US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 107,000 Last Year, CDC Says

NEW YORK (AP) – More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic U.S. record.

That translates to roughly one overdose death every 5 minutes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday released provisional data for 2021. The estimate marked a 15% increase from previous record–set just the year before. The CDC reviews death certificates to come up with the estimates.

Overdose death trends are geographically uneven. Alaska saw a 75% increase in 2021–the largest jump of any state. In Hawaii, overdose deaths fell by 2%.

By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press