Where U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Are Surging

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released grim preliminary data showing that the number of drug overdose deaths in the United States climbed by nearly 30 percent in 2020, reaching just over 92,000. The number of deaths climbed in every U.S. states with the exception of two - South Dakota and New Hampshire.

While the trend in rising overdose deaths was most evident across swathes of the west and south, the largest percentage increase was recorded in Vermont, followed by West Virginia and Kentucky. An analysis conducted by The New York Times found that the 2020 drug overdose death toll saw Americans lose 3.5 million years of life compared to 5.5 million lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.