United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Fentanyl._2_mg._A_lethal_dose_in_most_people.jpg/180px-Fentanyl._2_mg._A_lethal_dose_in_most_people.jpg)
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data on drug overdose death rates and totals. Over 1,015,000 US residents died from drug overdoses from 1968 to 2019. Nearly 841,000 from 1999 through 2019. 22 people out of every 100,000 died from drug overdoses in 2019 in the US. Opioids were involved in 70.6% (nearly 50,000) of the nearly 71,000 deaths in 2019.[2][3]
Around 104,300 people died in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2021, at a rate of 286 deaths per day.[4]
1968–2019 overdose death rates and totals[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/US_timeline._Number_of_overdose_deaths_from_all_drugs.jpg/400px-US_timeline._Number_of_overdose_deaths_from_all_drugs.jpg)
Year | Deaths | Population (July 1 residents) |
Crude death rate per 100,000 | Age adjusted death rate per 100,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | 5,033 | 199,533,564 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
1969 | 6,006 | 201,568,206 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
1970 | 7,101 | 203,458,035 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
1971 | 6,771 | 206,782,970 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
1972 | 6,622 | 209,237,411 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
1973 | 6,413 | 211,361,965 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
1974 | 6,449 | 213,436,958 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
1975 | 7,145 | 215,457,198 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
1976 | 6,765 | 217,615,788 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
1977 | 6,130 | 219,808,632 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
1978 | 5,506 | 222,102,279 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
1979 | 2,544 | 224,635,398 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
1980 | 2,492 | 226,624,371 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
1981 | 2,668 | 229,487,512 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
1982 | 2,862 | 231,701,425 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
1983 | 2,866 | 233,781,743 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
1984 | 3,266 | 235,922,142 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
1985 | 3,612 | 238,005,715 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
1986 | 4,187 | 240,189,882 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
1987 | 3,907 | 242,395,034 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
1988 | 4,865 | 244,651,961 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
1989 | 5,035 | 247,001,762 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
1990 | 4,506 | 248,922,111 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
1991 | 5,215 | 253,088,068 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
1992 | 5,951 | 256,606,463 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
1993 | 7,382 | 260,024,637 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
1994 | 7,828 | 263,241,475 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
1995 | 8,000 | 266,386,596 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
1996 | 8,431 | 269,540,779 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
1997 | 9,099 | 272,776,678 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
1998 | 9,838 | 276,032,848 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
1999 | 16,849 | 279,040,168 | 6.0 | 6.1 |
2000 | 17,415 | 281,421,906 | 6.2 | 6.2 |
2001 | 19,394 | 284,968,955 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
2002 | 23,518 | 287,625,193 | 8.2 | 8.2 |
2003 | 25,785 | 290,107,933 | 8.9 | 8.9 |
2004 | 27,424 | 292,805,298 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
2005 | 29,813 | 295,516,599 | 10.1 | 10.1 |
2006 | 34,425 | 298,379,912 | 11.5 | 11.5 |
2007 | 36,010 | 301,231,207 | 12.0 | 11.9 |
2008 | 36,450 | 304,093,966 | 12.0 | 11.9 |
2009 | 37,004 | 306,771,529 | 12.1 | 11.9 |
2010 | 38,329 | 308,745,538 | 12.4 | 12.3 |
2011 | 41,340 | 311,591,917 | 13.3 | 13.2 |
2012 | 41,502 | 313,914,040 | 13.2 | 13.1 |
2013 | 43,982 | 316,128,839 | 13.9 | 13.8 |
2014 | 47,055 | 318,857,056 | 14.8 | 14.7 |
2015 | 52,404 | 321,418,820 | 16.3 | 16.3 |
2016 | 63,632 | 323,127,513 | 19.7 | 19.8 |
2017 | 70,237 | 325,719,178 | 21.6 | 21.7 |
2018 | 67,367 | 327,167,434 | 20.6 | 20.7 |
2019 | 70,630 | 328,239,523 | 21.5 | 21.6 |
Total | 1,015,060 |
Overdose death rates by state. Map and timeline[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/US_map_of_drug_overdose_deaths_per_100%2C000_population_by_state.png/510px-US_map_of_drug_overdose_deaths_per_100%2C000_population_by_state.png)
State | 1999 | 2005 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3.9 | 6.3 | 15.2 | 15.7 | 16.2 | 18 | 16.6 | 16.3 |
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7.5 | 11.4 | 16.8 | 16 | 16.8 | 20.2 | 14.6 | 17.8 |
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10.6 | 14.1 | 12.6 | 19 | 20.3 | 22.2 | 23.8 | 26.8 |
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4.4 | 10.1 | 18.2 | 13.8 | 14 | 15.5 | 15.7 | 13.5 |
