Brock CPR TrainingAmerican Heart Association Aligned Instructor
U.S. reference page

CPR and cardiac arrest statistics,
clearly sourced.

A practical collection of current U.S. figures for writers, educators, and anyone explaining why hands-on CPR training matters.

Last updated November 3, 2026. Each statistic below names its source and data year.

View the statistics ↓Explore training →
Hands practicing CPR technique on a training manikin
What this page covers

Useful numbers, with the context that keeps them honest.

Cardiac arrest data is often repeated without a source, a date, or an explanation of what was measured. This page keeps those details attached to the number.

The figures focus on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States, because that is where CPR training, bystander action, and AED access can make an immediate difference before emergency responders arrive.

Six CPR and cardiac arrest statistics to know.

Use the links beside each figure to read the original source before quoting it.

Adult trainee practicing CPR technique on a manikin
How to read these figures

Statistics show the need. Practice helps people act.

Cardiac arrest outcomes depend on many details, including whether an event is witnessed, where it happens, the rhythm involved, access to an AED, and the time it takes for emergency responders to arrive. A single statistic cannot predict what will happen in one emergency.

What the data does make clear is that the people nearby matter. CPR and AED training give individuals and teams a chance to practice recognizing an emergency, calling 911, and starting the response they have been taught.

See how hands-on training works →
Methodology and sources

Where these numbers come from.

This page uses primary public-health and professional guidance sources. The national 2024 outcome figures come from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, known as CARES, as reported in the American Heart Association’s 2025 resuscitation guidelines. The broader annual estimate comes from the CDC. This page was last reviewed on November 3, 2026.

  1. American Heart Association, 2025 Guidelines Executive Summary. Reports 2024 CARES data on estimated cases, adult survival, bystander CPR, AED use, and location-specific survival.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Cardiac Arrest. Page dated May 15, 2024. Reports that more than 356,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the U.S. each year.
  3. American Heart Association, Treatment of Cardiac Arrest. Accessed November 3, 2026. States that immediate CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Cite this page

Brock CPR Training. “CPR & Cardiac Arrest Statistics: United States, 2026.” Updated November 3, 2026. https://brockcprtraining.org/cpr-statistics

For a specific figure, link directly to its stable section above and include the original source named with that statistic.

Preparedness starts before the emergency.

Make room for
hands-on practice.

Book Training →