U.S. Blood Donor COVID-19 Seroprevalence Estimates by Demographics

Seroprevalence estimates for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies derived from a nationwide survey of U.S. blood donors conducted from 2020-2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with NIH, FDA, and blood collection organizations to create this survey, described as the largest of its kind. Data includes combined infection- and vaccination-induced antibody prevalence rates, broken down by demographic groups and region.

Use Cases

• Analyze demographic disparities in seroprevalence by comparing Rate (%) and n columns across groups like [Black Prevalence], [Hispanic Prevalence], and [Female Prevalence].
• Model temporal trends in immunity using the Median Donation Date field alongside prevalence rates for different time periods.
• Assess regional variation in combined seroprevalence by joining estimates from the Region and Region Abbreviation columns with external geographic data.
• Estimate confidence in prevalence estimates for specific age groups, such as [16-29 Years Prevalence], using the provided Lower CI (%) and Upper CI (%) columns.
• Compare infection-induced vs. vaccination-induced immunity signals by analyzing the underlying serological test logic (anti-S vs. anti-N antibodies) described in the metadata.

Strengths

• Described as the largest nationwide COVID-19 seroprevalence survey to date, indicating a substantial sample size.
• Provides demographic breakdowns with at least 15 distinct prevalence estimate columns for age, race, sex, and region.
• Includes confidence intervals (Lower CI (%) and Upper CI (%)) for most prevalence estimates, allowing for uncertainty quantification.

Limitations

• Exact row count and sample size are not provided, making it difficult to assess statistical power for subgroup analyses.
• Data is limited to the blood donor population, which may not be fully representative of the general U.S. population in terms of health and demographics.
• The primary time range (2020-2021) is historical and does not reflect current seroprevalence following newer variants and booster campaigns.

Provenance

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with NIH, FDA, Vitalant Research Institute, Westat Inc., and U.S. blood collection organizations.

Collection Method

Nationwide seroprevalence survey using de-identified blood samples from donors, tested for SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies.

Time Range

2020-2021

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in February 2025, but the underlying survey data covers 2020-2021.

Geography

United States, with data broken down by Region.