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8.1 | 9 | 11.1 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 11.7 | 12.8 | 15 |
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8 | 12.7 | 16.3 | 15.4 | 16.6 | 17.6 | 16.8 | 18 |
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9 | 8.5 | 17.6 | 22.1 | 27.4 | 30.9 | 30.7 | 34.7 |
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6.4 | 7.5 | 20.9 | 22 | 30.8 | 37 | 43.8 | 48 |
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6.4 | 13.5 | 13.2 | 16.2 | 23.7 | 25.1 | 22.8 | 25.5 |
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3.5 | 8.2 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 13.2 | 13.1 |
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6.5 | 9.4 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 15.9 |
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5.3 | 8.1 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 15.2 | 14.4 | 14.6 | 15.1 |
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6.7 | 8.4 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 18.9 | 21.6 | 21.3 | 21.9 |
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3.2 | 9.8 | 18.2 | 19.5 | 24 | 29.4 | 25.6 | 26.6 |
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1.9 | 4.8 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 11.5 | 9.6 | 11.5 |
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3.4 | 9.1 | 11.7 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 14.3 |
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4.9 | 15.3 | 24.7 | 29.9 | 33.5 | 37.2 | 30.9 | 32.5 |
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4.3 | 14.7 | 16.9 | 19 | 21.8 | 24.5 | 25.4 | 28.3 |
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5.3 | 12.4 | 16.8 | 21.2 | 28.7 | 34.4 | 27.9 | 29.9 |
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11.4 | 11.4 | 17.4 | 20.9 | 33.2 | 36.3 | 37.2 | 38.2 |
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7.5 | 12 | 19 | 25.7 | 33 | 31.8 | 32.8 | 32.1 |
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4.6 | 9.8 | 18 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 27.8 | 26.6 | 24.4 |
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2.8 | 5.4 | 9.6 | 10.6 | 12.5 | 13.3 | 11.5 | 14.2 |
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3.2 | 8.8 | 11.6 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 10.8 | 13.6 |
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5 | 10.7 | 18.2 | 17.9 | 23.6 | 23.4 | 27.5 | 26.9 |
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4.6 | 10.1 | 12.4 | 13.8 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 12.2 | 14.1 |
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2.3 | 5 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 7.4 | 8.7 |
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11.5 | 18.7 | 18.4 | 20.4 | 21.7 | 21.6 | 21.2 | 20.1 |
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4.3 | 10.7 | 26.2 | 34.3 | 39 | 37 | 35.8 | 32 |
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6.5 | 9.4 | 14 | 16.3 | 23.2 | 30 | 33.1 | 31.7 |
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15 | 20.1 | 27.3 | 25.3 | 25.2 | 24.8 | 26.7 | 30.2 |
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5 | 4.8 | 11.3 | 13.6 | 18 | 19.4 | 18.4 | 18.2 |
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4.6 | 11.4 | 13.8 | 15.8 | 19.7 | 24.1 | 22.4 | 22.3 |
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0 | 0 | 6.3 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 9.2 | 10.2 | 11.4 |
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4.2 | 10.9 | 24.6 | 29.9 | 39.1 | 46.3 | 35.9 | 38.3 |
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5.4 | 13.8 | 20.3 | 19 | 21.5 | 20.1 | 18.4 | 16.7 |
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6.1 | 10.4 | 12.8 | 12 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 14 |
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8.1 | 13.2 | 21.9 | 26.3 | 37.9 | 44.3 | 36.1 | 35.6 |
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5.5 | 14.3 | 23.4 | 28.2 | 30.8 | 31 | 30.1 | 29.5 |
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3.7 | 9.9 | 14.4 | 15.7 | 18.1 | 20.5 | 22.6 | 22.7 |
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0 | 5.5 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 10.5 |
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6.1 | 14.5 | 19.5 | 22.2 | 24.5 | 26.6 | 27.5 | 31.2 |
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5.4 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 10.4 | 10.8 |
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10.6 | 19.3 | 22.4 | 23.4 | 22.4 | 22.3 | 21.2 | 18.9 |
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4.7 | 8.5 | 13.9 | 16.7 | 22.2 | 23.2 | 26.6 | 23.8 |
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5 | 7.5 | 11.7 | 12.4 | 16.7 | 17.9 | 17.1 | 18.3 |
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9.3 | 13 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.8 | 15.8 |
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4.1 | 10.5 | 35.5 | 41.5 | 52 | 57.8 | 51.5 | 52.8 |
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4 | 9.3 | 15.1 | 15.5 | 19.3 | 21.2 | 19.2 | 21.1 |
