Demand for 988 Continues to Grow at Third Anniversary Heather Saunders Published: Jul 14, 2025

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/demand-for-988-continues-to-grow-at-third-anniversary/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9AOygbmyX7yLuvsETTaB6OSrlU2arBefA9w11VNnVYJP6DeLD7x_Al0Fi6mwnKzADQswqDjMYghb2FaiyX99WLxir--Q&_hsmi=371243336&utm_content=371243336&utm_source=hs_email KFF Examines 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Data on the Third Anniversary of the National Hotline A new KFF analysis examines 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline data on the third anniversary of the national hotline, drawing from data available through May 2025 and suicide death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 988 service has received 16.5 million contacts since its launch in July 2022, including 11.1 million calls, 2.9 million texts, and 2.4 million chats. Monthly contact volume has steadily increased, consistently surpassing 500,000 contacts per month over the past year and approaching or exceeding 600,000 per month since early 2025---more than double the contacts recorded just before launch (277,000 in June 2022). Most states now answer 80% or more of 988 calls in-state, a significant improvement compared to before 988’s launch. In-state answer rates in May 2025 ranged from 58% in Arkansas to 99% in Rhode Island. Calls not answered in-state are redirected to national backup centers, where counselors may be less familiar with local resources. The overall number of suicide deaths remained stable from 2022 to 2023 (49,476 to 49,316), according to the latest data available from the CDC. Provisional CDC data suggest this stabilization may have continued into 2024 (48,796). It is too soon to fully determine the impact of 988. Federal funds supported 988’s launch, including some initial funding for state infrastructure and local call centers, but ongoing funding for these call centers largely falls to states. The Trump administration has proposed maintaining current 988 funding levels, much of which supports the federal 988 infrastructure, though the administration recently announced the elimination of the specialized 988 service for LGBTQ+ youth, which previously handled about 10% of all 988 contacts. At the same time, the substantial federal Medicaid spending reductions in the recently-passed 2025 tax cuts and domestic policy bill could lead states to scale back spending, including on behavioral health services.