Across the states we serve, the share of residents living in a federally designated mental health shortage area or a designated low-income shortage group ranged from 44% in Texas to 83% in Alaska as of November 11, 2026, according to HRSA. In 2024, the share of adults who received any mental health treatment ranged from 17.6% in Florida to 29.1% in Colorado, against 22.9% nationally.
Key numbers
How common mental illness is
- In 2023–2024, an estimated 23.1% of U.S. adults had a mental illness in the past year, and 5.6% had a serious mental illness. In the states we serve, the estimate for any mental illness ran from 20.7% in Texas to 27.9% in Washington: between one adult in five and more than one in four.
- Among teens aged 12 to 17, 16.7% nationally had a major depressive episode in the past year, about twice the adult rate of 8.3%.
- State estimates come with wide ranges. Where the ranges of two states overlap, as most do here, the survey cannot say which state is higher.
| State | Any mental illness, adults | Serious mental illness, adults | Major depressive episode, ages 12–17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 20.7% (19.3%–22.2%) | 5.1% (4.4%–5.9%) | 16.1% (14.1%–18.4%) |
| New Mexico | 23.9% (21.2%–26.8%) | 6.1% (4.9%–7.6%) | 19.8% (16.2%–23.9%) |
| Florida | 20.8% (19.2%–22.5%) | 4.5% (3.9%–5.3%) | 16.3% (14.4%–18.5%) |
| Alaska | 24.0% (21.4%–26.8%) | 6.7% (5.3%–8.3%) | 15.3% (12.4%–18.7%) |
| Arizona | 24.6% (21.8%–27.6%) | 6.5% (5.2%–8.0%) | 16.8% (13.9%–20.2%) |
| Colorado | 26.4% (23.8%–29.1%) | 7.0% (5.8%–8.4%) | 19.2% (16.1%–22.9%) |
| Washington | 27.9% (25.2%–30.9%) | 7.2% (5.9%–8.8%) | 17.1% (14.2%–20.5%) |
| U.S. total | 23.1% (22.7%–23.6%) | 5.6% (5.4%–5.8%) | 16.7% (16.0%–17.5%) |
Who gets treatment
In 2024, 22.9% of U.S. adults received treatment for their mental health. In Colorado and Washington, the whole 95% range sat above the national figure; in Texas and Florida, it sat below.
| State | Adults | Ages 12–17 |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 19.6% (17.7%–21.5%) | 23.7% (20.6%–27.1%) |
| New Mexico | 20.8% (17.4%–24.7%) | 27.6% (23.1%–32.6%) |
| Florida | 17.6% (15.6%–19.7%) | 24.5% (21.5%–27.8%) |
| Alaska | 22.2% (18.8%–25.9%) | 31.2% (24.0%–39.4%) |
| Arizona | 20.9% (17.8%–24.5%) | 27.4% (23.2%–32.1%) |
| Colorado | 29.1% (25.6%–32.8%) | 29.9% (25.6%–34.6%) |
| Washington | 28.0% (24.6%–31.6%) | 33.7% (28.9%–38.8%) |
| U.S. total | 22.9% (22.3%–23.5%) | 28.5% (27.4%–29.6%) |
Shortage areas
HRSA designates a mental health shortage area where there are too few providers, mostly psychiatrists, for the people who live there. In the states we serve, the providers HRSA counts in these designations met between 15.7% (Arizona) and 40.4% (Colorado) of the need, by HRSA’s measure. Our Texas shortage area study maps the designations county by county.
| State | Designations | People in designations | Share of residents | Percent of need met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 414 | 13,977,427 | 44% | 31.9% |
| New Mexico | 100 | 1,615,404 | 76% | 25.7% |
| Florida | 241 | 12,135,583 | 52% | 21.8% |
| Alaska | 343 | 613,059 | 83% | 27.8% |
| Arizona | 282 | 4,029,662 | 53% | 15.7% |
| Colorado | 85 | 4,032,481 | 67% | 40.4% |
| Washington | 244 | 5,607,878 | 70% | 21.1% |
| U.S. total | 7,086 | 156,875,124 | 46% | 26.6% |
Clinicians and medication supply
Psychiatric nurse practitioners outnumber psychiatrists on the federal NPI registry in each of the states we serve. Supply of the ADHD stimulant amphetamine also varies: New Mexico received the least per person of these states in 2025, 4,421 grams per 100,000 people.