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4.1 | 4.9 | 19.4 | 16.4 | 17.6 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 14.1 |
Drug overdose deaths by state over time[]
State | 1999 | 2005 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
169 | 283 | 723 | 736 | 756 | 835 | 775 | 768 |
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46 | 79 | 124 | 122 | 128 | 147 | 110 | 132 |
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511 | 794 | 356 | 1274 | 1382 | 1532 | 1670 | 1907 |
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113 | 269 | 1211 | 392 | 401 | 446 | 444 | 388 |
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2662 | 3214 | 4521 | 4659 | 4654 | 4868 | 5348 | 6198 |
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349 | 608 | 899 | 869 | 942 | 1015 | 995 | 1079 |
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310 | 295 | 623 | 800 | 971 | 1072 | 1069 | 1214 |
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50 | 62 | 189 | 198 | 282 | 338 | 401 | 435 |
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997 | 2371 | 2634 | 3228 | 4728 | 5088 | 4698 | 5268 |
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283 | 738 | 1206 | 1302 | 1394 | 1537 | 1404 | 1408 |
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80 | 126 | 157 | 169 | 191 | 203 | 213 | 242 |
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64 | 109 | 212 | 218 | 243 | 236 | 250 | 265 |
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825 | 1067 | 1705 | 1835 | 2411 | 2778 | 2722 | 2790 |
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191 | 610 | 1172 | 1245 | 1526 | 1852 | 1629 | 1699 |
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53 | 141 | 264 | 309 | 314 | 341 | 287 | 352 |
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89 | 241 | 332 | 329 | 313 | 333 | 345 | 403 |
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197 | 638 | 1077 | 1273 | 1419 | 1566 | 1315 | 1380 |
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188 | 661 | 777 | 861 | 996 | 1108 | 1140 | 1267 |
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67 | 163 | 216 | 269 | 353 | 424 | 345 | 371 |
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629 | 656 | 1070 | 1285 | 2044 | 2247 | 2324 | 2369 |
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488 | 780 | 1289 | 1724 | 2227 | 2168 | 2241 | 2210 |
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460 | 985 | 1762 | 1980 | 2347 | 2694 | 2591 | 2385 |
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136 | 282 | 517 | 581 | 672 | 733 | 636 | 792 |
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87 | 248 | 336 | 351 | 352 | 354 | 310 | 394 |
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276 | 608 | 1067 | 1066 | 1371 | 1367 | 1610 | 1583 |
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41 | 96 | 125 | 138 | 119 | 119 | 125 | 143 |
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39 | 86 | 125 | 126 | 120 | 152 | 138 | 161 |
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227 | 457 | 545 | 619 | 665 | 676 | 688 | 647 |
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54 | 142 | 334 | 422 | 481 | 467 | 452 | 407 |
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557 | 823 | 1253 | 1454 | 2056 | 2685 | 2900 | 2805 |
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266 | 373 | 547 | 501 | 500 | 493 | 537 | 599 |
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959 | 944 | 2300 | 2754 | 3638 | 3921 | 3697 | 3617 |
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366 | 1000 | 1358 | 1567 | 1956 | 2414 | 2259 | 2266 |
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12 | 12 | 43 | 61 | 77 | 68 | 70 | 82 |
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467 | 1243 | 2744 | 3310 | 4329 | 5111 | 3980 | 4251 |
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178 | 478 | 777 | 725 | 813 | 775 | 716 | 645 |
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210 | 386 | 522 | 505 | 506 | 530 | 547 | 615 |
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990 | 1613 | 2732 | 3264 | 4627 | 5388 | 4415 | 4377 |
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58 | 156 | 247 | 310 | 326 | 320 | 317 | 307 |
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147 | 427 | 701 | 761 | 879 | 1008 | 1125 | 1127 |
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17 | 40 | 63 | 65 | 69 | 73 | 57 | 86 |
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344 | 872 | 1269 | 1457 | 1630 | 1776 | 1823 | 2089 |
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1087 | 1910 | 2601 | 2588 | 2831 | 2989 | 3005 | 3136 |
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205 | 438 | 603 | 646 | 635 | 650 | 624 | 571 |
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29 | 53 | 83 | 99 | 125 | 134 | 153 | 133 |
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366 | 581 | 980 | 1039 | 1405 | 1507 | 1448 | 1547 |
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555 | 850 | 979 | 1094 | 1102 | 1169 | 1164 | 1259 |
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75 | 184 | 627 | 725 | 884 | 974 | 856 | 870 |
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212 | 518 | 853 | 878 | 1074 | 1177 | 1079 | 1201 |
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20 | 26 | 109 | 96 | 99 | 69 | 66 | 79 |
