New national data show that heart failure is surging across the United States—and the burden falls disproportionately on Black Americans.
About 6.7 million adults over age 20 are currently living with heart failure, according to a new analysis from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). That number is projected to climb sharply, reaching 11.4 million by 2050. The report warns that “one in four Americans will develop HF in their lifetime,” and the odds are even higher for Black adults than for any other racial or ethnic group.
The findings highlight a storm of intersecting risks. The report notes that adults with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease face significantly greater chances of developing heart failure. With more Americans living with multiple chronic conditions, clinicians see a growing crisis that disproportionately affects communities already carrying the nation’s highest disease burden.
HFSA writing group chair Gregg C. Fonarow described heart failure as “a growing epidemic affecting millions of individuals across all demographics.” But the report makes clear that racial disparities remain persistent, with heart failure “much more common among Black adults” than among white, Hispanic, or Asian adults.
The group called for “continued efforts… to accurately ascertain the contemporary burden of heart failure and characterize structural and systemic factors contributing to these disparities.” Those factors include unequal access to care, environmental stressors, and lower use of evidence-based therapies—patterns that have long shaped cardiovascular inequities.
The report underscores that addressing heart failure will require not only better treatments but also tackling the broader structural forces driving racial health disparities.
See: “America’s heart failure epidemic is getting worse” (September 22, 2025)
