BackgroundHearing loss is a source of great public health concern. Previous research showed a decline in the prevalence of hearing loss among older adults. However, it is unclear whether this trend persists in recent years. MethodsThe purpose of this study was to investigate the temporal trend in prevalence of hearing loss among older Americans (age 65+) between 2008 and 2017. To this end, we conducted a secondary analysis of 10 cross-sectional surveys: the 2008–2017 annual American community surveys (ACS). The ACS were conducted by the US Census through mail, internet, phone, and in-person meetings. ACS includes Americans aged 65+ living in the community and in group quarters such as nursing homes (n = 5,359,651). Annual response rates were above 89%. Whether the participant has hearing problems is assessed based on response to the ACS question “Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?”. ResultsDuring the decade 2008–2017, the prevalence of serious hearing loss in the older American population (65+) decreased from 16.3 to 14.8% (p < 0.001), indicating an 11% decline after adjustments for sex and race. When age was taken into account, this was attenuated to a 4% decline. Substantial sex differences were observed: Among females aged 65+, the age-race adjusted odds of serious hearing loss declined 10% over the decade, while males experienced a 2% increase. ConclusionsOlder females had a substantial decrease in the prevalence of self-reported serious hearing loss between 2008 and 2017. Future research is needed to understand the cause of this trend.