Distribution of blood types in the U.S. as of 2021, by ethnicity

The most common blood type among the population in the United States is O-positive. Around 53 percent of the Latino-American population in the U.S. has blood type O-positive, while only around 37 percent of the Caucasian population has this blood type. The second most common blood type in the United States is A-positive. Around 33 percent of the Caucasian population in the United States has A-positive blood type.

Blood type O-negative

Those with blood type O-negative are universal donors as this type of blood can be used in transfusions for any blood type. O-negative blood type is most common in the U.S. among Caucasian adults, at around eight percent of the Caucasian population, while only around one percent of the Asian population has O-negative blood type. Only around seven percent of adults in the United States have O-negative blood type.

Blood Donations

The American Red Cross estimates that someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. However, only around three percent of age-eligible people donate blood yearly. The percentage of adults who donated blood in the United States has not fluctuated much for the past two decades. In 2020, around 13 percent of U.S. adults donated blood, compared to around 15 percent in 2003.