Research Alert: October 3, 2022

Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Selected Behavioral Health Providers

In 2020, an estimated 12.7 million rural adults suffered from a behavioral health issue – mental illness, substance use disorder, or other psychiatric conditions. This series of data briefs describes trends in the supply and distribution of selected behavioral health providers in rural and urban areas in the U.S., nationally and within Census Divisions. The study found fewer per capita behavioral health providers in rural vs. urban counties, as well as disparities in the supply of providers across rural categories and Census Divisions. While the per capita supply of psychiatrists declined over the past decade, the supply of psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, social workers, and counselors increased in both rural and urban counties.

View data briefs:

• Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Counselors in the U.S., 2014-2021
• Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners in the U.S., 2014-2021
• Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychiatrists in the U.S., 1995-2019
• Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Psychologists in the U.S., 2014-2021
• Changes in the Supply and Rural-Urban Distribution of Social Workers in the U.S., 2014-2021

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Healthcare Access, Healthcare Workforce, Mental Health