At year-end 2019, an estimated 1,061,482 persons in the United States and 6 dependent areas were living with diagnosed HIV infection, and in 2019, the number of new HIV diagnoses was 36,801 [1]. Although the National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS) collects information about persons with diagnosed HIV infection [1], other surveillance systems provide more detailed information about care seeking, health care use, use of ancillary services, and key behaviors among people at risk for, and with, diagnosed HIV [2, 3]. In 2005, in response to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report outlining the need for representative data on persons with HIV [4], the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), which from 2009 to 2014 collected data from a 3-stage probability sample of adults receiving HIV medical care [5]. In 2015, in response to recommendations stemming from an IOM review of national HIV data systems [6], MMP sampling and weighting methods were revised to include all adults with diagnosed HIV infection, regardless of HIV care status. MMP is a cross-sectional, nationally representative, complex sample survey that assesses the behavioral and clinical characteristics of adults with diagnosed HIV infection in the United States. MMP also provides information on behaviors and clinical outcomes affecting the risk of HIV transmission, morbidity, and mortality that are critical for achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy [7] and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative [8], which seek to reduce new HIV infections in the United States by 90% by 2030.

The 2020 MMP data were collected from a 2-stage probability sample. During the first stage, 16 U.S. states and Puerto Rico were selected from all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A total of 23 project areas from 16 states, including 6 separately funded jurisdictions within these states, and Puerto Rico were funded to conduct data collection for the 2020 cycle (Table 1). In the second stage, simple random samples of persons aged ≥18 years with diagnosed HIV infection who were reported to NHSS as of December 31, 2019, were selected from each participating jurisdiction [9].

This report presents unweighted frequencies and weighted prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals for all characteristics. The estimates describe the characteristics of adults with diagnosed HIV infection who are living in the United States, hereafter referred to as persons with diagnosed HIV or persons. The period referenced for estimates is the 12 months before the participants’ interviews and medical record abstractions unless otherwise noted. Statistical software (SAS, version 9.4) was used for analysis of weighted data [10]. Data are not reported for estimates derived from a denominator size 130%, and estimates of 0% or 100% are marked with an asterisk and should be interpreted with caution. No statistical tests were performed. Estimates presented in this report may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information on MMP is available at https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/systems/mmp/.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral and Clinical Characteristics of Persons with Diagnosed HIV Infection—Medical Monitoring Project, United States, 2020 Cycle (June 2020–May 2021). HIV Surveillance Special Report 29. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/ hiv-surveillance.html. Published July 2022. Accessed [date].

cdc-hiv-surveillance-special-report-number-29.pdf