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What's for Breakfast?

Dig into some stats about this morning meal

By Ashley P. Taylor

From the September 2025 Issue

Key Focus Area: Measurement and Data,

Standards

The Story
Resources

Did you eat breakfast this morning? It’s a great way to start your day!
Studies show that eating breakfast helps improve attention and memory
for kids and adults. Let’s dig into some stats about this morning meal.

Pick Your Breakfast

A 2024 survey asked 1,331 U.S. adults what they typically eat for breakfast. People could choose more than one option. Here’s what they said.

38% Eggs

32% Toast or Bagels

29%. Cereal or Oatmeal

28% Bacon or Sausage

18% Pancakes or Waffles

14% Muffins or Pastries

2% Plant-based meat

How might this data differ if the survey had asked children instead of adults?

Who’s Eating Breakfast in the U.S.?

Source: CDC

Here is the percentage of people in the U.S. who eat breakfast, broken down by age group.

Ages 2–5: 96%

Ages 6–11: 87%

Ages 12–19: 75%

Ages 20–39: 63%

Ages 40–59: 86%

Ages 60+: 92%

Added Sugar in Cereals

Source: USDA

Companies often add sugar to their cereal to make it sweeter. But regularly eating a lot of sugar can harm your health. Here’s the amount of added sugar in select cereals.

How many grams of added sugar are in two cups of Raisin Bran?

Activities (2)

Answer Key (1)

Text-to-Speech