Americans Aren't Having Enough Sex, Study Finds
America’s Sex Drought: New Study Reveals We’re Not Getting Enough
A recent study on the sex lives of Americans by state has revealed some surprising insights into intimacy levels across the country. Conducted by the mattress company NapLab in 2024, the survey examined sexual activity across all 50 states and found that, on average, Americans are having sex once a week. In fact, 45.6% of the roughly 2,000 respondents admitted to engaging in sex once a week. Shockingly, 25% said they were having sex once a month, and 9.5% reported doing so just once a year.
Notably, only 7.8% of respondents could boast about doing the deed daily.
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Here’s what sex rates looked like by state.
When breaking it down by state, Alaskans were found to be the most active, heating up the state’s cold temperatures with sex almost three times a week (2.806 times). New Mexico wasn’t far behind, with residents having sex 2.064 times per week. Vermont ranked third, with natives engaging in hanky panky about 1.7 times a week. New York also made it into the top 10, averaging 1.39 times per week, landing the state in ninth place.
New Jersey residents aren’t as sexually active as their neighbors in New York. According to NapLab’s study, New Jersey ranks No. 18, with people having sex an average of 1.21 times per week. However, the state performs much better than places like Nebraska, Michigan, Maine, and Colorado, where sex appears to be rare. In these states, the frequency is alarmingly low: Colorado at 0.42 times per week, Maine at 0.5, Michigan at 0.51, and Nebraska at 0.54, according to the NapLab study.
Americans are having less sex.
As previously reported, sex has been declining among Americans over the past decade. A 2021 study found that from 2009 to 2018, participants aged 14 to 49 in the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB)—a confidential, nationally representative U.S. survey conducted online—revealed a decline in all types of partnered sexual activity, including vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and partnered masturbation.
Gen Z, in particular, has been significantly affected by the alarming trend. A 2021 study by Rutgers University-New Brunswick, published in the Socius journal, found a marked decrease in casual sex among young adults between 2007 and 2017. Among men aged 18 to 23, the percentage engaging in casual sex dropped from 38% to 24%, while for women in the same age group, the figure fell from 31% to 22%.
Several key factors were identified as contributors to this shift including a significant drop in alcohol consumption among young men, which accounted for over 33% of the decline in casual sex. Additionally, the rise in computer video gaming contributed to about 25% of the change in sexual behavior, while living with parents was responsible for just over 10% of the shift.
While some people may be perfectly fine without sex, others may start to experience serious health consequences from a lack of intimacy. Studies have shown that not having enough physical connection can increase stress, frustration, and may raise the risk of developing chronic illnesses. So, if you’re feeling starved for intimacy, it might be time to have a conversation with your partner about having more fun in the bedroom.
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