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CDC

Antibiotic Use

Outpatient Antibiotic Use: Retail Pharmacy Prescription Data

Total Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions Dispensed

256M

Total prescriptions dispensed in 2024

Outpatient Retail Pharmacy Antibiotic Prescription Rate

752

Prescriptions of all antibiotic classes per 1,000 population in 2024

US Census Region with the Highest Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Rate

South

Outpatient Antibiotic Use: Retail Pharmacy Prescription Data

Population and Data

Outpatient antibiotic prescriptions dispensed in U.S. retail pharmacies.

Antibiotic Classification

Tracking and reporting antibiotic prescription volume and antibiotic use rates is an important component of the CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Use. In this portal, oral antibiotics are classified into one of the following classes: penicillins, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, macrolides, beta-lactams with increased activity (e.g. amoxicillin-clavulanate), tetracyclines, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, lincosamides (e.g. clindamycin), urinary anti-infectives, and other antibiotics. “All Antibiotic Classes” refers to total antibiotic prescriptions summing all prescriptions from different classes. For more information about antibiotic classes and example agents that fall into each antibiotic class, explore antibiotic class definitions in the Data Methodology.

Years Included
2019 - 2024
Resources

Geographic Locations

Antibiotics are prescribed differently across the United States. Reasons for regional variation may include different prescribing behaviors, diagnostic patterns, disease burden, and levels of antimicrobial resistance among certain pathogens.

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes Dispensed in U.S. Pharmacies by State Map

This map displays prescription rates all classes per 1,000 population dispensed in outpatient pharmacies across U.S. states in 2024.

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes by State in 2024

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes by State in 2024
StateYearAntibiotic ClassPrescriptions per 1,000 Population
Alabama2024All Classes1027
Alaska2024All Classes478
Arizona2024All Classes632
Arkansas2024All Classes1014
California2024All Classes513
Colorado2024All Classes501
Connecticut2024All Classes754
Delaware2024All Classes751
District Of Columbia2024All Classes795
Florida2024All Classes784
Georgia2024All Classes810
Hawaii2024All Classes600
Idaho2024All Classes557
Illinois2024All Classes744
Indiana2024All Classes826
Iowa2024All Classes764
Kansas2024All Classes832
Kentucky2024All Classes1089
Louisiana2024All Classes1047
Maine2024All Classes664
Maryland2024All Classes681
Massachusetts2024All Classes695
Michigan2024All Classes812
Minnesota2024All Classes570
Mississippi2024All Classes1167
Missouri2024All Classes757
Montana2024All Classes533
Nebraska2024All Classes840
Nevada2024All Classes621
New Hampshire2024All Classes729
New Jersey2024All Classes791
New Mexico2024All Classes619
New York2024All Classes836
North Carolina2024All Classes787
North Dakota2024All Classes689
Ohio2024All Classes865
Oklahoma2024All Classes803
Oregon2024All Classes464
Pennsylvania2024All Classes784
Rhode Island2024All Classes784
South Carolina2024All Classes853
South Dakota2024All Classes759
Tennessee2024All Classes983
Texas2024All Classes791
Utah2024All Classes617
Vermont2024All Classes609
Virginia2024All Classes754
Washington2024All Classes472
West Virginia2024All Classes1216
Wisconsin2024All Classes588
Wyoming2024All Classes682

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes Dispensed in U.S. Pharmacies by U.S. Census Region Map

This map displays prescription rates of all classes per 1,000 population dispensed in outpatient pharmacies across U.S. Census Regions in 2024.

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes by US Census Region in 2024

Outpatient Prescription Rate of All Classes by US Census Region in 2024
RegionYearAntibiotic ClassPrescriptions per 1,000 Population
Midwest2024All Classes763
Northeast2024All Classes784
South2024All Classes844
West2024All Classes532

Changes Over Time

Antibiotic prescribing patterns have changed over time.

Changes Over Time in Outpatient Prescription Rates of All Classes

This graph displays prescriptions of all classes dispensed per 1,000 population in U.S. outpatient pharmacies from 2019–2024.

Changes Over Time in Outpatient Prescription Rates of All Classes

Changes Over Time in Outpatient Prescription Rates of All Classes
YearAntibiotic ClassPrescriptions per 1,000 Population
2019All Classes765
2020All Classes613
2021All Classes636
2022All Classes709
2023All Classes752
2024All Classes752

Comparing Antibiotic Classes

Outpatient antibiotic prescription rates vary by antibiotic class.

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions Dispensed in U.S. Community Pharmacies

B-lactams increased activityCephalosporinsFluoroquinolonesLincosamidesMacrolidesPenicillinsTetracyclineTrimethoprim-sulfamethoxazoleUrinary anti-infectives

This graph displays prescription rates of each selected antibiotic class dispensed per 1,000 population in U.S. outpatient pharmacies from 2019–2024. These data can be stratified by patient age and sex.

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions for All Antibiotic Classes

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions for All Antibiotic Classes
YearB-lactams increased activityCephalosporinsFluoroquinolonesLincosamidesMacrolidesPenicillinsTetracyclineTrimethoprim-sulfamethoxazoleUrinary anti-infectives
2019871135829121179765346
20206492482688131694746
20216895452690140754649
2022861084425108159814451
2023981164424104181864353
20241011164221110171914156

Footnotes

  • These data are from the IQVIA database and reflect all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions dispensed to humans from U.S. community pharmacies. These data do not include antibiotic prescriptions dispensed from federal facilities.
  • Data reflect annual rates of antibiotic prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 population, i.e. the number of antibiotic prescriptions dispensed per year for every 1,000 persons. Annual rates allow for comparisons of the number of antibiotic prescriptions dispensed in different geographic areas or over time while controlling for differences in the size of the underlying population.
  • Due to missing data, totals by age group and/or sex may not add up to all prescriptions. Antibiotic class defines a set of related antibiotics. State-level rates of penicillins, macrolides, cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones are displayed. Also displayed are all antibiotic classes, which include these four classes plus additional classes not available for release at the state level.
  • Data are not available for geographic regions smaller than states.