Access to mental healthcare remains out of reach for millions of Americans, with some states facing more severe shortages of mental health professionals than others, new federal data shows. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Workforce published its latest quarterly report of Designated Health Professional Shortage Area Statistics on Jan. 14, reflecting data as of Dec. 31, 2025. For mental health, an area generally qualifies as a shortage area when the population-to-psychiatrist ratio is at least 30,000 to 1 — or 20,000 to 1 in communities with unusually high need.

Compared with the 2024 snapshot, the latest HRSA figures suggest shortages have worsened. The number of designated mental health professional shortage areas rose from 6,418 to 6,807 as of Dec. 31, and the population covered by those designations grew from about 122 million to 137 million. Over the same period, the percentage of Americans’ mental health needs met improved only slightly — from 26.4% to 27.3% — while the estimated number of additional practitioners needed to remove the designations increased from roughly 6,200 to 6,800. The figures suggest that workforce growth has not kept pace with demand.

Below is a breakdown of how each state and Washington, D.C., rank based on the percentage of mental healthcare needs met.

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