ethnicity fully vaccinated | 78% |
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What You'll Learn
Percentage of the population fully vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccination in the United States is an ongoing mass immunization campaign. The Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine was first granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 10, 2020, and mass vaccinations began four days later. The Moderna vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on December 17, 2020, and the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine was authorized on February 27, 2021.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 49.7% of the United States (US) population had been fully vaccinated (165,081,416 people) as of August 3, 2021. This figure was below the national goal of at least 80%. By April 19, 2021, all US states had opened vaccine eligibility to residents aged 16 and over. On May 10, 2021, the FDA also approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15.
The average percentage of the population fully vaccinated varies across states. As of August 4, 2021, the top five states with the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated were Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. In contrast, the bottom five states with the lowest percentage were Louisiana, Wyoming, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Vaccination rates also vary by age, with individuals aged 50–64 making up the highest proportion of the vaccinated population, while those under 25 represent a much smaller proportion. Overall, vaccine hesitancy and disinformation on social media platforms have contributed to lower vaccination rates in certain age groups.
The CDC has issued vaccine cards that can be used to track vaccine progress and serve as proof of vaccination when required, such as for international travel or entering certain establishments. However, the lack of a federal system for checking COVID-19 status has put the United States at a disadvantage compared to nations in Europe and Asia with standardized digital certificates.
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Vaccination rates by age
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the United States began in December 2020, initially focusing on healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities, and people aged 65 and older. By May 22, 2021, 57% of US adults aged 18 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the highest coverage among those aged 65 and older (80%) and the lowest among those aged 18-29 (38.3%).
Vaccination rates vary by age, with individuals aged 50-64 making up a larger proportion of the vaccinated population compared to those under 25. As of December 14, 2021, approximately 85% of adults aged 18 and over in the US had received at least one dose, while 15% remained unvaccinated. Among the unvaccinated, about 75% were under the age of 50.
In terms of booster doses, Black and Hispanic people have received lower shares than their White and Asian counterparts. However, in the past 14 days, Black and Hispanic people have made up larger shares of those receiving booster shots.
The CDC notes that vaccination rates reported by states and territories may differ due to lags and temporary errors in data reporting. Additionally, booster doses can be misclassified as first doses, impacting the accuracy of coverage estimates.
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Vaccination rates by state
As of May 10, 2025, 81% of the United States population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 70% are fully vaccinated. However, vaccination rates vary by state, with some states achieving higher coverage than others.
Each state in the US has its own plan for distributing vaccines, and the subsequent phases of the rollout are determined by each individual state agency. This has resulted in different vaccination rates across the country. As of July 2025, only 18 states reached the 70% goal for full vaccination among their local population, with the average vaccination rate higher in counties that voted for Biden compared to those that voted for Trump.
Some states, like California and New York, have offered a digital immunity passport accessible through a mobile app. Other states, like Alaska, have opened up vaccinations to international visitors over the age of 12, even offering vaccines at airports for convenience.
The varying rates of vaccination across the United States have had an impact on the overall pandemic situation in the country. For example, in parts of the country with below-average vaccination rates, cases of COVID-19 have begun to increase, and vaccine hesitancy has become a partisan issue.
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Vaccination rates among military personnel
As of May 2022, about 81% of the United States population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 70% are fully vaccinated. However, vaccination rates vary across different states and jurisdictions.
Military personnel face additional occupational risks of infection due to their specific work environments and the requirement of rapid deployability. As a result, it is expected that their vaccination rates would be higher than the general population. While there is limited data available on the vaccination rates of military personnel, studies suggest that there is room for improvement in ensuring complete vaccination coverage among soldiers.
The unique challenges faced by military forces worldwide have resulted in varying vaccination rates and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. For instance, the French military experienced a significant increase in measles cases from 2010 to 2011. Similarly, the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, have also faced vaccination deficiencies.
In the United States, President Biden has the legal authority to mandate vaccination for military personnel, but he has chosen not to exercise this power. As of July 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs was considering ways to encourage workers at VA hospitals to get vaccinated. This included offering incentives such as paid administrative leave for those who are fully vaccinated.
The military has administered 6,540,793 vaccine shots, with 1,915,932 service members either fully vaccinated or having received the first shot of a two-shot protocol. This indicates a high level of vaccine acceptance among military personnel, contributing to a successful vaccination process within the military.
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Vaccination progress by race
As of July 2022, 41 states and Washington D.C. were reporting vaccination data by race/ethnicity. Across the 36 states for which a total vaccination rate could be calculated by race/ethnicity, 87% of Asians, 67% of Hispanics, and 64% of Whites had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, higher than the rate for Blacks at 59%.
Over the course of the vaccination rollout, differences between vaccination rates for Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites have narrowed, and the disparity for Hispanics has reversed. Between late April 2021, when most adults became eligible for vaccines across states, and July 2022, the gap in vaccination rates between Whites and Blacks fell from 14 percentage points (38% vs. 24%) to 5 percentage points (64% vs. 59%). The 13% percentage point difference (38% vs. 25%) between Whites and Hispanics was eliminated, with Hispanics having a slightly higher rate than Whites since early 2022.
In North Carolina, the proportion of vaccinated people who were Black nearly doubled between December 2020–January 2021 and March–April 2021, and the share of vaccine doses administered to Hispanics doubled during this period.
By the end of April 2021, when all U.S. adults were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, vaccination coverage was highest among adults who were Asian (69.6%) or White (59.0%), and lower among those who were Hispanic (47.3%), Black (46.3%), NH/OPI (45.9%), multiple or other races (42.6%), or AI/AN (38.7%). Differences in coverage among these racial and ethnic groups compared with Whites peaked in March–May 2021, after which disparities began to diminish. By the end of November 2021, differences in vaccination coverage were no longer statistically significant among Blacks and NH/OPI adults compared with Whites. Vaccination coverage among Hispanics and Asians was higher than among Whites, while coverage remained lower among AI/AN and multiple or other races.
Indigenous Americans have the third-highest COVID-19 vaccination rate across all states providing data, at 31.8%. More than one-quarter of all Indigenous Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, led by Rhode Island (51.4%), Washington (49.9%), and Virginia (47.9%).
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Frequently asked questions
As of August 3rd, 2021, 49.7% of the United States population had been fully vaccinated. This equates to about 165 million people.
As of May 10th, 2021, 984,444,295 doses had been distributed, with 68% of these used.
By late May 2021, at least 58% of active military personnel had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The US Navy had the highest percentage of any military branch at 51%.
As of August 3rd, 2021, 57.9% of the US population had received at least one vaccine dose. This is below the national goal of at least 80%.
Key metrics include the number of doses administered, the number of people fully vaccinated, the percentage of people fully vaccinated by population, the number of people receiving at least one dose, and the percentage of people receiving at least one dose.
