The majority of adults, 53 percent, had Intermediate health literacy. An additional 22 percent of adults had Basic health literacy. Fewer than 15 percent of adults
had either Below Basic or Proficient health literacy.Starting with adults who had graduated from high school, or obtained a GED or high school equivalency certificate, average health literacy increased with each higher level of education.Adults living below the poverty level had lower average health literacy than adults living above the poverty threshold. Women had higher average health literacy than men. White and Asian/Pacific Islander adults had higher average health literacy than Black,Hispanic,American Indian/Alaska Native, and Multiracial adults. Hispanic
adults had lower average health literacy than adults in any of the other racial/ethnic groups. Adults who spoke only English before starting school had a higher average health literacy than adults who spoke only Spanish or another non-English language.Adults ages 65 and older had lower average health literacy than adults in younger age groups.More adults ages 65 and older also had Below Basic health literacy than adults in any of the younger age groups.