This page brings together the core statistics on addiction treatment in the United States: how many people have a substance use disorder, how many get treatment, why most do not, how overdose deaths are changing, how many treatment facilities exist and how they are paid. It is written for treatment providers, clinicians, journalists and marketers who need numbers they can cite.
Nearly every figure comes from a federal source: SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), released July 2026 with 2025 data; SAMHSA's National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS) of treatment facilities; CDC overdose data; and NIDA research summaries. KFF supplies the Medicaid analysis. Each figure links to its source and shows the year of the data. All figures were checked on 2026-10-08.
How many Americans have a substance use disorder
NSDUH is the federal government's main survey of substance use, covering the civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 44.6 million people aged 12 or older (15.3%) had a substance use disorder in the past year. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 25.7 million people had an alcohol use disorder and 26.0 million had a drug use disorder. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 19.3 million people had a marijuana use disorder, the most common drug use disorder. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 4.0 million people had an opioid use disorder, down from 5.2 million in 2021. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 7.1 million people (16.0% of those with a substance use disorder) had both an alcohol and a drug use disorder. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 23.8% of young adults aged 18 to 25 had a substance use disorder, the highest rate of any age group. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
The overall rate fell from 16.7% (46.8 million people) in 2021 to 15.3% in 2025. Some linking sites quote "14 million adults with alcohol use disorder"; the current federal estimate is 25.7 million people aged 12 or older.
The treatment gap
Most people with a substance use disorder receive no treatment in a given year. NSDUH counts someone as needing treatment if they had a disorder or received treatment in the past year.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 47.2 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment in the past year. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| About 1 in 6 (16.0%, or 7.6 million people) of those who needed treatment received it. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| Young adults aged 18 to 25 who needed treatment were the least likely to get it, at 9.6%. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| Among people with a severe substance use disorder, 28.9% received treatment, so nearly three quarters did not. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 15.7% of people with an opioid use disorder received medication for it (methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone). | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 2.6% of people with an alcohol use disorder received medication for it. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 4.4 million people received outpatient treatment, 3.6 million received treatment by telehealth and 2.2 million received inpatient treatment. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
SAMHSA changed its treatment questions in 2024, so the 2025 treatment estimates cannot be compared with older years. The "10%" figure that circulates online matches pre-2024 NSDUH results. Treatment settings overlap, because one person can receive care in more than one place.
Why people do not get treatment
The biggest barrier is that most people with a disorder do not believe they need help. For those who do, the reasons below are the ones a provider's website, phone line and search presence can address directly.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 94.5% of adults with a substance use disorder who received no treatment did not think they needed it. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 82.5% of adults who wanted treatment and went without thought they should handle it on their own. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 41.4% were worried about what people would think or say if they got treatment. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 40.5% did not know how or where to get treatment. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 39.2% thought treatment would cost too much, and 30.4% lacked enough insurance coverage. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| 32.7% could not find a treatment program or professional they wanted to go to. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
| Of the 30.6 million adults who said they had ever had a drug or alcohol problem, 73.0% considered themselves in recovery or recovered. | SAMHSA, 2025 NSDUH Annual National Report | 2025 |
The reasons are drawn from adults with a perceived unmet need for treatment, and each person could give more than one reason. Four of the top barriers (where to go, cost, insurance and finding a suitable program) are information problems that clear, findable service pages help solve. Our addiction treatment SEO guide covers how to build those pages.
Overdose deaths
Overdose deaths have fallen sharply since 2023, and CDC projected the 2024 total to be the lowest since 2019. CDC publishes provisional counts monthly; recent months are revised as records arrive.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| An estimated 80,391 people died of drug overdoses in the US in 2024, down 26.9% from 110,037 in 2023. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics | 2024 |
| Opioid-involved overdose deaths fell from an estimated 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics | 2024 |
| Provisional data predict about 70,700 overdose deaths in the 12 months ending December 2025. | CDC, Vital Statistics Rapid Release | 2025 |
| Provisional data predict about 66,900 overdose deaths in the 12 months ending April 2026. | CDC, Vital Statistics Rapid Release | 2026 |
The 2025 and 2026 figures are CDC's predicted provisional counts for the United States, read from the dataset behind the Vital Statistics Rapid Release dashboard on 2026-10-08. They will change as more death records are filed.
