Child and Adolescent Vaccine Rates Have Dropped Across Michigan, Particularly in Counties With Lower Income and Higher Uninsurance Rates

Vaccine rates among young children and adolescents have dropped over a 5-year span across all counties in Michigan, according to a study out of the University of Michigan Medical School. The study, “Changes in Childhood Immunization Rates by County Characteristics in Michigan: 2017-2023,” published in the September 2025 Pediatrics (published online Aug. 11), examined data from the state’s immunization registry and observed a nearly 9% drop in completion of routine vaccines among young children and a 6% drop in completion of routine vaccines among adolescents. For vaccines among young children, the decline began abruptly in the second quarter of 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. Not all vaccines examined saw drops, with the HPV vaccine seeing increases in implementation for both teenage boys and girls. However, the rise, 7.2% and 1.8% respectively, was smaller than the rise predicted by pre-pandemic trends. The authors showed that changes in vaccine rates varied by county characteristics. For example, counties with lower household income and higher rates of uninsurance saw greater decreases in the rate of routine vaccines among young children and adolescents compared to counties with higher income and lower rates of uninsurance. The authors suggest that policymakers consider coupling broad-based efforts to increase immunizations in all counties with targeted efforts focused on counties with lower income and higher uninsurance rates.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.