Substance use disorder in the US: 6 stats to know

Substance use affected more than 38 million adults, or 15.4 percent of the U.S. population, in 2022, according to a report by Mental Health America.

The 2023 "State of Mental Health in America" report gathered data from health screenings from populations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., through 2022 to assess the mental health of Americans. The report was released in October.

Here are six statistics on substance use disorder in the U.S. to know.

1. The report said 6.8 percent of adults in the U.S. had an illicit drug use disorder and 11 percent had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. 

2. California, the nation's most populous state, had the highest instance of substance use disorder, with 5,027,000 people indicating they experienced a substance use disorder in the past year. 

3. Substance use disorder was most prevalent in Washington, D.C.,  where 21.2 percent of adults reported experiencing a substance use disorder in the past year. 

4. The report said 1,584,000 children, or 6.3 percent of youths in the U.S., indicated having a substance use disorder in the past year.

5. California had the highest instance of substance use disorder in children, with 200,000 children indicating they experienced a substance use disorder in the past year.

6. The rate of substance use disorder in children was highest in Kansas, where 9.1 percent of the state's young people reported experiencing a substance use disorder in the past year.