The Most Depressed States in the U.S.
Around 1 in 5 American adults have dealt with a form of depression, with data also indicating symptoms are most prevalent among young adults and women. According to the most recent survey data collected through the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a median of about 21% of the U.S. adult population in 2021 had ever been told they have a form of depression. That’s the highest the share has been in comparative data collected since 2011.
Here are the most depressed states in the U.S.:
1. West Virginia (29%)
2. Kentucky (27.6%)
3. Vermont (26.6%)
4. Tennessee (26%)
5. Arkansas (25.4%)
6. Oregon (25.3%) (tie)
7. Maine (25.3%) (tie)
8. Louisiana (25.1%) (tie)
9. New Hampshire (25.1%) (tie)
10. Indiana (25.0%) (tie)
11. Oklahoma (25.0%) (tie)
Meanwhile, Hawaii (11.4%) is the least depressed state, followed by California (15.3%), Maryland (17.2%) and South Dakota (17.2%). Between 2020 and 2021, only six states saw their prevalence of adults who’d ever had depression drop year over year, most notably in Hawaii (-1.5), South Carolina (-1.3) and Pennsylvania (-1.3).