Overdose death rates and totals by drug[]
Concerning the data in the charts below (in this section and the following sections) deaths from the various drugs add up to more than the yearly overdose death total because multiple drugs are involved in many of the deaths.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/US_timeline._Drugs_involved_in_overdose_deaths.jpg/530px-US_timeline._Drugs_involved_in_overdose_deaths.jpg)
U.S. yearly overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines.[5]
U.S. yearly overdose deaths involving cocaine.[5]
Opioid overdose death rates and totals[]
Of the 70,200 overdose deaths in the US in 2017, opioids were involved in 47,600.[5] This is an increase from 2016 where over 64,000 died from drug overdose, and opioids were involved in over 42,000.[7] In 2017, the five states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose were West Virginia (57.8 per 100,000), Ohio (46.3 per 100,000), Pennsylvania (44.3 per 100,000), Kentucky (37.2 per 100,000), and New Hampshire (37.0 per 100,000).[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Timeline._Overdose_deaths_involving_opioids%2C_United_States.gif/530px-Timeline._Overdose_deaths_involving_opioids%2C_United_States.gif)
US yearly deaths from all opioid drugs. Included in this number are opioid analgesics, along with heroin and illicit synthetic opioids.[5]
US yearly deaths involving other synthetic opioids, predominately Fentanyl.[5]
US yearly deaths involving prescription opioids. Non-methadone synthetics is a category dominated by illegally acquired fentanyl, and has been excluded.[5]
US yearly overdose deaths involving heroin.[5]
The top line represents the yearly number of benzodiazepine deaths that involved opioids in the US. The bottom line represents benzodiazepine deaths that did not involve opioids.[5]
Opioid involvement in cocaine overdose deaths.[5]
Drug overdose deaths involving antidepressants, by opioid involvement.[5]
Overdose death rates by race and ethnicity[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Timeline._US_drug_overdose_death_rate_by_race_and_ethnicity.gif/530px-Timeline._US_drug_overdose_death_rate_by_race_and_ethnicity.gif)
See also[]
- List of deaths from drug overdose and intoxication
- Responsible drug use
- Suicide methods § Drug overdose
- Drug interactions
- Alcohol intoxication
- Adulterants
References[]
- ^ Fentanyl. Image 4 of 17. US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration).
- ^ a b c Drug Overdose Deaths. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Click on a map year. The data table is below the map. Number of deaths for each state, and the age-adjusted rates of death for each state. Also, place cursor on map states to get data.
- ^ a b Data is from these saved tables from CDC Wonder at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. The tables have totals, rates, and US populations per year.
- 1968-1978 data: Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. CDC WONDER Online Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd8.html on Mar 13, 2021 5:04:32 PM.
- 1979-1998 data: Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Mar 13, 2021 5:19:27 PM.
- 1999-2019 data: Multiple Cause of Death 1999-2019. CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10.html on Mar 13, 2021 5:05:13 PM.
- ^ Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph in Figure 1A to get the latest number. Scroll down the page and click on the dropdown data table called "Data Table for Figure 1a. 12 Month-ending Provisional Counts of Drug Overdose Deaths". The number used is the "predicted value" for the 12 month period that is ending at the end of that month. That number changes as more info comes in.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Overdose Death Rates. By National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
- ^ a b Drug Overdose Mortality by State. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. To get all the years click the "Download Data (CSV)" link just below the table.
- ^ National Center for Health Statistics. "Provisional Counts of Drug Overdose Deaths, as of 8/6/2017" (PDF). United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Source lists US totals for 2015 and 2016 and statistics by state.
- ^ Opioid Data Analysis and Resources. Drug Overdose. CDC Injury Center. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Click on "Rising Rates" tab for a graph. See the data table below the graph.
- ^ NCHS Data Visualization Gallery - Drug Poisoning Mortality. From National Center for Health Statistics. Open the dashboard dropdown menu and pick "U.S. Trends". From the menus on the right pick all races, all ages, and both sexes. Run your cursor over the graph to see the data.
Further reading[]
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Look up overdose in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to |
- Opioid Overdose Deaths by Race/Ethnicity. Kaiser Family Foundation.
- Opioid Overdose Deaths by Type of Opioid. Kaiser Family Foundation.
- Drug overdose
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- Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances
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