US Drug Overdose Deaths Dropped 24 Percent in September 2024

Deaths are projected to have declined in 45 out of 50 states, rising in five—Alaska, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah.

A field researcher with the New York City Department of Health holds up drug tests used to detect the presence of fentanyl and xylazine in different kinds of drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, at St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction in New York City on May 25, 2023. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Drug overdose deaths declined in the United States in September last year compared to the same time in 2023, but continued to remain the leading cause of deaths among people aged 18-44, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“New provisional data from CDC’s National Vital Statistics System predict a nearly 24 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year,” the agency said in a Feb. 25 statement.