Drug overdose deaths declined last year, except in these 8 states |
Drug overdose deaths declined last year, except in these 8 states
(NEXSTAR) – For a third consecutive year, fatal drug overdose deaths have declined in the U.S., new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Wednesday. Unfortunately, not every state has followed that trend.
According to the provisional data from the CDC, there were more than 68,600 reported drug overdose deaths by December 2025. (This figure is assumed to underrepresent the real total, which the CDC predicts to be more than 69,900.)
By the same time in 2024, there were 80,860 reported overdose deaths.
Among reported deaths, that’s a 15.1% decline, year-over-year, CDC data shows.
Twenty-eight states saw deaths drop at an even greater rate. In four states – Oregon, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and New York – reported deaths declined by more than 30%, according to the provisional data.
Alternatively, three states reported an increase of 10% or more in drug overdose deaths last year: New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Other states that saw rates increase include North Dakota, Minnesota,........