Treatment facilities and who pays
N-SUMHSS surveys every known substance use and mental health treatment facility in the country each year. KFF's analysis of NSDUH shows how central Medicaid has become to paying for care.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 15,953 substance use treatment facilities responded to the federal survey, out of 17,829 eligible facilities. | SAMHSA, 2024 N-SUMHSS Annual Report | 2024 |
| Private nonprofits operated 48.2% of substance use treatment facilities and private for-profit organizations operated 42.1%. | SAMHSA, 2024 N-SUMHSS Annual Report | 2024 |
| Among facilities that take payment, 89.9% accepted cash or self-payment, 78.3% private insurance, 77.8% Medicaid and 52.6% Medicare. | SAMHSA, 2024 N-SUMHSS Annual Report | 2024 |
| 52.8% of substance use treatment facilities used prescribers of buprenorphine, and 46.3% provided maintenance with methadone or buprenorphine. | SAMHSA, 2024 N-SUMHSS Annual Report | 2024 |
| Medicaid covered 47% of nonelderly adults with an opioid use disorder. | KFF | 2023 |
| Medicaid covered 56% of people receiving medication for opioid use disorder and 64% of adults receiving outpatient treatment and peer support. | KFF | 2023 |
Accepting a payer differs from serving many patients through it, so these figures describe access, and say little about revenue share. We found no public source for the claim that "private insurance covers nearly 60% of addiction treatment costs," and no neutral source for a single national addiction treatment market size; the widely shared "$60 billion by 2028" projection could not be traced to a published report.
Outcomes and the value of treatment
NIDA frames addiction as a chronic disease, with relapse rates comparable to other long-term conditions.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Relapse rates for substance use disorders are 40% to 60%, compared with 50% to 70% for hypertension and asthma. | NIDA, Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: Treatment and Recovery | 2020 |
| Every dollar invested in addiction treatment yields $4 to $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs and theft. | NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment | 2018 |
| When healthcare savings are included, total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1. | NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment | 2018 |
NIDA describes these as conservative estimates drawn from earlier research. Several outcome claims that circulate on treatment center websites (for example that aftercare produces 85% one-year sobriety, or that integrated care improves outcomes by 65%) do not appear in NIDA or SAMHSA publications, and we could not trace them to a study.
Advertising rules for addiction treatment
Search ads for addiction treatment are restricted. Google's addiction services policy allows recovery-oriented drug and alcohol treatment ads in 6 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States), and only from advertisers Google has approved. The policy covers clinical treatment providers, sober living and mutual help organizations, lead generators and referral agencies, and crisis hotlines. For the United States, Google's healthcare and medicines policy states that advertisers must be certified by the LegitScript Certification program, and that services which do not qualify for LegitScript certification may not advertise addiction services on Google. These rules make organic search and Google Maps visibility more important for treatment providers; see our rehab center lead generation guide.
What these numbers mean for treatment providers
- The audience is large and mostly undecided. 44.6 million people have a disorder, and 94.5% of untreated adults do not yet think they need care. Content that helps people recognize a problem ("signs of alcohol use disorder", "is my drinking a problem") reaches people early, long before they search for a facility.
- Answer the cost and insurance question on the page. Cost and coverage stop more than 3 in 10 people who want treatment. A page per accepted insurer and a plain explanation of self-pay options removes a stated barrier.
- Be findable by location and service. 40.5% of people who wanted treatment did not know where to go. A Google Business Profile with the right categories and a page for each level of care (detox, residential, outpatient, medication for opioid use disorder) matches how people search. A free Rank.ai map scan shows where your facility appears in Google Maps around your address.
- Use the current numbers. Prospective patients and referral partners check claims. Citing 2025 federal data (16.0% treated, 15,953 facilities) builds more trust than recycled statistics with no source.
- Plan for paid search limits. Certification takes time and restricts who can advertise, so organic rankings and AI answers carry more of the load. Our mental health treatment SEO guide covers the overlapping co-occurring disorder searches.
FAQ
What percentage of people with addiction get treatment?
In 2025, 16.0% of the 47.2 million people who needed substance use treatment received it, according to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That is about 7.6 million people. Young adults aged 18 to 25 were least likely to get treatment, at 9.6%.
How many people in the US have a substance use disorder?
SAMHSA estimates that 44.6 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in 2025, or 15.3% of that population. That includes 25.7 million with an alcohol use disorder and 26.0 million with a drug use disorder, with some people counted in both.
How many addiction treatment centers are there in the US?
SAMHSA's 2024 National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey identified 17,829 eligible substance use treatment facilities, and 15,953 responded. About 48% are run by private nonprofits and 42% by for-profit companies.
How many people died of drug overdoses in 2024?
CDC estimates 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2024, down 26.9% from 110,037 in 2023. Provisional data show the decline continuing, with about 66,900 predicted deaths in the 12 months ending April 2026.
What is the relapse rate for addiction?
NIDA puts relapse rates for substance use disorders at 40% to 60%, similar to relapse rates for hypertension and asthma. NIDA's view is that relapse signals a need to resume or adjust treatment.
Can addiction treatment centers advertise on Google?
Yes, with approval. Google restricts addiction services ads to 6 countries and requires advertisers to apply for certification. In the United States, Google's policy requires LegitScript certification.
Sources and method
We used the most recent federal data available: SAMHSA's 2025 NSDUH (published July 2026), SAMHSA's 2024 N-SUMHSS facility survey, CDC's 2024 final provisional count and its predicted provisional counts through April 2026, KFF's 2025 analysis of Medicaid coverage, and NIDA's published research summaries. We checked each statistic that other sites quote from older addiction treatment articles; where a number had no traceable source, we left it out and gave the current federal figure on the same point. All figures and links were checked on 2026-10-08.
