Nearly 20% Of U.S. Households Report A Child Needing Mental Health Treatment; One-Quarter Report Unmet Need

Approximately 19.6% of parents responding to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey between June 2023 and September 2024 reported having at least one child who needed mental health treatment in the prior four weeks. Among households reporting treatment need, 24.8% reported that at least one child had not received needed care.

Among households reporting unmet need, 21.8% cited difficulty accessing treatment as the reason. Reported barriers included cost, limited clinician availability, and logistical challenges. Among households whose children did receive treatment, 16.6% reported difficulty accessing care.

The analysis included 173,174 households, of which . . .