MENTAL HEALTH REFERENCE
Mental Health and Therapy Statistics in the U.S.
A current, source-linked reference on how U.S. adults use mental health treatment, counseling, outpatient care, and telehealth.
Last updated October 15, 2026. The newest national figures below come from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the 2024 National Health Interview Survey.
At a glance
57.3 million
Adults received mental health treatment in 2025
That is 21.6% of U.S. adults age 18 or older. This broad measure includes counseling or treatment, medication, telehealth, and other settings.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH32.6 million
Adults received outpatient mental health treatment in 2025
That equals 12.3% of adults. The survey notes that treatment settings can overlap, so this count should not be added to other treatment categories.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH32.6 million
Adults received mental health treatment by telehealth in 2025
That is also 12.3% of adults. People may have used telehealth alongside in-person or other forms of care.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUHMedication and serious mental illness care in 2025
43.1 million
adults took prescription medication to help with their mental health
That equals 16.2% of U.S. adults age 18 or older. Medication use is one component of mental health treatment and may occur alongside counseling, outpatient care, or telehealth.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH67.7%
of adults with serious mental illness received mental health treatment
In 2025, this represented 12.3 million of the 18.2 million adults classified by the survey as having serious mental illness in the past year. This is a survey definition, not a diagnosis for any individual person.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUHCounseling and therapy use in 2024
14.0%
of adults received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past year
The National Health Interview Survey asked all sampled adults about counseling or therapy from professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and clinical social workers.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 202416.9% / 10.9%
of women and men, respectively, received counseling or therapy
Women reported receiving counseling or therapy at a higher rate than men in 2024.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 202420.2% / 5.0%
of adults ages 18 to 29 and adults age 75 or older, respectively, received counseling or therapy
Adults ages 30 to 44 also reported relatively high use at 18.7%, compared with 11.7% of adults ages 45 to 64 and 7.5% of adults ages 65 to 74.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2024Income and location matter
15.5% / 12.0%
of adults below the federal poverty level and adults at 100% to 199% of that level, respectively, received counseling or therapy
Rates were 12.7% among adults at 200% to 400% of the federal poverty level and 15.3% among those above 400%.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 202415.2% / 10.6%
of adults in large central metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, respectively, received counseling or therapy
Adults in medium and small metropolitan areas reported 14.1%, and adults in large fringe metropolitan areas reported 14.2%.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 202422.9% / 16.7%
of adults in nonmetropolitan and large central metropolitan areas, respectively, took mental health medication
The 2024 survey found medication use increased as areas became less urban, while counseling or therapy use was lowest in nonmetropolitan areas.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2024How to read these statistics
The two federal surveys use different questions and definitions. The 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health measures any mental health treatment, which can include medication, counseling or treatment, telehealth, and several care settings. It also uses a survey definition of serious mental illness. The 2024 National Health Interview Survey reports counseling or therapy from a mental health professional as a distinct measure. The numbers are useful together, but they are not interchangeable.
These national estimates describe the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population. They are not a measure of the effectiveness of therapy, a diagnosis rate, or a prediction about any individual client.
Cite this page
Link to Hope Counseling. “Mental Health and Therapy Statistics in the U.S.” Updated October 15, 2026. https://linktohopecounseling.com/mental-health-therapy-statistics.
To support a specific figure, use the source link shown with that statistic.
Sources and methodology
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Annual National Report, collected in 2025 and published July 27, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Mental Health Treatment Among Adults: United States, 2024, NCHS Data Brief No. 564, published June 2026.
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