Fentanyl Facts

Posted: October 20th, 2022

Drug Overdose Death Rates

Drug overdose deaths are up 30% year-over-year

Key Findings

• 96k+ - Over 96,700 people die from drug overdoses in a year
• 72% - Opioids are a factor in 7 out of every 10 overdose deaths
• 1 Million - Drug overdoses have killed almost a million people since 1999

Recent Drug Overdose Deaths

More than four (4) times as many people died from drug overdose (OD) than from homicide in the first month of 2021.

• 96,779 drug overdose deaths were reported from March 2020 to March 2021.
• OD death totals during this period are 36.1% higher than the previous annual high from December 2018 to December 2019 (71,130 deaths)
• Preliminary reports indicate the number of drug overdose deaths in America increased 29.6% in 2020
• In January 2021, drug overdose deaths exceeded homicides by 306.7%
• Motor vehicle accidents and suicides combined killed 84.5 0% as many as ODs.

Deadliest Drugs

Drug Overdose Death Rates

Overdose death counts can be deceptive. Just as drug-related deaths aren’t always recorded as overdoses, some overdoses involve multiple drug types.

• The national OD rate is 21.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.
• Among youth and young adults aged 15 to 24 years, the average annual OD death rate is 12.6 out of every 100,000.
• The OD death rate among this same age group is 41.9% lower than the national average death rate.
•  Men are more than twice as likely as women to die from drug overdose.

• Women are dying from drug overdoses at a slightly faster annual rate.
• Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the male OD death rate exceeds the women's by 146.8%.
• Opioids are the deadliest drug type; at least one type of opioid is a factor in 71.76% of ODs.
• Opioids kill more than three (3) times as many people as cocaine.
• OD deaths rank just below diabetes in terms of highest death count.
• Between 2018 and 2019, drug overdose rates fell by 4.6% and for the first time since 2012.

Opioid Overdose Death Rates

The fastest growing drug category among the OD deaths is synthetic opioids. and many opioid deaths involve other drugs.

• Opioids kill more than 136 Americans every day.
• The national OD death rate increased 255.74% between 2000 and 2019.
• 21.5% was the sharpest year-over-year increase, from 2015 to 2016.
• That same year, the synthetic opioid OD death rate doubled.
• The rate of OD deaths involving any opioid spiked 27.89% from 2015 to 2016.
• Heroin OD death rates increase at an average annual rate of 55.7%
• The rate of OD deaths involving synthetic opioids increased at an annual rate of 580% over five years (2012-2017).

Overdosed Deaths Among Demographics

Rapid release data is unavailable, and demographics likely shifted during the recent pandemic

• Among males, OD deaths have increased at an annual growth rate of 14.16%.
• Among females, OD deaths have increased at an annual growth rate of 14.96%
• Among women, American Indian and Alaska Natives are the most likely to die from an OD.
• Among men, Black or African Americans are the most likely to die from an OD.
• Among both genders, Asian and Pacific Islanders are the least likely to die due to OD.
• Men aged 25 to 34 years old are the most likely among all age groups to die from an OD.
• Among men in that age group, the OD death rate is 146.82% higher than women in the same age group.
• Among women, overdose deaths are most common among 45- to 54-year-olds.
• Among that age group, men are still 75.64%.

State Drug Overdose Statistics

There is a wide range of overdose death rates among the states; the highest concentration is located in the Northeast, straddling the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions. 

•  Maryland sees the greatest overdose death rate among all deaths, with 4.68% of annual deaths attributed to drug overdose.
• California has the highest number of drug overdose deaths at 6,198.
• West Virginia has more drug overdose deaths per capita than any other state (52.8 out of every 100,000 residents).
• Nebraska sees the lowest rate of overdose deaths at 0.95%, with 8.7 deaths out of every 100,000 residents.
• Wyoming has the lowest number of overdose deaths at 79.
• Oklahoma has seen the largest 3-year decrease at an 8.05% annual decline.
• Delaware has seen the largest 3-year increase at an annual growth rate of 16.0%.

*Rate of OD deaths among all deaths of all types