Statistics
Mental health in Tryon, Polk County and Charlotte: statistics
In CDC estimates for 2023, 22.5% of adults in Tryon and 22.9% in Charlotte had been told they have depression; in the 2025 federal provider file, Polk County has 1 mental health provider for every 415 residents, against 1 for every 230 in Mecklenburg County.
By Laura Bass, MSW, LCSW. Published November 12, 2026.
This page gathers the public figures on mental health for Tryon, Polk County and Charlotte in one place. Every figure names its source and the period it covers, and the full set is in the download. For the detail behind them, see our studies of loneliness, therapist supply and widowhood.
Key numbers
- Figure 1
22.5% vs 22.9%
of adults in Tryon and Charlotte have been told they have depression.
Source: CDC PLACES 2025 release (December 2025), 2023 estimates
- Figure 2
28.1% vs 33.4%
of adults in Tryon and Charlotte feel lonely at least sometimes.
Source: CDC PLACES 2025 release (December 2025), 2023 estimates
- Figure 3
21.4%
of North Carolina adults had any mental illness in the past year, against 23.1% nationally.
Source: SAMHSA, National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, state estimates, 2023-2024
- Figure 4
1 : 415
mental health providers to residents in Polk County, against 1 : 230 in Mecklenburg County.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CMS NPI file, 2025)
- Figure 5
32.6%
of Polk County residents are 65 or older, against 11.9% in Mecklenburg County.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024
Adults
How adults are feeling
| Place | Ever told they have depression | Frequent mental distress | Lonely at least sometimes | Lack the support they need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tryon | 22.5% | 13.3% | 28.1% | 18.2% |
| Columbus | 23.4% | 14.5% | 29.4% | 19.2% |
| Polk County | 23.8% | 14.5% | 28.8% | 19.0% |
| Charlotte | 22.9% | 16.4% | 33.4% | 24.5% |
| Mecklenburg County | 22.7% | 15.7% | 32.6% | 23.7% |
Source: CDC PLACES 2025 release (December 2025), 2023 estimates. Frequent mental distress: mental health not good on 14 or more of the past 30 days. Lack of support: get the social and emotional support they need only sometimes, rarely or never. These are modeled estimates; the 95% confidence intervals are in the download.
- 22.5% of adults in Tryon and 22.9% in Charlotte have ever been told by a health professional that they have depression (CDC PLACES 2025 release (December 2025), 2023 estimates).
- 13.3% of adults in Tryon and 16.4% in Charlotte report frequent mental distress: mental health not good on 14 or more of the past 30 days.
- 28.1% of Tryon adults and 33.4% of Charlotte adults feel lonely at least sometimes; 18.2% and 24.5% lack the social and emotional support they need. Much of the loneliness gap reflects Tryon’s older population, as our loneliness study explains.
North Carolina
The statewide picture
| Measure | Years | North Carolina (95% interval) | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any mental illness in the past year | 2023-2024 | 21.4% (19.3% to 23.7%) | 23.1% |
| Serious mental illness in the past year | 2023-2024 | 5.0% (4.1% to 6.1%) | 5.6% |
| Major depressive episode in the past year | 2023-2024 | 8.1% (6.9% to 9.5%) | 8.3% |
| Serious thoughts of suicide in the past year | 2023-2024 | 4.9% (4.0% to 5.9%) | 5.2% |
| Received mental health treatment in the past year | 2024 | 23.1% (20.2% to 26.2%) | 22.9% |
Source: SAMHSA, National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, state estimates, percent tables. State figures are model-based estimates; every North Carolina interval includes the national figure. Mental health treatment includes inpatient or outpatient treatment or counseling, prescription medication and telehealth.
- About one in five North Carolina adults (21.4%) had any mental illness in the past year, and 5.0% had a serious mental illness (2023-2024).
- 8.1% of North Carolina adults had a major depressive episode in the past year, against 8.3% nationally.
- 23.1% of North Carolina adults received mental health treatment in 2024, against 22.9% nationally.
- 4.9% of North Carolina adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year (2023-2024). If you are having thoughts like these, call or text 988 at any time.
