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Blood tests by the numbers: key US figures

How many blood tests are run each year, and what do they catch most often? Here are the key figures on blood testing in the United States, drawn from official CDC/NHANES and CMS data.

Updated July 20, 2026Edited by Smart Medical Care SAS
41.6 M
times the comprehensive metabolic panel was run in a single year — in the Medicare program alone
Source 1
15.8 %
of US adults have diabetes — and about 1 in 4 of them don’t yet know it
Source 2
14 %
of US adults have chronic kidney disease (more than 1 in 7); up to 9 in 10 are unaware
Source 3
11.3 %
of US adults have high total cholesterol (≥ 240 mg/dL), peaking in middle age
Source 4
4.6 %
of Americans (12+) have an underactive thyroid — mostly the mild, subclinical form
Source 5
13 %
of women are anemic (vs 5.5 % of men) — iron deficiency is the leading cause
Source 6
29,000
units of red blood cells are needed every day in the US (American Red Cross)
Source 7
95 %
of healthy people fall inside the reference range — so ≈ 1 result in 20 is “abnormal” with no disease
Source 8

One of the most common things in health care

Blood testing is one of the most frequent procedures in US medicine. To convey the scale: in the Medicare program alone, the comprehensive metabolic panel and the complete blood count were each performed more than 40 million times in a single year, and the top 25 lab tests billed Medicare Part B about $4.5 billion.1 Yet reading a lab report is still hard — which is exactly what our free, sourced guides are for.

The most common blood tests in the US

Ranked by volume in US Medicare data, these are among the most frequently performed blood tests (Medicare covers mostly adults 65+, so this reflects that population):1

#TestWhat it checks (Medicare volume, 2017)
1Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)41.6 million — glucose, kidney, liver, electrolytes
2Complete blood count (CBC)41.5 million — red & white cells, platelets
3Lipid panel28.9 million — cholesterol & triglycerides
4TSH (thyroid)21.5 million — thyroid function
5Hemoglobin A1c19.7 million — diabetes
6PT / INR17.0 million — clotting / warfarin
7Basic metabolic panel (BMP)13.2 million — the shorter “basic” panel
8Vitamin D8.9 million
9Vitamin B125.6 million

A handful of tests account for most of the volume. The CMP and CBC lead the list, followed by the lipid panel, TSH and A1c.

Common diseases blood tests catch

Several of the most widespread conditions are found and monitored with a blood test: diabetes (about 1 in 8 US adults, and roughly 1 in 4 of them undiagnosed2), high cholesterol (about 1 in 9 adults have total cholesterol ≥ 240 mg/dL4), chronic kidney disease (more than 1 in 7 adults, up to 9 in 10 unaware3), thyroid disorders (about 4.6% of Americans, mostly subclinical5), and iron-deficiency anemia, which affects about 13% of women versus 5.5% of men.6 Catching an abnormality early often means acting before complications appear.

What it costs and how insurance works

When your provider orders a blood test as part of your care, it is generally covered by health insurance — though you may owe a copay, coinsurance, or amounts toward your deductible depending on your plan. Many preventive screenings (such as cholesterol and diabetes screening for eligible adults) are covered at no out-of-pocket cost under the Affordable Care Act. Tests you order yourself directly (direct-to-consumer testing) are usually paid out of pocket.

Reading your results: the “reference range” reflex

A reference range is built to cover about 95% of healthy people — so statistically, nearly 1 result in 20 falls outside the range in someone with no disease at all.8 A single, mildly out-of-range value is therefore rarely a cause for alarm: what matters is the context and the whole panel. Our reference-range table and unit converter help you place each result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common blood test in the United States?

By volume, the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) and the complete blood count (CBC) are the most frequently performed — each was run more than 40 million times in a single year in the Medicare program alone — followed by the lipid panel, TSH and hemoglobin A1c.

Are blood tests covered by insurance in the US?

When a blood test is ordered by your provider as part of your care, it is generally covered by health insurance, though you may owe a copay, coinsurance, or amounts toward your deductible. Many preventive screenings (for example, cholesterol and diabetes screening for eligible adults) are covered at no out-of-pocket cost under the Affordable Care Act. Tests you order yourself directly (direct-to-consumer) are usually paid out of pocket.

How often should I get blood work?

For a healthy adult with no risk factors, routine blood work every 2–3 years is often enough. With a chronic condition, ongoing medications, or increasing age and risk, your clinician may recommend more frequent checks — US screening is targeted by age and risk (USPSTF), not a blanket yearly panel.

Is an out-of-range value always a problem?

No. A reference range is built to cover about 95% of healthy people, so roughly 1 result in 20 falls outside the range without any disease. A single, mildly out-of-range value is rarely worrying on its own; what matters is the context and the whole panel, interpreted by your clinician.

Which diseases are most often caught by blood tests?

Among the most common: diabetes (about 1 in 8 US adults), high cholesterol (about 1 in 9), chronic kidney disease (more than 1 in 7), thyroid disorders, and iron-deficiency anemia (especially in women).

Disclaimer. These figures are provided for general information and education, from official sources as of the date shown. They are not medical advice — interpreting your own results is your clinician’s job.

Sources

  1. 1

    HHS Office of Inspector General (CMS data) — « Medicare Payments for Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests in 2017 (OEI-09-18-00410) » · oig.hhs.gov (PDF)

  2. 2

    CDC / National Center for Health Statistics — « Prevalence of Total, Diagnosed, and Undiagnosed Diabetes in Adults: United States, Aug 2021–Aug 2023 (NCHS Data Brief 516) » · CDC/NCHS

  3. 3

    CDC — « Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States, 2023 (fact sheet) » · cdc.gov (PDF)

  4. 4

    CDC / National Center for Health Statistics — « Total and HDL Cholesterol in Adults: United States, Aug 2021–Aug 2023 (NCHS Data Brief 515) » · CDC/NCHS

  5. 5

    Hollowell JG et al. (NHANES III) — « Serum TSH, T4, and thyroid antibodies in the United States population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2002 » · PubMed

  6. 6

    CDC / National Center for Health Statistics — « Anemia Prevalence: United States, Aug 2021–Aug 2023 (NCHS Data Brief 519) » · CDC/NCHS

  7. 7

    American Red Cross — « Facts About the U.S. Blood Supply » · redcrossblood.org

  8. 8

    Timbrell NE — « The Role and Limitations of the Reference Interval Within Clinical Chemistry. Br J Biomed Sci, 2024 » · PubMed