Mental health jobs will grow 3 times the rate of all US jobs over the next decade

WASHINGTON — As the demand for mental health care grows across the United States, so will an expected demand for service providers.

Employment growth in the mental health field — for psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, psychiatric aides and social workers — is expected to be triple the projection for a typical U.S. job, according to a CNN analysis of new data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A subset of mental health practitioners — specifically mental health counselors, which include substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors — is projected to grow even more rapidly. Growth for these roles is set to increase by 19%, going from about 450,000 workers in 2023 to 534,000 by 2033, making it among the top 20 fastest-growing U.S. occupations. These counselors work with people seeking help for problems such as anxiety, addictions and stress.

Marriage and family therapists are other jobs within the mental health field expected to show notable growth by 2033, with jobs there expected to rise by 16%. And the BLS group “counselors, all other,” a catch-all category that includes jobs such as sexual assault counselors and anger control or grief counselors, is similarly projected to grow 14% by 2033.

Why and where growth is likely

Two factors could be increasing demand for mental health services: decreasing stigma around seeking treatment and increasing uncertainty in peoples’ lives, said Traci Cipriano, a clinical psychologist and assistant clinical professor in the Yale School of Medicine. She told CNN that political divisiveness, economic uncertainty, gun violence and the climate crisis are factors putting particular pressure on Americans.

“All of these things feel threatening to a certain degree, but each one of us as an individual really has very little control over them,” Cipriano said. “Stress itself can be managed through mental health treatment, but if you don’t manage it, it can lead to depression and anxiety.”

Over the next decade, more Americans are also expected to manage stress outside of formal therapy. CNN’s analysis of BLS job projections also found that holistic workers — such as acupuncturists, fitness trainers and massage therapists — are also set to outpace typical job growth.

Employment growth specifically for massage therapists is estimated to balloon by nearly 18% by 2033, adding almost 23,000 jobs annually on average. More than half of clients cited relaxation or stress relief as the primary reason for receiving a massage, according to a 2023 survey by the American Massage Therapy Association.

Access among top barriers to seeking treatment

The growing demand for mental health workers is one sign of shortages amid what many are calling a health emergency. Nine out of 10 adults said they believed that there’s a mental health crisis in the United States, and young people especially reported deteriorated well-being during and after the pandemic.

People can’t get in and access the treatment they need, so it makes sense there would be a need for job growth.

–Traci Cipriano, Yale School of Medicine professor

While more adults are seeking treatment in recent years, most struggling with their mental health still do not receive support.

One reason could be the approximately 122 million Americans who live in areas where there is a scarcity of mental health professionals, according to a 2021 analysis by USA Facts. Rural areas are particularly vulnerable, with Wyoming and Utah leading for the highest proportion of people without access to mental health providers.

“We’re experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals,” said Cipriano. “People can’t get in and access the treatment they need, so it makes sense there would be a need for job growth.”