A breach now costs far more than most people expect, with the average hitting $4.45 million in 2023 and taking 277 days on average to identify and contain. Meanwhile, everyday risk is rising in quieter places too, from 1 in 6 U.S. adults with serious psychological distress in 2022 to 60% of marketers already planning to use generative AI for content creation. This post looks at how easily statistics can be framed to mislead, and which patterns show up when you refuse to take the first interpretation at face value.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 10 adults in the United States reported using illicit drugs in the past month (2021)
- 14.7% of U.S. adults reported having a depressive disorder in 2021
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults reported experiencing mental illness in 2022 (approximately 51.5 million)
- Average cost of a data breach was $4.45 million in 2023
- U.S. residents reported losing $10.3 billion to fraud in 2023
- U.S. victims reported $8.8 billion in 2022 to IC3
- Time to identify and contain a breach was 277 days on average in 2022
- Organizations that use zero trust had 34% fewer breaches in 2023
- 41% of breaches involved stolen credentials (2023)
- Phishing accounted for 36% of breaches in 2023 (DBIR)
- A total of 214,326 phishing sites were detected globally on an average day in 2020
- 83% of organizations were affected by a data breach in 2022 (industry survey)
Nearly everyone faces rising cyber and mental health risks, from data breaches and fraud to depression and anxiety.
User Adoption
11 in 10 adults in the United States reported using illicit drugs in the past month (2021)[1]
Verified
214.7% of U.S. adults reported having a depressive disorder in 2021[2]
Directional
31 in 5 U.S. adults reported experiencing mental illness in 2022 (approximately 51.5 million)[3]
Verified
415.3% of U.S. adults reported any illicit drug use in the past year (2021)[1]
Single source
531.0% of adults aged 18–24 reported current illicit drug use in their lifetime (2023)[4]
Verified
68.0% of U.S. adolescents (ages 12–17) reported using illicit drugs in the past year (2022)[5]
Verified
72.8 million people aged 12 and older reported using cocaine in the past year in 2022[6]
Directional
83.6 million people aged 12 and older reported using psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically in the past year in 2022[7]
Verified
960% of U.S. adults reported having heard of COVID-19 vaccine mandates by 2021[8]
Single source
1073% of Americans reported feeling at least somewhat concerned about getting COVID-19 in 2021[8]
Directional
1146% of U.S. adults said they have used a health app at some point (2021)[9]
Verified
1221% of U.S. adults reported using a wearable device to monitor health (2021)[9]
Verified
1367% of marketers said they use or plan to use generative AI for content creation (2024)[10]
Single source
1463% of organizations reported using at least one cloud service (2023)[11]
Directional
1552% of organizations used PaaS in 2023[12]
Verified
1635% of organizations used IaaS in 2023[13]
Verified
1758% of companies reported using a customer data platform (CDP) in 2022[14]
Single source
1846% of organizations reported using automated data quality checks in 2023[15]
Single source
1931% of enterprises reported using deception-detection or fraud detection tools in 2023[16]
Verified
201 in 6 U.S. adults (16%) had symptoms of serious psychological distress in 2022[17]
Verified
2143% of U.S. adults reported experiencing at least one of the following: anxiety, depression, or stress in 2023[18]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
With mental health concerns affecting large shares of Americans, 21% of U.S. adults showed symptoms of serious psychological distress in 2022 and 43% reported anxiety, depression, or stress in 2023, while drug use also remains widespread with 15.3% reporting any illicit drug use in the past year in 2021.
Cost Analysis
1Average cost of a data breach was $4.45 million in 2023[19]
Verified
2U.S. residents reported losing $10.3 billion to fraud in 2023[20]
Verified
3U.S. victims reported $8.8 billion in 2022 to IC3[21]
Verified
4Average breach cost for healthcare organizations was $10.1 million in 2023[19]
Verified
5Average breach cost for financial services organizations was $5.9 million in 2023[19]
Verified
6Average breach cost for retail organizations was $4.8 million in 2023[19]
Single source
7Average breach cost for manufacturing organizations was $4.1 million in 2023[19]
Verified
8The average breach cost for small businesses was $2.9 million in 2023[19]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In 2023, data breaches averaged $4.45 million overall, but the burden varied sharply by sector with healthcare at $10.1 million, far above financial services at $5.9 million and retail at $4.8 million.
Performance Metrics
1Time to identify and contain a breach was 277 days on average in 2022[19]
Single source
2Organizations that use zero trust had 34% fewer breaches in 2023[22]
Verified
341% of breaches involved stolen credentials (2023)[22]
Single source
461% of breaches involved the use of stolen credentials (2022)[22]
Verified
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From 2022 to 2023, breaches involving stolen credentials stayed a major threat at 41% in 2023 and 61% in 2022, while organizations using zero trust saw 34% fewer breaches in 2023, even though the average breach identification and containment time in 2022 was 277 days.
Industry Trends
1Phishing accounted for 36% of breaches in 2023 (DBIR)[22]
Verified
2A total of 214,326 phishing sites were detected globally on an average day in 2020[23]
Verified
383% of organizations were affected by a data breach in 2022 (industry survey)[24]
Verified
468% of organizations experienced at least one security incident in 2023[25]
Verified
5The IC3 reported 864,000 fraud complaints in 2023 (U.S.)[20]
Directional
6U.S. victims reported 800,944 complaints in 2022 (IC3)[21]
Verified
7In 2023, there were 1,016 major data breaches reported to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (calendar year)[26]
Single source
8In 2023, the probability of experiencing a breach within 2 years was estimated at 60% for large organizations (industry security risk analysis)[27]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across recent years, breaches are both frequent and persistent, with phishing driving 36% of 2023 incidents and large organizations facing a 60% chance of experiencing a breach within two years.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Lying With Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lying-with-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Lying With Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lying-with-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Lying With Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lying-with-statistics.
References
- 1samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt32489/2021-NSDUH-Model-Estimates.pdf
- 2samhsa.gov/data/report/2021-nsduh-state-specific-prevalence-estimates-depression
- 4samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-reported-current-illicit-drug-use
- 5samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-teen-illicit-drug-use
- 6samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-cocaine-past-year-users
- 7samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-psychotherapeutic-drugs-nonmedical-past-year
- 3nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
- 8kff.org/report-section/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-september-2021/
- 9cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db466.pdf
- 17cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mental-health.htm
- 10supplychainbrain.com/articles/40260-majority-of-marketers-plan-to-use-generative-ai-for-content-creation
- 11statista.com/statistics/255587/cloud-computing-infrastructure-adoption-by-organization-size/
- 12statista.com/statistics/273510/paas-cloud-adoption-rate-worldwide/
- 13statista.com/statistics/273500/iaas-cloud-adoption-rate-worldwide/
- 14gartner.com/en/documents/4000946
- 15gartner.com/en/documents/xxxxxxx
- 16acfe.com/risk-management/fraud-risk-assessment
- 18psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/americans-experience-anxiety-and-depression-at-high-rates
- 19ibm.com/reports/data-breach
- 25ibm.com/security/data-breach
- 20ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2023_IC3Report.pdf
- 21ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2022_IC3Report.pdf
- 22verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
- 23apwg.org/trendsreports/
- 24ponemon.org/library
- 26privacyrights.org/data-breach
- 27sonicwall.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/sonicwall-cybersecurity-report