Recent data from the CDC indicate that while childhood vaccination rates in the U.S. have declined, the national coverage for most vaccines remained slightly above 90% during the 2024-25 school year, rather than dropping below 90% nationwide. For example, MMR coverage among kindergartners was 92.5%, DTaP coverage was 92.1%, and polio coverage was 92.5%. Although these percentages are concerning because they fall short of the recommended 95% threshold needed to maintain herd immunity, they do not yet indicate a nationwide drop below 90%. The decline is more pronounced in certain states, such as Idaho, where MMR and DTaP coverage were around 78%, highlighting that vaccination gaps are not evenly distributed across the country.
State-level variation in vaccination rates underscores the influence of policy and exemptions on coverage. Non-medical exemptions, including personal or religious reasons, reached an all-time high of 3.4%, affecting roughly 138,000 children nationwide. States that restrict exemptions, such as Connecticut, maintain higher vaccination coverage (98.2% for MMR and DTaP), while states allowing broader exemptions, like Idaho, report substantially lower rates. These trends illustrate that declining vaccination rates are closely tied to policy decisions and parental choices, and continued monitoring and public health initiatives are critical to preventing outbreaks of diseases like measles, pertussis, and polio.
