Overview

• Arizona ranked 50th and Nevada 51st overall when Washington, D.C. is included in the 51-entry list.
• New York, Hawaii, New Jersey and Vermont led the overall rankings for lower prevalence and better access.
• The analysis spans 17 indicators covering prevalence, suicidal ideation, major depressive episodes, substance use, provider availability and insurance coverage, drawing mostly on 2022–2023 federal data with some 2024 reports.
• Nationally in 2024, 23.5% of adults had any mental illness, 17.7% had a substance use disorder, and 5.5% reported suicidal thoughts.
• MHA reported year-over-year declines in youth major depressive episodes and suicidal thoughts and highlighted access gaps, with Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts strongest on access and Alabama, Texas and South Carolina weakest, while Arizona’s low rank reflected limited care access and elevated youth needs.