King County, Washington: Distribution of drug overdose deaths by housing status 2019-2022

In King County, Washington, the highest share of drug overdose deaths between 2019 and 2024 occurred in houses that were privately owned or rented. However, in 2023, around 24 percent of drug overdose deaths occurred in a location not meant for human habitation or emergency shelter. This statistic depicts the distribution of drug overdose deaths in King County, Washington between 2019 and 2024, by housing status.

Distribution of drug overdose deaths in King County, Washington between 2019 and 2024, by housing status

Characteristic	Unknown or missing	A location not meant for human habitation OR emergency shelt	Temporary housing situations	A location operated or subsidized by governmental or social service agency	A privately owned or rented location
2019	10%	14%	3%	12%	61%
2020	9%	12%	4%	14%	61%
2021	5%	12%	6%	16%	61%
2022	7%	21%	4%	17%	51%
2023	2%	24%	4%	19%	52%
2024	3%	25%	4%	21%	48%

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Release date

April 2024

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Region

North America, United States (Washington)

Survey time period

2019 to 2024

Supplementary notes

King County is the largest county in Washington State and includes the city of Seattle as well the surrounding area. A list of the cities, towns and unincorporated areas of King County can be found here.
Data definitions:
King County Medical Examiner's Office (KCMEO) medicolegal death investigators categorize where the decedent was living at time of death based on residence information collected from place and circumstances of death and/or testimony from witnesses or next of kin. The operational definitions of housing locations include:
■ A location not meant for human habitation OR emergency shelter: Encampments, vehicles, abandoned buildings, parks, other outdoor location emergency shelter.
■ Temporary housing situations: reflects a number of housing situations including short-term stays with friends/acquaintances.
■ A location operated or subsidized by governmental or social service agency: Permanent supportive housing, income-restricted units, recovery housing.
■ A privately owned or rented location: Properties without known connections to governmental or social service programs

For a better understanding of the methodology, check "Methods Report: Documentation and Analysis of Fatal Overdose Data"

Data limitations as described by the source:

"KCMEO death investigators categorize decedents’ housing status according the five categories listed above. Ascertainment of housing status can be complicated by scarcity of information, conflicting information, and dynam nature of housing service programs and locations. The categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive, meaning that some housing situations, like staying at a shelter, transitional housing, in a hotel/motel, in an RV, and cou surfing, may be inconsistently categorized. Public Health - Seattle & King County is considering strategies to improve its assessment of the housing status of overdose decedents. The numbers presented on this page are subject to change as our methods evolve over time."

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