Diabetes now affects more than 40 million Americans, and Colorado posts the highest rate of adult diabetes diagnoses of any state in the country, according to national health data.
Quick Take
- November has been recognized as National Diabetes Month by federal health officials since at least 1990.
- An estimated 40.1 million Americans live with diabetes, with another 115.2 million adults classified as prediabetic.
- Colorado ranks first in the nation for the share of adults who report a diabetes diagnosis, at 8.4%.
- Colorado’s health department ran diabetes-prevention programs reaching more than 1,200 people across 17 counties last year.
- No public Colorado proclamation specifically declaring November as Diabetes Awareness Month was found in available state records.
A Federal Observance With Decades of History
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has flagged November as National Diabetes Month in official bulletins going back to 1990, with repeat announcements in 2001, 2011, 2015, and 2016. In 2021, the White House made it formal at the highest level. A presidential proclamation that year called on Americans to recommit to fighting type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, along with prediabetes.
The push is not just symbolic. Federal health officials use the month to push screening campaigns and public messaging aimed at catching the disease early, before it leads to blindness, kidney failure, or amputation. Those warnings have stayed consistent across more than a decade of CDC advisories tied to the November observance.
The Scale of the Problem Has Grown
Back in 2011, the CDC said nearly 26 million people in the United States had diabetes, with 79 million more at risk. That number has climbed sharply. The agency’s current estimate puts the total at 40.1 million Americans living with the disease, plus 115.2 million adults with prediabetes, a condition that often leads to full diabetes without treatment.
Colorado’s numbers stand out. State-level data shows 8.4% of Colorado adults report being told by a doctor they have diabetes, not counting prediabetes or gestational cases. That figure ranks Colorado first in the nation, a striking position for a state often associated with outdoor activity and lower obesity rates than much of the country.
Colorado’s Prevention Programs on the Ground
State health records show Colorado has run active diabetes-prevention efforts through its Department of Public Health and Environment. In the most recent reporting year, 1,203 participants enrolled in chronic-disease prevention programming across 17 counties, including seven rural counties. Participants averaged 3.5 hours of programming and saw gains in medication adherence, weight loss, and confidence managing their condition.
Other states have gone further by issuing formal written declarations. Michigan’s governor signed a proclamation naming November 2026 as Diabetes Awareness Month, citing the same national diabetes and prediabetes figures used by federal health agencies. That document laid out specific findings and a signed date, the kind of formal record that gives a state-level observance legal and public weight.
A Gap in Colorado’s Public Record
A review of Colorado’s publicly available government records did not turn up a governor’s proclamation, legislative resolution, or state-agency notice specifically designating November as Diabetes Awareness Month this year. That does not mean no such action exists. It means the kind of document other states have made public, like Michigan’s 2026 proclamation, was not found in the Colorado sources checked.
What is clear is that the underlying health problem is real and well documented. Colorado carries the nation’s highest reported rate of adult diabetes, and the state’s own health department has been running prevention programs aimed at reducing that burden. Whether Colorado issues a distinct November proclamation or not, the disease itself remains a public-health priority with federal backing stretching back more than three decades.
