Hi Matthew, Overdose deaths fall 33% nationwide, 48 states decline
U.S. overdose death rate declined by about one-third, analysis finds
The U.S. overdose death rate fell to 19.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the latest available data, from 30.8 per 100,000 earlier in the period analyzed, a decline of roughly 33%.
An analysis shared by Fresh Ink Media, based on CDC Injury and Violence Data Visualization figures covering February 2023 through January 2026, found that 48 states recorded lower overdose death rates. Arizona and South Dakota were the only states where rates increased, according to the analysis.
The nationwide improvement did not eliminate wide differences among states. West Virginia had the highest three-year average overdose death rate, at 52.5 per 100,000 people—about 7.5 times Nebraska’s 7.0 rate, the analysis said.
Alaska ranked second with a three-year average rate of 45.4 deaths per 100,000, followed by New Mexico at 41.9, Washington at 38.1 and Tennessee at 36.8. Delaware, Nevada, Louisiana, Arizona and Kentucky completed the 10 states with the highest average rates in the analysis.
Arizona’s three-year average rate was 33.6 deaths per 100,000, placing it ninth nationally despite being among the two states where the rate moved higher during the period.