The age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths fell 4.0% from 32.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022 to 31.3 in 2023.
Overdose death rates decreased in 20 states and remained unchanged in 25 while six states — Alabama, Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — saw increases. The highest overdose death rates in 2023 were recorded in West Virginia and the District of Columbia, while Nebraska and South Dakota had the lowest.
The decline was driven by fewer deaths involving opioids, specifically synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, the CDC said.
