OBJECTIVES: To better understand the symptoms and clinical characteristics of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients and how they compare to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in the United States. METHODS: Data from the 2015 SpA Disease Specific Programme, a cross-sectional, multi-national survey of patients and rheumatologists conducted in the United States were analyzed. Rheumatologists (n=92) completed forms containing patient demographics, clinical results and symptomology. Symptoms, disease activity, and disease status (defined as improving, stable, unstable, and deteriorating) of ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis patients were compared. RESULTS: A total of 980 patients (AS: 498; nr-axSpA: 482) were included in this analysis. A higher proportion of AS patients were male (77% vs. 56%), older (Mean Age: 46.1 vs. 42.6), had a higher mean BMI and were employed when compared to nr-axSpA patients. Nr-axSpA patients’ current disease status were less likely to be stable (p=0.0259) in comparison to AS patients. Nr-axSpA patients were also less likely to be in remission (p=0.0027). AS patients had more axSpA symptoms, such as sacroilitis, spinal fusion, and loss of movement, however, nr-axSpA patients were more likely to have inflammatory back pain, enthesitis, or no reported symptoms currently. CONCLUSIONS: In the US, nr-axSpA and AS patients share many similar clinical features with few differences between them. In spite of these similarities, nr-axSpA patients show lower rates of stability and are less likely to be in remission. These findings may suggest that nr-axSpA is as burdensome as AS, and that both conditions may warrant similar treatment approaches from an early stage.