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Notes

November 13, 2026, by Eric Ness

Measles vaccination among kindergartners fell in 42 of 45 states since 2019

In the 2019–20 school year, 95.2% of US kindergartners had their measles, mumps and rubella shots. That was the highest share in CDC’s figures, which go back to 2009–10. By 2025–26 it was 92.4%, below the 95% usually needed to stop measles spreading. The chart shows each state with a figure for both school years, counted the same way both times.

Idaho fell 13.9 points, and only Maine, Connecticut and West Virginia roseThe share of kindergartners with the MMR doses their state requires, in each state with a figure for both school years counted the same way, sorted by 2025–26.
West Virginia+0.7
Connecticut+2.4
Maine+3.9
New York−0.9
MississippiCounts only children with every required vaccine−2.1
Rhode Island−1.0
Maryland−1.3
Massachusetts−0.8
California−0.8
New Mexico−1.9
Tennessee−2.4
Vermont−0.7
North Carolina−1.8
Virginia−1.0
South Carolina−1.6
Texas−3.7
Illinois−3.8
Nebraska−3.5
Pennsylvania−3.9
Wyoming−1.9
New JerseyCounts only children with every required vaccine−3.4
Arkansas−2.8
Kentucky−2.0
Michigan−3.9
Nevada−4.6
Washington−3.8
Louisiana−5.3
Indiana−4.3
Oregon−3.8
Missouri−5.1
Hawaii−0.4
South Dakota−6.7
GeorgiaCounts only children with every required vaccine−4.0
FloridaCounts only children with every required vaccine−4.6
IowaCounts only children with every required vaccine−4.3
North Dakota−6.3
New HampshireCounts only children with every required vaccine−3.3
Ohio−4.3
Oklahoma−5.2
Colorado−3.4
Arizona−5.4
Utah−5.5
Minnesota−6.9
Wisconsin−7.7
Idaho−13.9
  • 2019–20
  • 2025–26
  • Fell
  • Rose
  • Usually needed to stop measles spreading, 95.0%
Indicator: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, percent, as each state reports to CDC. A school year is shown by the year it starts.Source: CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, SchoolVaxView (U.S. public domain), via healthdata.dev kindergarten-vaccination 2026-11-13.67616c8ca6
Show the numbers (45 rows)
2019–202025–26Change, points
West Virginia98.2%98.9%+0.7
Connecticut96.2%98.6%+2.4
Maine94.1%98.0%+3.9
New York98.6%97.7%−0.9
Mississippi (Counts only children with every required vaccine)99.1%97.0%−2.1
Rhode Island97.7%96.7%−1.0
Maryland97.9%96.6%−1.3
Massachusetts97.3%96.5%−0.8
California96.5%95.7%−0.8
New Mexico97.0%95.1%−1.9
Tennessee96.8%94.4%−2.4
Vermont94.5%93.8%−0.7
North Carolina95.5%93.7%−1.8
Virginia94.6%93.6%−1.0
South Carolina95.0%93.4%−1.6
Texas96.9%93.2%−3.7
Illinois96.6%92.8%−3.8
Nebraska96.3%92.8%−3.5
Pennsylvania96.6%92.7%−3.9
Wyoming94.5%92.6%−1.9
New Jersey (Counts only children with every required vaccine)95.9%92.5%−3.4
Arkansas94.3%91.5%−2.8
Kentucky93.1%91.1%−2.0
Michigan94.8%90.9%−3.9
Nevada95.4%90.8%−4.6
Washington94.4%90.6%−3.8
Louisiana95.6%90.3%−5.3
Indiana94.4%90.1%−4.3
Oregon93.4%89.6%−3.8
Missouri94.6%89.5%−5.1
Hawaii89.7%89.3%−0.4
South Dakota96.0%89.3%−6.7
Georgia (Counts only children with every required vaccine)93.1%89.1%−4.0
Florida (Counts only children with every required vaccine)93.5%88.9%−4.6
Iowa (Counts only children with every required vaccine)93.2%88.9%−4.3
North Dakota94.8%88.5%−6.3
New Hampshire (Counts only children with every required vaccine)91.5%88.2%−3.3
Ohio92.4%88.1%−4.3
Oklahoma93.0%87.8%−5.2
Colorado91.1%87.7%−3.4
Arizona92.8%87.4%−5.4
Utah92.7%87.2%−5.5
Minnesota92.6%85.7%−6.9
Wisconsin92.8%85.1%−7.7
Idaho89.1%75.2%−13.9

Coverage fell in 42 of those 45 states. Idaho fell furthest, from 89.1% to 75.2%, and it dropped in every school year in between. Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota each fell six to eight points. In 2019–20, 20 states had at least 95% of their kindergartners vaccinated. In 2025–26, 10 did.

Three states went up: Maine, Connecticut and West Virginia. Maine and Connecticut both ended religious exemptions to their school vaccine rules. Maine’s law took effect in September 2021. Connecticut’s passed in April 2021, though children already in school with an exemption could keep it.

More parents are opting out. The share of kindergartners with a nonmedical exemption, for religious or personal reasons, rose from 2.2% to 4.0% nationally, and it rose in 40 of the 43 states with both figures. In Idaho it went from 7.2% to 17.0%.

Each state counts its own kindergartners and reports to CDC. Most count every child, and some count a sample. Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire and New Jersey count a child as vaccinated against measles only if the child has every vaccine the state requires, so their figures run below the true MMR share. They counted that way in both years, so their change still compares. Alabama switched to counting MMR alone in 2024–25 and is left out. Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kansas and Montana have no figure for one of the two years.

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