How Many Rehabs are in the US?

Statistics and Insights on Treatment Centers in America

When it comes to substance abuse treatment, the United States has steadily moved in a positive direction. Each day, there are thousands of treatment facilities operating at full capacity, providing much-needed relief for many seeking substance abuse and mental health services.

However, amid an epidemic of monumental proportions, contending with increasing overdose deaths year after year, the effort of addiction treatment services still seems overwhelmed and outmatched by substances like fentanyl and crystal meth.

For many, this begs the question—how many rehabs are in the US currently?

In this blog post and resource from Ads Up Marketing, we take a look at the current number of substance abuse treatment facilities with various pertinent data.

The goal is to paint a clear picture of the magnitude of the problem America faces, and how much expansion is needed to get the problem under control (not to mention help potential and current rehab ownership identify the areas where facilities are sorely needed).  

Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities In America: By the Numbers

There’s a constantly expanding need for substance abuse treatment facilities in our country. You wouldn’t have to travel far in most cities to commute from one drug rehab to the next.

Depending on the location, it could be a few miles. In some cities, it’s only a few blocks. Let’s take a look at the numbers surrounding the existence of substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States over the last two decades.

Trending In the Right Direction

• Since 2003, America has seen a slow, yet steady increase in the number of treatment centers.
• 13,623 accredited addiction treatment centers were in operation by 2003.
• This stayed fairly steady until 2012, which coincided with the onset of the heroin epidemic. That year, the number increased to 14,311.
• In 2019, as fentanyl began tightening its grip on the country, the number swelled to 15,961.
• Increasing each year, the number of treatment facilities made a stark jump in 2021, with 18, 615 in operation.
• For various reasons, in part related to overexpansion during the midst of the pandemic, the number of substance abuse treatment facilities took a downturn in 2022, shrinking to 17,353.

Breaking Down Treatment Centers by Category

• By 2019, 5,876 of the 15,961 substance abuse treatment facilities were considered outpatient-only.
• 2,846 addiction treatment centers were recognized as inpatient-only.
• The remaining number of substance abuse treatment facilities offered both inpatient and outpatient care.
• In the same year, there were 2,622 opioid treatment programs.
• These addiction treatment centers are defined as facilities that provide medication-assisted treatment for drug abuse involving fentanyl, heroin, and other opioid drugs.

Now that you’re familiar with the framework, let’s dive into the specific forms of treatment provided most commonly.

What are the Most Commonly Abused Substances in the US?

• In the United States, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug.
• Sticking with the same data set, 2019 recognized over 6 million registered clients receiving care for alcoholism at substance abuse facilities.
• Marijuana is a distant second place, with 3 million clients receiving substance abuse treatment for cannabis in 2019.
• In third place was cocaine and its derivatives, such as crack cocaine. In 2019, these drugs made up 1.5 million of the clients admitted to substance abuse treatment facilities.
• What makes opioids so frightening, is despite the fact enrollment numbers at substance abuse treatment facilities are much lower compared to the substances above, fentanyl and other drugs from the same category were responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths in 2022.
• To provide a comparison, only 800,000 clients were enrolled in substance abuse treatment in 2019.
• Crystal meth has been on a constant surge for the last 5 years and is steadily increasing as a driving force in overdose deaths.
• 500,000 people received substance abuse treatment for prescription drugs in 2019.
• Inhalants made up 60,000 clients at substance abuse treatment facilities.
• Finally, hallucinogens were responsible for 40,000 substance abuse treatment clients.

Another interesting statistic is the length of time those seeking recovery in substance abuse treatment facilities. This can potentially provide insight into recovery success rates, and what changes might help curve long-term recovery numbers upward.

What is the Average Length of Stays In Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities?

• The average time spent at inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities is 30 days.
• Research has proven a stark contrast between 30-day and 90-day stays when it comes to relapse rates. Clients who stay at substance abuse treatment facilities for 90 days are far more successful post-treatment than those who opt for 30 days.
• Despite the proven track record of success, only about 30% of clients seek treatment for the full 90 days, leading to a failure rate somewhere around 50 and 60% or more for first-time clients.

The Numbers of Substance Abuse Treatment Centers by State

How many treatment centers exist state-by-state? The following list highlights the largest number of substance abuse treatment centers in the top 7 states.

• California ranks number one by a long shot, with over 2,000 rehab centers.
• Texas ranks second with over 1,000 drug and alcohol use disorder treatment facilities.
• Florida checks in at number three with over 900 specialized programs for substance abusers.
• New York takes the number four spot with over 800 outpatient treatment and residential treatment centers.
• At number five is Pennsylvania, with over 600 centers for drug use and alcohol abuse.
• Ohio follows at a close six with just over 500 facilities.
• The number of substance abuse facilities in Illinois puts the state at seven with 400 rehabs.

What Can We Take Away from the Number of Substance Abuse Facilities In the US?

Since the Affordable Care Act and the increase in insurance coverage for all Americans, major industry trends have included an increase in the number of leading treatment organizations. Not only has the overall number of rehabs grown, but the quality of care seems to have followed suit.

That said, there is still a clear need for more treatment centers. With the national substance use numbers continuing to climb, and the opioid epidemic claiming more lives, the number of people who receive treatment will grow along with these numbers.

As AI and the way we collect and analyze data shift, the hope is that treatment approaches also continue to improve.

With government resources stretched to their limit, the answer could lie with insurance providers, who must make a more conscious effort to assess and approve the need for longer stays in rehab.

Keeping the Pulse of the Rehab Industry, for You

At Ads Up Marketing, we continue to keep a watchful eye on the latest data and trends in the addiction treatment space.

Our constant monitoring of the industry gives us the unique opportunity to provide our clients with laser-focused data to propel them to the forefront of not only search engines but engagement rate numbers.

If you want a treatment marketing organization that’s in the know, with decades of combined experience, contact us today for more information.