Mental Health Matters: The 10 States Excelling in Mental Health Services

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Article courtesy of Plus Docs 

• New York tops the rankings with a score of 77.91 for access to mental health facilities
• In second and third place are Connecticut (76.26) and South Dakota (75.27), respectively
• Southern states dominate the bottom rankings, with Arkansas scoring lowest at 38.99

A new study has revealed the states with the best access to mental health facilities and found that New York has the best support for mental health in the country.

Plus Docs has ranked all 50 states based on mental health facility access, revealing significant disparities in care availability across the country. The analysis examined multiple factors, including insurance coverage, mental health worker availability, and crisis service access.

Top 10 States with the Best Mental Health Facility Access

Rank	State	Mental Health Support Score
1	New York	77.91
2	Connecticut	76.26
3	South Dakota	75.27
4	Iowa	74.49
5	Vermont	70.96
6	Rhode Island	69.39
7	Pennsylvania	68.81
8	Wisconsin	68.40
9	Minnesota	68.00
10	New Hampshire	67.07

New York earned the top position with a score of 77.91, demonstrating strong performance across key metrics. The state achieved perfect scores for population access to call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilization programs, ensuring residents have multiple pathways to receive urgent mental health support. New York spends $11,821.82 per 100,000 people on mental health aid, with 300 mental health workers per provider.

Connecticut secured the second spot with a score of 76.26, performing particularly well in youth mental health coverage. The state has the lowest percentage (2.30%) of youth with mental illness on private insurance without mental/emotional coverage in the nation. In Connecticut, $12,129.30 per capita was spent on mental health facilities in 2024, and there were 220 mental health workers per provider.

South Dakota ranked third with a score of 75.27, showing strong performance in adult access metrics. The state scored 9.27 out of 10 for adults reporting positively about access to mental health services. South Dakota’s mental health expenditure was $7,338.84 per 100,000 people, with 460 workers per provider in the state.

Iowa is in fourth place with a score of 74.49, demonstrating strong per capita mental health expenditure at $9,507.67 in 2024. There were also 530 mental health workers per provider in the state.

Vermont rounded out the top five with a score of 70.96. Vermont also shows strong per capita mental health expenditure, spending $463.92 per capita. The state has 190 mental health workers per provider.

In sixth place is Rhode Island, scoring 69.39 out of 100. Rhode Island’s per capita expenditure for mental health services in 2024 was $12,617.91 and had 220 workers per provider.

Pennsylvania has ranked seventh, receiving a score of 68.81. Last year, the state spent $9,131.61 per 100,000 residents on mental health services, with 400 workers per provider.

Wisconsin is next in eighth place, scoring 68.40. Wisconsin’s mental health expenditure was $11,114.79 per 100,000 residents, and it had 420 mental health workers per provider.

Minnesota has a mental health support score of 68.00, putting the state in ninth. The state spent $11,201.33 per 100,000 people, with 320 mental health workers per provider.

New Hampshire completes the top 10 states with the best mental health support, with a score of 67.07. The state has a slightly lower mental health expenditure per capita, at $6,019.74, and 280 mental health workers per provider.

Daniel Li, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus Docs, commented on the findings:

“These numbers tell a clear story about the significant gaps in mental health care access across different regions of the country. The data shows that states prioritizing comprehensive mental health infrastructure typically provide better outcomes for their residents. The disparity between the highest and lowest-ranked states reveals how where you live can dramatically impact your ability to receive needed mental health support.

“The analysis also found that states ranking highly typically offer multiple pathways to crisis care, with ten states providing 100% population access to call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilization programs.

“In contrast, only seven states scored below 50 points in the overall rankings, suggesting that while disparities exist, most states maintain at least moderate levels of mental health facility access.”

Methodology:

The study analyzed mental health facility access across all 50 US states using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2020 National Directory of Mental Health Treatment Facilities and other state-level mental health data sources.

Key metrics included percentage of adults reporting 14+ monthly poor mental health days who can’t afford a doctor’s visit, percentage of adults and youth with mental illness on private insurance without mental/emotional coverage, mental health workers per provider ratio, per capita state mental health agency expenditures, and percentage of population with access to various crisis services.

Each metric was scored on a 10-point scale and weighted to produce an overall state score.

Complete State Rankings:

Rank	State	Mental Health Support Score
1	New York	77.91
2	Connecticut	76.26
3	South Dakota	75.27
4	Iowa	74.49
5	Vermont	70.96
6	Rhode Island	69.39
7	Pennsylvania	68.81
8	Wisconsin	68.40
9	Minnesota	68.00
10	New Hampshire	67.07
11	Maine	65.14
12	New Jersey	65.11
13	Indiana	64.56
14	Kansas	64.18
15	Massachusetts	62.80
16	Delaware	62.76
17	Washington	61.79
18	Colorado	61.21
19	Hawaii	60.60
20	Maryland	60.20
21	Virginia	59.95
22	Illinois	59.85
23	California	59.55
24	Georgia	59.34
25	Tennessee	59.22
26	Ohio	58.97
27	Missouri	58.74
28	North Dakota	57.66
29	Kentucky	56.55
30	Oregon	55.95
31	New Mexico	55.54
32	Alabama	54.65
33	Nebraska	54.23
34	Utah	53.89
35	South Carolina	53.26
36	Florida	52.79
37	Nevada	51.99
38	Arizona	51.70
39	Wyoming	50.79
40	Michigan	50.50
41	Texas	49.24
42	Mississippi	48.33
43	Oklahoma	47.22
44	North Carolina	46.53
45	Montana	46.34
46	West Virginia	45.87
47	Alaska	45.27
48	Idaho	43.91
49	Louisiana	43.76
50	Arkansas	38.99