US Drug Overdose Deaths (12-Month Ending, Provisional)

## What this measures

The number of drug overdose deaths in the United States over the 12 months ending in the reference month, using CDC's predicted count (adjusted for deaths still under investigation) where published.

## Why it matters

Overdose deaths are the sharpest measure of what economists call deaths of despair. The count peaked above 110,000 in 2023 and has fallen sharply since.

## How to read it

A 12-month rolling total, so each point already smooths a year. Read the direction of the trailing six months.

## What it does not say

Provisional data are revised as death certificates and investigations close; the most recent points are the least complete. The CDC's predicted value corrects for reporting lag; the reported count is kept in each observation's metadata.

## Source

CDC / National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Rapid Release, dataset `xkb8-kh2a` on data.cdc.gov. Public domain.