What Were the Best States for Mental Health in the U.S. in 2024?

Every year, the non-profit organization Mental Health America (MHA) releases a report called “The State of Mental Health in America,” which includes rankings on which states are best and worst for mental health in the U.S. The research team gathers data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and others.

The most up-to-date reliable data on mental health we have is from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). It takes time to collect, verify, and analyze data. The NSDUH appears every year in late fall: when we have the 2023 data, we’ll report on that.

We recently published an article based on the 2022 NSDUH data which we encourage you to read:

What Are the Latest Facts on Mental Health in the U.S.?

We reported prevalence rates, severity rates, treatment rates types, treatment types, and the differences between the number of people who needed treatment and the number of people who received treatment, called the treatment gap.

This article takes a step back and reports on the bigger picture. After collating specific metrics, the MHA team arrived a ranking system to determine states where rates of mental health disorders were low and treatment availability was high – the best states for mental health – and states where rates of mental health disorder were high and treatment availability was low – the worst states for mental health.

Let’s jump right in – with the disclaimer that these rankings are not value judgments of the states themselves, but rather objective measure guided by the mental health we list below.

The Best States for Mental Health

The MHA team used 15 measures determine the overall ranking for states, including:

1. Presence Any Mental Illness (AMI) among adults
2. Presence of Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year among adults
3. Serious Thoughts of Suicide among adults
4. At Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year among youth
5. Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year among youth
6. Serious Thoughts of Suicide among youth
7. Flourishing Youth, age 6-17
8. Had SUD Who Needed But Did Not Receive Treatment among adults
9. Had AMI But Are Uninsured among adults
10. Reported 14+ Mentally Unhealthy Days a Month Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs among adults.
11. AMI with Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems among adults
12. Had MDE Who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services among youth
13. Had Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems among youth
14. Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program among students kindergarten-high school.
15. Mental Health Workforce Availability

And here are the rankings:

Top Five States Overall

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Maine
4. New York
5. New Jersey

Bottom Five States Overall

1. Nevada (51^st in rankings)
2. Arizona (50^th)
3. Montana (49^th)
4. Alaska (48^th)
5. Oregon (47^th)

Our state, California, ranked 17^th.

The Best States for Mental Health, Adults and Young Adults

The MHA team used 7 measures to determine the final adult/young adult ranking:

1. Any Mental Illness (AMI)
2. Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
3. Serious Thoughts of Suicide
4. Had SUD Who Needed but Did Not Receive Treatment
5. Had AMI But Are Uninsured
6. Reported 14+ Mentally Unhealthy Days a Month Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs
7. Had AMI with Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems

And here are the rankings:

Top Five States for Adults and Young Adults

1. New York
2. New Jersey
3. Massachusetts
4. Hawaii
5. Maine

Bottom Five States for Adults and Young Adults

1. Wyoming (51^st in rankings)
2. Montana (50^th)
3. North Dakota (49^th)
4. Nevada (48^th)
5. Oklahoma (47^th)

California ranked 22^nd.

The Best States for Mental Health, Youth and Teens

The MHA team used 7 measures to determine the final ranking for youth and teens:

1. At Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year
2. Had Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
3. Had Serious Thoughts of Suicide
4. Flourishing Youth, age 6-17
5. Had MDE But Did Not Receive Mental Health Services
6. Had Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems
7. Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Programs

And here are the rankings:

Top Five States for Children and Teens

1. District of Columbia
2. Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
4. Illinois
5. Georgia

Bottom Five States for Children and Teens

1. Nevada (51^st in rankings)
2. Arizona (50^th)
3. Oregon (49^th)
4. Washington (48^th)
5. Alaska (47^th)

California ranked 20^th.

That’s the end of the ranking data we want to share. We’ll note that our state, California, consistently ranked among the best in the middle-range of states. Mental Health America defines states that ranked toward the top, in positions 1-13, as having lower prevalence of mental health disorders and higher rates of access to care, and states that ranked toward the bottom, in position 47-51, as having higher prevalence of mental health disorders and lower rates of access to care. The diversity of California creates a challenge: we have rural areas, urban areas, suburban areas, exurban areas, and citizens from all walks of life, all socioeconomic levels, and all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We work to meet that challenge every day.

How to Find Support: Online Resources

If you’re in California, contact us BACA using the “Contact” button at the top of this page or click and call (844) 763-5532. For others, these resources are helpful:

• The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is an excellent resource for locating licensed and qualified psychiatrists, therapists, and counselors in your area. Their treatment finder is convenient and easy to use.
• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) maintains a page for youth, adolescent, and family mental health
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness maintains excellent resources for families