Deaths
Suicide deaths
| Place | Rate | 95% interval | Deaths, 2019-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 28.0 | 17.1 to 43.2 | 23 |
| Mecklenburg County | 9.8 | 9.0 to 10.7 | 568 |
| North Carolina | 13.5 | 13.2 to 13.8 | 7,449 |
| United States | 14.0 | 13.9 to 14.0 | 240,216 |
Source: National Center for Health Statistics mortality files, as published by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (supplemental release of March 25, 2026). Age-adjusted rates allow places with different age mixes to be compared.
Over 2019-2023, Polk County’s suicide rate was 28.0 per 100,000 residents, age-adjusted, higher than North Carolina’s 13.5; Mecklenburg County’s was lower than the state’s, at 9.8. Polk’s figure rests on 23 deaths over five years, so its interval is wide (17.1 to 43.2).
If you are thinking about suicide, or worried about someone, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, at any time. In an emergency, call 911.
Care
Access to care
- Polk County has 1 mental health provider for every 415 residents (24.1 per 10,000 residents); Mecklenburg County has 1 for every 230 (43.6) and North Carolina 1 for every 285 (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, CMS NPI file 2025).
- 4 psychologists and 5 physicians in psychiatry have their main practice in Polk County (NC Health Professions Data System, as of October 31, 2025).
- Polk County’s low-income residents are part of a federal mental health shortage area covering 8 western North Carolina counties (score 16, last updated September 22, 2025). In Mecklenburg County, 4 designations cover low-income residents of groups of Charlotte census tracts (scores 16 to 18).
- More in our study of therapist supply in Polk County.
Age
Age, loss and living alone
- 32.6% of Polk County residents are 65 or older, against 11.9% in Mecklenburg County and 17.2% statewide (American Community Survey 2020-2024).
- 9.3% of Polk residents aged 15 and older are widowed, against 4.0% in Mecklenburg, a gap that comes from age.
- 25.1% of Polk residents 65 and older live alone, against 27.0% in Mecklenburg.
- More in our study of grief and widowhood in Polk County.
Method
Method, sources and limits
Figures for towns, cities and counties come from the CDC’s PLACES estimates, the Census Bureau, the federal provider registry as counted by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, the Sheps Center at UNC Chapel Hill and HRSA. Suicide deaths come from the National Center for Health Statistics, as published by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Figures for North Carolina as a whole come from SAMHSA’s National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, which do not report counties.
A script in the site’s code computes every figure on this page from the raw data; a second script checks the figures against separate copies of the data.
Limits
- PLACES and NSDUH state figures are modeled estimates, not counts, and they carry intervals.
- The sources cover different years, from 2019-2023 to 2025; each figure gives its own.
- Suicide rates for a county as small as Polk rest on few deaths and can move a lot from one period to the next.
- None of these figures describes any individual, and none is medical advice.
Sources
- PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data, 2025 release, CDC. BRFSS 2023 model-based estimates.
- PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data, 2025 release, CDC. BRFSS 2023 model-based estimates.
- National Surveys on Drug Use and Health: 2023-2024 state estimates (percent tables and data file), SAMHSA. 2023-2024 (treatment: 2024).
- Analytic data, supplemental release (Suicides: NCHS mortality files, 2019-2023), County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. released March 25, 2026.
- Analytic data, supplemental release (Mental Health Providers, CMS NPI file 2025), County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. released March 25, 2026.
- NC Health Professions Data System: psychologists, psychological associates and psychiatry, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC Chapel Hill. as of October 31 each year, 2000-2025.
- Health Professional Shortage Areas, mental health (detail file), HRSA. file of November 11, 2026.
- American Community Survey, table B12002 (sex by marital status by age), U.S. Census Bureau. 2020-2024 five-year estimates.
These are population figures for places, not a description of any person, and not medical advice. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Reuse
Cite this page
Laura Bass (2026). Mental health in Tryon, Polk County and Charlotte: statistics. Laura Bass Counseling. laurabasscounseling.com/research/polk-county-charlotte-mental-health-statistics/
Download the data (CSV). You may reuse the table and the figures on this page under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, with a link back to this page. The underlying public data belongs to the agencies named in the sources.
Journalists and researchers can ask questions about the method through the contact page.
More from our research, or read about counseling in Tryon and counseling in Charlotte.
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