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State Profile

California

Population (2024): 38,138,100 million

California’s public health outcomes and emergency preparedness betters some states but falls behind others. According to TFAH’s 2025 Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, the state placed in the middle-performance tier for public health emergency preparedness. Deaths within the state due to drug misuse, alcohol, or suicide are lower than the average for other states. Based on 2024 data, its rates of obesity and related conditions indicate a mixed picture with the percentage of adults with obesity and diabetes lower than the U.S. median, while hypertension rates are higher than the U.S median.

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State Related News

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Nov 2025 Statement from J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health on Changes to CDC Webpage on Vaccines and Autism:
Sep 2025 The Number of People in the U.S. Serving as Informal Caregivers is Growing, Yet Support and Assistance for Them is Shrinking, According to New Policy Brief
Sep 2025 Nuevo análisis El presupuesto de los CDC se reduciría en un 53 % si se adopta el presupuesto propuesto por la Administración para el año fiscal 2026; más de sesenta programas de los CDC quedarían eliminados

California at a glance

48.5

Percent of population (age 6 months or older) who received seasonal flu vaccination, 2023-24

Middle Tier

Public health emergency preparedness performance tier (High, Middle, Low), 2024

31.1

Percent of adults who have hypertension, 2024

12.7

Percent of adults who have diabetes, 2024

16.9

Percent of children age 6-17 who have obesity, 2022-23

29.1

Percent of adults who have obesity, 2024

52.7

Deaths related to alcohol, drugs, or suicide (per 100,000), 2023

10.2

Suicide deaths (per 100,000), 2023

27.9

Drug-related deaths (per 100,000), 2023

14.7

Alcohol-related deaths (per 100,000), 2023

Data in Detail

Discover California

Check these TFAH reports for latest state-specific data:

Ready or Not 2025: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism Read More
Public Health Infrastructure in Crisis: HHS Workforce Cuts, Reorganizations, and Funding Reductions: Impacts and Solutions 2025 Read More
Pain in the Nation 2025: the Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths Read More
State of Obesity 2025: Better Policies for a Healthier America Read More

Spotlight On

California

Featured

California’s Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure

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