About Hearing Loss
For many, dealing with a hearing loss, whether it is their own or someone they are close to, can be scary, stressful, frustrating and isolating.
Hearing loss doesn't just affect the person dealing with the loss; it affects their family, friends, co-workers and other close relationships. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help understand hearing loss and manage how it affects you and those around you.
It is our hope the information on these pages will assist you or someone you know in dealing with hearing loss.
Everyone has their own journey and we cannot possibly answer every question within the boundaries of this website, so if you have more questions or concerns, please contact us. We are happy to help in any way we can.
Statistics
- Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.
- About 18 percent of adults aged 20-69 have speech-frequency hearing loss in both ears from among those who report 5 or more years of exposure to very loud noise at work, as compared to 5.5 percent of adults with speech-frequency hearing loss in both ears who report no occupational noise exposure.
- About 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64. Nearly 25 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50 percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.
- About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.
Statistics sources: National Information Center on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Kentucky statistics: Kentucky Deaf and Hard of Hearing Demographics
Hearing Loss Facts
Did you know hearing loss affects people of all ages? Click here for other helpful facts about hearing loss.
Children and Hearing Loss
If you are a parent of a child with hearing loss, go to our Parents page for more information.