National totals
| Active NPI records | 323,978 |
| Registered sole proprietors | 115,577 (35.7%) |
| NUCC taxonomy code | 101YM0800X |
| Grouping | Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers |
Reading the sole-proprietor share
For this specialty, 35.7% of the 323,978 active records are flagged as sole proprietors in NPPES, or 115,577 records. The flag is a self-reported NPPES field and does not establish that a counselor works in private practice, works independently, or does not work for an employer, so it is an imperfect proxy for private practice.
By state
| State | Active NPIs | Sole proprietors | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 37,685 | 12,434 | 33.0% |
| Florida | 25,073 | 12,352 | 49.3% |
| New York | 19,990 | 8,394 | 42.0% |
| Massachusetts | 18,727 | 6,946 | 37.1% |
| Washington | 18,147 | 6,595 | 36.3% |
| Oregon | 15,445 | 3,781 | 24.5% |
| Illinois | 11,839 | 3,303 | 27.9% |
| Texas | 11,640 | 5,758 | 49.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 10,881 | 3,471 | 31.9% |
| New Jersey | 10,592 | 2,450 | 23.1% |
| Colorado | 10,006 | 3,563 | 35.6% |
| North Carolina | 9,722 | 3,784 | 38.9% |
| Ohio | 9,119 | 3,299 | 36.2% |
| Louisiana | 6,921 | 3,112 | 45.0% |
| Oklahoma | 6,841 | 2,948 | 43.1% |
| Georgia | 5,612 | 2,555 | 45.5% |
| Indiana | 5,364 | 1,414 | 26.4% |
| Maryland | 5,258 | 1,887 | 35.9% |
| Virginia | 5,059 | 1,886 | 37.3% |
| Michigan | 4,952 | 1,787 | 36.1% |
| Tennessee | 4,915 | 1,685 | 34.3% |
| Nebraska | 4,792 | 1,517 | 31.7% |
| South Carolina | 4,706 | 1,147 | 24.4% |
| Minnesota | 4,533 | 1,084 | 23.9% |
| Kentucky | 4,207 | 1,338 | 31.8% |
| Arizona | 3,821 | 1,339 | 35.0% |
| Mississippi | 3,336 | 675 | 20.2% |
| New Mexico | 3,175 | 1,075 | 33.9% |
| Utah | 3,071 | 935 | 30.4% |
| Arkansas | 3,051 | 654 | 21.4% |
| Wisconsin | 2,926 | 785 | 26.8% |
| Connecticut | 2,902 | 879 | 30.3% |
| Nevada | 2,900 | 1,501 | 51.8% |
| Missouri | 2,784 | 1,039 | 37.3% |
| Iowa | 2,776 | 829 | 29.9% |
| Alabama | 2,587 | 892 | 34.5% |
| New Hampshire | 2,362 | 511 | 21.6% |
| Alaska | 2,222 | 437 | 19.7% |
| Idaho | 2,035 | 830 | 40.8% |
| Vermont | 1,539 | 799 | 51.9% |
| Rhode Island | 1,466 | 541 | 36.9% |
| Montana | 1,256 | 503 | 40.0% |
| Maine | 1,247 | 509 | 40.8% |
| Hawaii | 1,155 | 541 | 46.8% |
| Delaware | 912 | 361 | 39.6% |
| District of Columbia | 907 | 366 | 40.4% |
| Kansas | 883 | 329 | 37.3% |
| South Dakota | 856 | 168 | 19.6% |
| West Virginia | 744 | 210 | 28.2% |
| Wyoming | 436 | 134 | 30.7% |
| North Dakota | 300 | 66 | 22.0% |
New NPI registrations by year
| Year first enumerated | NPIs |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 15,469 |
| 2018 | 17,153 |
| 2019 | 16,991 |
| 2020 | 16,763 |
| 2021 | 19,642 |
| 2022 | 21,721 |
| 2023 | 22,797 |
| 2024 | 23,771 |
| 2025 | 26,463 |
| 2026 (partial year) | 760 |
Counts reflect the year each NPI was first issued, among records still active today. The final year is partial: this data covers through 2026-01-11.
Data notes
- The sole-proprietor field is self-reported by the provider in NPPES and is an imperfect proxy for private practice.
- A sole-proprietor count shown as <11 is suppressed: the true value is below 11, which could include zero.
- These figures count active NPI records with this taxonomy as the primary classification, not every record that lists it secondarily.
- An NPI enumeration year records when the NPI was first assigned, and NPPES records can change; it is not a measure of when clinical practice began.
- Providers are counted once, by their primary taxonomy code only.
Common questions
How many mental health counselors are there in the United States?
There are 323,978 active NPI records nationally with Mental Health Counselor as the primary taxonomy. This is a count of NPI records, not necessarily a direct count of people currently practicing.
How many mental health counselors are in private practice?
The NPPES sole-proprietor flag covers 115,577 records, or 35.7%. Because that field is self-reported and is an imperfect proxy, this is not a definitive count of counselors in private practice.
Which states have the most mental health counselors?
The largest counts are in California, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington.
How many Mental Health Counselor NPIs were first enumerated in 2024, 2025, and 2026?
The records first enumerated in those years number 23,771 in 2024, 26,463 in 2025, and 760 in 2026. First enumeration describes when an NPI was assigned, not necessarily when clinical practice began.
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