| State | PMHNPs per 100,000 | Psychiatrists per 100,000 | PMHNPs per psychiatrist | NP practice environment | Amphetamine, grams per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 14.1 | 12.5 | 1.13 | Restricted | 8,314 |
| New Mexico | 19.9 | 17.5 | 1.14 | Full | 4,421 |
| Florida | 21.3 | 13.7 | 1.56 | Restricted | 8,469 |
| Alaska | 26.2 | 20.5 | 1.28 | Full | 7,028 |
| Arizona | 25.9 | 14.4 | 1.80 | Full | 8,355 |
| Colorado | 23.0 | 20.4 | 1.13 | Full | 10,596 |
| Washington | 24.3 | 17.4 | 1.40 | Full | 9,346 |
| U.S. total | 17.7 | 19.9 | 0.89 | 9,135 |
What this means for people looking for care
- Needing help is common. Between one adult in five and more than one in four in these states had a mental illness in the past year. If you are struggling, you are far from alone.
- Many people live where providers are scarce. In every state we serve, HRSA’s designations cover a large share of residents, and the providers it counts meet under half of the need. Telehealth from a clinician licensed in your state can widen the choice beyond your own area.
- Teens need attention too. Major depressive episodes are about twice as common among teens as adults nationally. If you are worried about a young person, their doctor or school counselor is a good first call.
- Check before you book. Ask whether a clinician is licensed in your state, is taking new patients and what a visit will cost.
Method
Mental illness, depression and treatment figures are SAMHSA’s state estimates from the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, published December 17, 2025: Tables 33, 34 and 38 (annual averages for 2023–2024) and Table 37 (2024). We read them from SAMHSA’s CSV files and re-checked every figure on this page against SAMHSA’s Excel version of the same tables.
Shortage area figures come from HRSA’s mental health HPSA file as of November 11, 2026, added up the way HRSA’s quarterly summary does; for each state we serve, the designation counts and total populations match HRSA’s published quarterly table, and the resident populations match HRSA’s shortage-area map service. Clinician counts come from our workforce study (CMS NPPES and AANP) and medication supply from our ADHD medication study (DEA ARCOS). Rates and shares use the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 population estimates.
Limits of the data
- Survey estimates. NSDUH state figures are model-based estimates from a survey of the civilian population aged 12 and older, shown with their 95% intervals. It covers people in households and in group quarters such as shelters and college dorms; it leaves out people in prisons, hospitals and other institutions, active-duty military personnel and homeless people who are not in shelters.
- No state-level unmet-need figure. SAMHSA’s 2023–2024 state tables do not include how many people wanted care and did not get it, so this page does not estimate unmet need. The treatment figure is for all adults, not only those with a mental illness.
- Different dates. The survey covers 2023–2024, shortage areas November 11, 2026, clinicians November 2, 2026 and medication supply calendar 2025. Each figure is labeled with its own period.
- Shortage populations. HRSA’s population for each designation is the figure from its last review, so the share of residents compares two different sources and is approximate.
Sources
- SAMHSA, 2023–2024 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health: Model-Based Estimated Prevalence for States, Tables 33, 34, 37 and 38: www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-2024-nsduh-state-prevalence-estimates
- HRSA, Mental Health HPSA detail file, as of November 11, 2026: data.hrsa.gov/DataDownload/DD_Files/BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv
- HRSA, Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary (used to check the HPSA figures): data.hrsa.gov/Default/GenerateHPSAQuarterlyReport
- CMS, NPPES Downloadable File, data through November 2, 2026: download.cms.gov/nppes/NPI_Files.html
- AANP, State Practice Environment (updated May 2026): aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
- DEA, ARCOS Retail Drug Summary, calendar 2025: deadiversion.usdoj.gov/arcos/retail_drug_summary
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates: census.gov/programs-surveys/popest
Cite this page
Willow & Stone Integrative Mental Health. “Psychiatric Care Access Statistics, State by State.” Published November 12, 2026. https://willowandstonehealth.com/research/psychiatric-care-access-statistics/. Data: SAMHSA NSDUH, HRSA, CMS NPPES, AANP, DEA ARCOS.
Download the data (CSV): every measure on this page for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S., with survey intervals. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to Willow & Stone Integrative Mental Health and a link to this page.
Spotted an error? Contact us and we will correct it and note the change on this page.
This page reports public population and access data. It is not medical advice and cannot tell you whether you or someone you know has a condition; a clinician who has evaluated you can.
If you need help right now
Willow & Stone is an outpatient practice and is not an emergency service. If you or someone you care about is in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support at any hour, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Both are free, confidential, and available 24/7 nationwide.
About this research
Willow & Stone Integrative Mental Health is a telehealth psychiatric practice for people in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. This page uses public data only and contains no patient information.