New data from Trilliant Health highlights a significant behavioral health provider shortage across the United States, showing that while some regions have strong access to care, others face extreme scarcity.
The analysis compared the market concentration of primary care providers (PCPs) and behavioral health providers. Nationally, there are 61 behavioral health providers per 100,000 residents—far below the 110 PCPs per 100,000 residents—illustrating the growing behavioral health provider shortage.
“Understanding what is required to ‘fix’ the provider shortage must begin with identifying which geographies have an oversupply or undersupply of providers by specialty,” Trilliant Health researchers noted.
Geographic Disparities in Behavioral Health Access
The markets with the highest concentrations of behavioral health providers are primarily in northern U.S. regions, with Little Rock, Arkansas, as an exception. Ann Arbor, Michigan, tops the list with 218 providers per 100,000 residents—a striking contrast to Laredo, Texas, which has just 8 per 100,000, demonstrating the extreme regional nature of the behavioral health provider shortage.
Other top markets include Eugene-Springfield, Oregon (201 per 100,000), Springfield, Massachusetts (188 per 100,000), and Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio (181 per 100,000).
Here are the top 15 markets per 100,000 residents for behavioral health providers:
- Ann Arbor, MI – 218
- Eugene-Springfield, OR – 201
- Springfield, MA – 188
- Cleveland-Elyria, OH – 181
- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA – 178
- Kalamazoo-Portage, MI – 178
- Akron, OH – 166
- Toledo, OH – 165
- Bellingham, WA – 162
- Madison, WI – 154
- Columbus, OH – 149
- Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI – 148
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN – 144
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH – 143
- Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR – 142
The markets with the lowest concentrations are concentrated in Texas, Southern California, and Arizona, reflecting areas most affected by the behavioral health provider shortage:
- Corpus Christi, TX – 23
- El Paso, TX – 23
- Lubbock, TX – 23
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA – 20
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX – 19
- Yuma, AZ – 19
- College Station-Bryan, TX – 18
- Amarillo, TX – 17
- Visalia, CA – 17
- Brownsville-Harlingen, TX – 16
- Merced, CA – 16
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX – 14
- Longview, TX – 12
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ – 12
- Laredo, TX – 8
Rising Demand and Pandemic Impacts
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the behavioral health provider shortage as Americans experienced higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Telehealth usage for behavioral health increased 4,000% between 2019 and 2021, while emergency room visits for serious mental illness rose 35%, underscoring the gap between supply and demand.
Federal Response and Policy Developments
Federal policymakers are acting to address the behavioral health provider shortage. The Senate Finance Committee has proposed legislation to optimize the current workforce and expand training for new providers. Meanwhile, draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommending universal screening for anxiety, depression, and suicide risk for adults under 65 could further intensify demand.
Understanding the Workforce
Trilliant Health’s workforce data draws from core-based statistical areas with populations over 200,000. Behavioral health providers included board-certified psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners, behavioral therapists, and other professionals. Researchers emphasize that addressing the behavioral health provider shortage requires understanding consumer behaviors and preferences at a hyper-local level.
Conclusion
The behavioral health provider shortage is not uniform—some regions, like Ann Arbor, Michigan, have strong networks, while others, such as Laredo, Texas, face critical scarcity. Solving this imbalance will require federal policy support, workforce development, and innovative service delivery models, including telehealth, to ensure equitable access to mental health services nationwide.
The need for a well-distributed behavioral health workforce has never been more urgent, and stakeholders must act decisively to meet the mental health needs of the nation.
