Overview:
Measles cases in the U.S. have already topped 2,566 in 2026- surpassing all of 2025- as kindergarten vaccination rates decline and exemptions rise to a record 4.2%, according to new CDC data.
Vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners declined across the board during the 2025–2026 school year, while the share of children exempted from required vaccines climbed to its highest level yet, trends unfolding alongside a sharp rise in measles cases nationwide, according to new CDC data.
Vaccination Coverage and Exemptions
Coverage fell for every reported vaccine compared to the previous year, ranging from 92.0% for the DTaP vaccine to 92.4% for the MMR and polio vaccines. More than half of states saw declines in MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella coverage specifically. As a result, roughly 280,000 kindergartners started the school year without documented proof of completing the MMR vaccine series.
At the same time, exemptions from one or more vaccines rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the prior year. Exemptions increased in 41 states and Washington, D.C., with 24 states now reporting exemption rates above 5%. In total, about 155,000 kindergartners held an exemption from at least one required vaccine during the 2025–2026 school year.
Measles Cases Surge in 2026
As of August 13, 2026, 2,566 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the United States this year, already surpassing the total for all of 2025. Of those, 2,550 cases were reported across 47 jurisdictions, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C., among others. An additional 16 cases were reported among international visitors.
The vast majority of this year’s cases are tied to ongoing spread: 38 new outbreaks have been reported in 2026, and 94% of confirmed cases (2,407 of 2,566) are outbreak-associated, 1,032 linked to outbreaks that began this year and 1,375 linked to outbreaks that started in 2025.
Year-Over-Year Comparison
For all of 2025, the U.S. recorded 2,289 confirmed measles cases, with 2,263 reported across 45 jurisdictions and 26 among international visitors. That year saw 48 outbreaks, with 90% of cases (2,066 of 2,289) outbreak-associated.
The trend marks a steep escalation from just two years earlier: in 2024, only 16 outbreaks were reported, and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated — meaning both the total case count and the outbreak-driven share of cases have grown substantially in the time since.
The data are drawn from the CDC’s SchoolVaxView program and its separate measles surveillance tracking, based on annual reporting from states and D.C.
