The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) can designate a population group, facility, or geographic area as a health professional shortage area (HPSA) for mental health care services. This designation indicates that there is a mental health care services shortfall in the community because too few mental health care practitioners service the area relative to the size of the population. From March 31, 2025 HRSA data, more than 122.4 million Americans live in a mental health care HPSA. That number included 1.8 million residents of the six-state New England region. To eliminate that mental health care shortfall, the HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the region would need 90 additional mental health care practitioners.  A further review of 3/31/25 HRSA data details the following about the state-level mental health care shortfall in New England:

The Mental Health Care Shortfall in New England

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
CT	43	801,604	53
ME	65	268,713	11
MA	51	256,453	13
NH	18	91,279	2
RI	12	394,307	11
VT	12	N/A	N/A
Region	201	1,812,356	90
U.S.	6,418	122,383,988	6,202

(1) HRSA-designated Geographic Units, Population Groups, and Facilities with a mental health care shortfall

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Mental Health Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, March 31, 2025 (HRSA)