- New research has identified the states with the most deaths due to drug overdoses, with West Virginia claiming the top spot with 75.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
- In second place was Tennessee with 54.3 fatalities per 100,000 people, with Delaware following in third with 53.9 deaths per 100,000 people.
- Louisiana had the fourth highest rate of fatal drug overdoses, with 51.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
A new study had identified the states with the most fatal drug overdoses, with West Virginia coming out on top with 75.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
According to the CDC, drug overdose deaths have steadily increased since 2010, with 2022 figures reaching 107,941 – a record high at the time.
With that in mind, addiction treatment specialists Amethyst Recovery Center retrieved data from health policy research, polling and news source KFF to determine the number of drug overdoses in each state from January to December 2022.
This was then calculated as deaths per 100,000 people, using census population data, which was used to determine the number of fatal overdoses proportionate to each state’s population, and compile a ranking of the states with the most to least fatal overdoses.
Ranking as the state with the most fatal overdoses was West Virginia, which recorded 75.3 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. In total, West Virginia reported 1,335 drug overdose deaths from January 2022 to December 2022.
Ranking second was Tennessee with 54.3 fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people. Overall, Tennessee had 3,825 drug overdose deaths in 2022.
Following in third was Delaware with 53.9 drug overdose fatalities per 100,000 people. In 2022, Delaware fatal drug overdoses totaled 549.
In fourth place was Louisiana, which reported 51.8 fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people. In 2022, Louisiana’s drug overdose deaths amounted to 2,376 across the state.
Rounding out the top five was Maine with 50.8 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. This corresponded to 707 fatal drug overdoses in total.
Other states featuring in the top 10 for most fatal drug overdoses included Kentucky (50.3 per 100,000 people), New Mexico (48.5 per 100,000 people), Ohio (43.7 per 100,000 people), South Carolina (43.1 per 100,000 people) and Vermont (43.1 per 100,000 people).
Top 10 states with the most fatal drug overdoses
Rank |
State |
All drug overdose deaths |
Fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people |
1. |
West Virginia |
1,335 |
75.3 |
2. |
Tennessee |
3,825 |
54.3 |
3. |
Delaware |
549 |
53.9 |
4. |
Louisiana |
2,376 |
51.8 |
5. |
Maine |
707 |
50.8 |
6. |
Kentucky |
2,271 |
50.3 |
7. |
New Mexico |
1,024 |
48.5 |
8. |
Ohio |
5,144 |
43.7 |
9. |
South Carolina |
2,278 |
43.1 |
10. |
Vermont |
276 |
42.7 |
At the other end of the spectrum, many states were found to have fatal drug overdose statistics well below the national average of 33.2 per 100,000 people.
The state with the lowest rate of fatal drug overdoses was South Dakota, which reported 10.4 fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people. In 2022, South Dakota’s drug overdose deaths amounted to 95 statewide.
Nebraska had the second least fatal drug overdoses, with 11.4 per 100,000 people. Overall, Nebraska had 225 drug overdose deaths in 2022.
Third from bottom was Iowa, which recorded 14.7 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. In total, Iowa experienced 469 drug overdose deaths from January 2022 to December 2022.
Just ahead was Texas with 18.3 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. This corresponded to 5,489 fatal drug overdoses in total.
Other states with low numbers of fatal drug overdoses included Utah (18.5 per 100,000 people), Montana (18.5 per 100,000 people), North Dakota (19 per 100,000 people), Hawaii (19.7 per 100,000 people), Idaho (19.9 per 100,000 people) and Arkansas (20.3 per 100,000 people).
10 states with the lowest rates of fatal drug overdose
Rank |
State |
All drug overdose deaths |
Fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people |
48. |
South Dakota |
95 |
10.4 |
47. |
Nebraska |
225 |
11.4 |
46. |
Iowa |
469 |
14.7 |