Published: 23:41 BST, 1 September 2026 | Updated: 23:44 BST, 1 September 2026
It can begin with something as easy to dismiss as a mild tremor in one hand.
But, over time, Parkinson's gradually robs patients of their ability to move, speak and live independently.
There is no cure, treatments remain limited and, perhaps most frightening of all, the disease is on the rise – increasingly affecting younger adults as well as the elderly.
More than 90,000 people are now diagnosed with the brain condition every year, around 50 percent more than previously estimated. By 2030, 1.2 million Americans are expected to be living with Parkinson's.
Exactly what is driving the rise remains a mystery. But a new Daily Mail analysis of nationwide data has revealed a striking clue – a huge geographic divide in where Americans are being diagnosed.
Nebraska has the highest rate in the country, with Kansas, Utah, Arkansas and Florida also among the nation's Parkinson's hotspots.
Then, there is Montana, where the diagnosis rate is almost half that seen in Nebraska.
So why does Parkinson's apparently strike some parts of America so much harder than others?
Carly Simon, 83, announced last month that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She is pictured above in 2016
The Daily Mail spoke to neurologists and researchers across the country to investigate the extraordinary differences – and uncovered a range of factors that could help explain the striking pattern.
Pesticides used on farmland, air pollution and industrial contaminants, as well as differences in the age and genetic makeup of local populations, are all implicated.
And differences in access to specialist doctors – affecting the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis – could also help explain why rates vary so dramatically between states.
While none of these factors can yet explain the divide with certainty, growing evidence suggests that where people live – and the environmental hazards they are exposed to over decades – may influence their risk of developing the disease.
For our investigation, we relied on 2025 data from Epic Research, which included medical records of 46 million adults across 49 states.
