Adult Loneliness Facts: What the U.S. Numbers Really Say

You've probably seen the headlines about a loneliness epidemic, maybe on a quiet Friday night with nothing planned, when you wondered if they meant you. Or you're writing about loneliness and need figures you can stand behind.

Either way, you want the real numbers: where they come from, why they disagree and who's hit hardest. Then you want to know what helps. Here's all of it, each figure dated and sourced.

What counts as loneliness?

Loneliness isn't the same as being alone. The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory calls it “a subjective distressing experience” that comes from feeling isolated or lacking meaningful connection. You can feel it in a full room.

In a 2024 Harvard survey, 57 percent of lonely adults said they couldn't share their true selves with others. In a 2023 brain-scan study, students who weren't lonely responded to the same videos in very similar ways, and lonely students didn't. Feeling out of step is part of it, so the friends who help most share your interests and have a personality that fits yours.

How many Americans are lonely?

It depends on the question, which is why headlines disagree. Asked about loneliness in general, about half of U.S. adults report it. Asked about yesterday, 20 percent say they felt lonely a lot of the day.

Younger adults report the most loneliness. In Pew's 2024 survey, 22 percent of adults under 50 often felt lonely, against 9 percent of those 50 and up, and Gallup found 25 percent of U.S. men aged 15 to 34 lonely a lot of the previous day (2023 and 2024). Still, in 2021, 46 percent of Americans had gained a friend over the previous 12 months.

What helps with loneliness, according to research

Reach out more than feels natural

In 2022 experiments with more than 5,900 people, those who reached out to someone they knew underestimated how much it was appreciated, especially when the message was a surprise. Send the text you keep putting off.

Go past small talk

In 12 experiments from 2021 with more than 1,800 people, strangers who talked about something real found it less awkward and more connecting than they expected, and underestimated their partner's interest in them.

Give it weekly time, around something you like

Friendships run on hours (here's how many hours a friendship takes), and a weekly group books them for you. The Surgeon General suggests joining social and community groups; here's where to meet new friends, ranked.

Help someone else

In a 2023 University of Michigan study of 5,000 adults over 60, volunteering more than 100 hours a year went with a lower risk of loneliness over 12 years.

Each asks for something: a first message, a weekly slot, some nerve. If the hard part is finding someone who shares your interests, an app can make that step easier.

The easiest way to start a first conversation

Alyke is built to help you find intentional friends, one person at a time. Most friend apps hand you generic recommendations. Alyke starts your feed with the people who share your vibe the most, based on your interests and personality instead of your looks. That makes it the easiest start: the first conversation begins with an interest you share, so you never have to open with small talk.

Each profile shows a person's interests, with a line about each in their own words, and prompts they've answered. You add someone by commenting on one. Should they like your vibe, you become friends, with your comment as the chat's first line.

Questions people ask

Is it weird to use an app to make friends when you're lonely?

Not at all. About half of U.S. adults report loneliness, according to the Surgeon General, so you're in very large company. An app is a practical first step. On Alyke, every member joined to find friends, and you start by commenting on something you have in common with someone, like an interest or a prompt answer on their profile.

How do introverts deal with loneliness?

With small, regular contact on their own terms, like one quiet plan with one person each week rather than big social nights. On Alyke, your profile shows personality picks such as Introverted and Chill Hangouts, so the people you meet know your pace before you say hello. There's more in how to make friends as an introvert.

What do you say to someone new when you're out of practice?

Keep it simple. Mention one thing you share and ask one easy question, like "Is this your first time on this trail?" Most people are glad to answer. Alyke lets you write your opener at your own pace, as a comment on something in another person's profile, such as an interest they added, so there's no pressure to think fast.

What app can help you make friends when you feel lonely?

Alyke is a friendship app for iPhone that helps lonely adults meet new friends who share their interests, one person at a time. It shows you the people whose interests and personality are closest to yours first, and every chat starts with a comment on something you have in common. Alyke is a way to make friends rather than a support service, so if loneliness feels heavy, talk to someone you trust or a professional too.

How do you make friends as an adult when you feel lonely?

Alyke makes the first step smaller: instead of walking into a room of strangers, you comment on one thing in one person's profile. Profiles show interests, three personality picks and prompt answers, such as "Currently hyperfixated on...". When they like your vibe, you become friends and your chat opens with your comment. Keep the first plan short and low-pressure, like a walk, and suggest it within a couple of weeks.

Is Alyke a safe way to meet new people?

Alyke takes several steps to make meeting new people safer. Every member verifies their phone number and photos, verified profiles show a badge, and profiles show only a state, never an exact location. You also chat before you meet, so you get a sense of the person first. For the first meeting, choose a busy public place in daylight and tell a friend where you'll be.

Sources

1. U.S. Surgeon General. Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, 2023.
2. Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. Social connection: recommendations for individuals, companion sheet to the 2023 advisory.
3. Harvard Graduate School of Education. What is causing our epidemic of loneliness and how can we fix it?, 25 Oct 2024.
4. Harvard Making Caring Common. Loneliness in America: Just the tip of the iceberg?, October 2024.
5. USC Dornsife. Brain scans reveal that lonely people process the world in unique ways, 27 Jun 2023, on Baek et al., Psychological Science.
6. Gallup. Daily loneliness afflicts one in five in U.S., Oct 2024.
7. Gallup. Younger men in the U.S. among the loneliest in West, 20 May 2025.
8. Survey Center on American Life. The State of American Friendship, June 2021.
9. American Psychiatric Association. New APA poll: one in three Americans feels lonely every week, 30 Jan 2024.
10. Pew Research Center. Men, women and social connections, 16 Jan 2025 (survey Sept. 3 to 15, 2024).
11. American Psychological Association. Friends enjoy being reached out to more than we think, 11 Jul 2022, on Liu, Rim, Min and Min, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
12. American Psychological Association. Getting beyond small talk, 30 Sep 2021, on Kardas, Kumar and Epley, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
13. University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Loneliness in later life lessens when older adults spend many hours volunteering, 17 Feb 2023.