How many people have mental illness in the US?
Updated Aug. 12, 2026
Refreshed annually
About 54.6 million adults had a mental illness in 2025. That’s the equivalent of 20.6% of the adult population of the US, or 1 in 5 adults. This data comes from an annual survey by the Substance Abuse and <a href="https://healthylife7.com/exploring-the-mental-health-burden-of-ehlers/" title="Exploring the <a href="https://healthylife7.com/selena-gomez-and-her-mental-health-startup-accused-of-fraud/" title="Selena Gomez and her mental health startup accused of fraud”>Mental Health Burden of Ehlers”>Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which defines mental illness as a range of disorders, from mild to severe, affecting a person’s thinking, mood, or behavior.
adults had a mental illness in 2025
20.6%
of adults had a mental illness in 2025
A person’s own demographics, as well as the social and economic conditions in which they live, can influence health outcomes such as mental illness.
Mental illness rates vary by age group. In 2025, people who were 26‑29 years old had the highest rate of mental illness at 31.8%. This was 11.2 percentage points higher than the average for all adults.
In 2025, young adults had the highest rate of mental illness
Percentage of adults who had mental illness
How do mental illness rates vary by demographics?
The rate of mental illness differs among races. In 2025, multiracial people had the highest rate of mental illness at 31.6%. This was 11 percentage points higher than the national rate for that year.
In 2025, multiracial people had the highest rate of mental illness
Percentage of adults who had mental illness
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Income levels also introduce variances in mental illness rates. In 2025, people who were below the poverty line had the highest rate of mental illness at 26.2%. That was 5.6 percentage points greater than the national rate.
In 2025, people below the poverty line had the highest rate of mental illness
Percentage of adults who had mental illness
What states have the highest and lowest rates of mental illness?
SAMHSA also calculates mental illness rates at the state level using a different method than for the US as a whole. Researchers combine two consecutive years of data to increase the sample size for each state and use statistical models to produce more reliable state estimates of mental illness. National estimates, by contrast, are calculated directly from a single year of survey data without using statistical modeling.
In 2023–2024, Oregon had the country’s highest rate of mental illness at 31.6%, 10.1 percentage points greater than the national rate. New Jersey had the lowest rate at 18.1%, 3.4 percentage points less than the nation overall.
Oregon had the highest rate of mental illness in 2023–2024
Percentage of adults who had mental illness
If you are struggling with mental health issues, call the SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), a free, confidential, 24/7, year-round treatment referral and information service. Or, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide, tell someone who can help immediately and call 911.
Rate of mental illness, by state highest to lowest (2023–2024)
| 1. | Oregon | 31.6% |
| 2. | Vermont | 29.1% |
| 3. | Washington, DC | 29% |
| 4. | West Virginia | 28.1% |
| 5. | Washington state | 27.9% |
| 6. | New Hampshire | 27.7% |
| 7. | Tennessee | 27% |
| 8. | Maine | 26.7% |
| 9. | Utah | 26.7% |
| 10. | Arkansas | 26.6% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. Weowever, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary
