The United States of Statins: Which Parts of the Country Have Higher Fills?
Key takeaways
Statin prescription rates vary widely across the U.S., highlighting unequal access to preventive cardiovascular care.
Hawaii and Maine have the highest fills for statins, while Utah and Wyoming have the lowest fills.
Older adults have higher statin use. But prescription rates still vary between states, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions based on age and region.
Statins have been hailed as a cornerstone in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular events. They are relatively inexpensive, and typically come with few side effects. So, with heart disease on the rise, these medications should be readily available and widely prescribed, right?
Not so fast. New research from GoodRx finds much discrepancy in statin fills across the U.S. These findings shed light on regional disparities in healthcare use and the multifaceted nature of healthcare delivery and patient care.
Statin fills vary widely by state
The map below shows statin fill rates by state. Dark blue states have the highest fills for statins, while green states have fewer statin fills than average. For example, nearly 6% of the population in Maine took a statin in 2023.
Keep in mind that high fill rates don’t necessarily mean that people in the state have high cardiovascular risk. The fill rate variation could be due to a host of factors, like:
Population demographics
Healthcare access and awareness
Prevalence of heart disease
Socioeconomic factors
Healthcare professional practices
States with the highest statin use
Hawaii boasts the highest fill rate at 6.3%. Maine (5.9%), Illinois (5.8%), New York (5.7%), and North Dakota (5.7%) are close behind.
These elevated rates may be due to several causes, including a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. But it could also mean that these states are making an effort to curb rates of heart disease or have favorable healthcare infrastructure.
According to the CDC, Hawaii has the second-lowest mortality rate for heart disease, and North Dakota has the 10th-lowest mortality rate. This is a good sign, and likely indicates that high statin prescriptions are working to prevent deaths.
States with the lowest statin use
In stark contrast with Hawaii, Utah has the lowest fill rate for statins, with 3.5% of the population currently undergoing treatment. Oklahoma (4.2%), Wyoming (4.2%), Idaho (4.2%), and Alabama (4.3%) also have low statin fill rates.
These states may have lower fill rates due to a combination of factors, such as socioeconomic disparities, limited access to healthcare services in rural areas, and cultural attitudes toward preventive medication use.
According to the CDC, Oklahoma and Alabama have some of the highest heart disease mortality rates in the country. In Oklahoma, 264.2 per 100,000 people die every year due to heart disease. This suggests that some of these communities may have a large unmet need. In other words, the population has high rates of heart disease, but few are being treated with a statin.
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In Wyoming, for instance, rural communities have limited access to specialized healthcare services. This worsens challenges in managing medication and maintaining cardiovascular health.
While these disparities in statin use may stem from a myriad of factors — from geographical barriers to socioeconomic constraints — they underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and systemic reforms to bridge the gap and ensure equitable healthcare delivery for all.
Statin use by age
Location matters when looking at statin fills across the country. But so does age.
We specifically looked at middle-age and older adults. Generally, older adults (65+) tend to have a slightly higher rate of statin use compared to the 45-to-64 age group. However, the extent of this difference varies significantly from state to state.
Statin use in middle-age adults (ages 45 to 64)
This age group has a higher likelihood of cardiovascular health concerns compared to younger groups. This often leads to the use of statins to manage cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
In this age group, Minnesota and Illinois have relatively higher rates of statin use. This suggests a proactive approach to managing cardiovascular health among middle-aged adults. Conversely, states like Massachusetts and Vermont have lower overall rates of statin use in this age bracket compared to the national average. This may indicate potential disparities in preventive care.
Statin use in older adults (ages 65+)
Older adults aged 65 and above have the highest rates of statin use. These levels of fills reflect the increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and the importance of managing cholesterol levels in this population.
States such as Maine (8.5%), South Dakota (8.1%), and North Dakota (8.5) have the highest rates of statin use among older adults. Conversely, states like Massachusetts (7.0%), New Mexico (6.5%), and Colorado (7.2%) have lower rates of statin use among older adults.
Possible reasons for this disparity include variations in healthcare access, differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and patient preferences about medication use in older age.
The differences in statin fills by age group highlight the importance of age in understanding medication use patterns and creating targeted healthcare interventions. And the geographic differences observed within each age group point to the need for nuanced approaches to cardiovascular health management tailored to both age and region.
The bottom line
Statin fills paint a nuanced picture of healthcare access and disparities across the U.S. While states like Hawaii and Maine lead in fills, others like Utah and Wyoming lag behind. These data reflect not just medical needs but also differences in regional health infrastructure.
So why are these trends important? They underscore the need for tailored interventions that address regional and age-related health inequities, particularly in regard to cardiovascular care. These interventions can help to ensure equitable access to preventative care. In turn, this can reduce rates of cardiovascular disease and death.
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Methodology
Prescription fill rate: Using a representative sample of U.S. prescription fills, we calculated the fill percent by taking the fill count for all statins as a percentage of fills for all medications (excluding vaccines). Fill percent was calculated over the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Heart disease mortality by state.
