CDC - Breast Cancer Screening Rates 1/25/11 1:45 PM

Breast Cancer Screening Rates

Breast cancer screening means checking a woman's breasts for cancer before there are signs or
symptoms of the disease. A mammogram (/cancer/breast/basic_info/mammograms.htm) is an X-ray of
the breast. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and
before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk
of dying from breast cancer.
Source for graph data: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2009: With
Special Feature on Medical Technology [PDF-10.5MB]
(http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus09.pdf) . Hyattsville, MD. 2010.

Mammography Percentages by Race and Ethnicity

The graph below shows the percentage of women aged 40 years and older who had a mammogram
in the last two years, grouped by race and ethnicity.
Percentage of U.S. Women Aged 40 Years and Older Who Have Had a Mammogram in
the Last 2 Years by Race* and Ethnicity†

Race* or Ethnicity 2000 2003 2005 2008

White only 71.4 70.1 67.4 67.9
Black only 67.8 70.4 64.9 68.0

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/screening.htm Page 1 of 4
CDC - Breast Cancer Screening Rates 1/25/11 1:45 PM

American Indian/Alaska Native only 47.4 63.1 72.8 62.7

Asian only 53.5 57.6 54.6 66.1
Hispanic or Latina† 61.2 65.0 58.8 61.2
*Estimates for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are considered unreliable and are not shown in this graph.
†The group, or category, called "Hispanic" may include race categories like white, black, American Indian/Alaska
Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander.

Mammography Percentages by Education Level

The percentages of mammography screening vary by education level. Women with the most years of
schooling are most likely to have had a mammogram in the last two years. The graph below shows
the percentage of women aged 40 years and older who had a mammogram in the last two years,
grouped by their highest level of education.
Percentage of U.S. Women Aged 40 Years and Older Who Have Had a Mammogram in
the Last 2 Years by Education Level

Education Level 2000 2003 2005 2008

No high school diploma or GED 57.7 58.1 52.8 53.8
High school diploma or GED 69.7 67.8 64.9 65.2
Some college or more 76.2 75.1 72.7 73.4
Mammography Percentages by Age

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/screening.htm Page 2 of 4
CDC - Breast Cancer Screening Rates 1/25/11 1:45 PM

The percentages of mammography screening vary by age. Women aged 50 to 64 years are most
likely to have had a mammogram in the last two years, followed by older women and younger
women. The graph below shows the percentage of women aged 40 years and older who had a
mammogram in the last two years, grouped by age.
Percentage of U.S. Women Aged 40 Years and Older Who Have Had a Mammogram in
the Last 2 Years by Age

Age Group 2000 2003 2005 2008

40 to 49 years 64.3 64.4 63.5 61.5
50 to 64 years 78.7 76.2 71.8 74.2
65 years and older 67.9 67.7 63.8 65.4

Page last reviewed: November 8, 2010

Page last updated: November 8, 2010 
Content source: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/screening.htm Page 3 of 4