Highlights
- U.S. drug overdose deaths fell nearly 14% in 2025 to just under 70,000, the third consecutive annual decline, per new CDC data.
- Arizona overdose deaths rose 18% in 2025, one of only seven states where deaths increased, according to the Arizona Capitol Times.
- Opioid overdose deaths have fallen by nearly half since peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping from roughly 85,000 to an estimated 44,500 last year.
- Psychostimulants including methamphetamine accounted for about 26,000 deaths nationally in 2025; cocaine was present in about 20,000 victims' systems.
Arizona recorded an 18% increase in drug overdose deaths in 2025, making it one of only two states with the highest growth rates nationally, even as the United States posted its third consecutive annual decline in overdose fatalities, according to new CDC data reported by the Arizona Capitol Times.
Just under 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a nearly 14% decline over the prior 12-month period. New Mexico led the states moving in the wrong direction with a 21% increase; Arizona followed at 18%. Deaths rose in seven states overall, concentrated in the Plains and the Southwest. The national decline was confirmed independently by Reuters, the AP, and Al Jazeera, all citing the same CDC release.
Opioids remain the leading cause of overdose death nationally, though the toll has dropped sharply from pandemic-era peaks. In 2023, nearly 85,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses and another 77,000 from synthetic opioids. Last year those figures fell to an estimated 44,500 and 38,000, respectively. Psychostimulants, including amphetamines, methamphetamine, and MDMA, were responsible for about 26,000 deaths nationally in 2025. Cocaine was present in the systems of about 20,000 overdose victims. The CDC methodology counts each drug found in a victim's system separately, meaning individuals who ingested multiple substances appear in more than one drug category.
Maricopa County maintains city-specific fatal overdose dashboards tracking communities that averaged at least 50 fatal overdoses annually between 2020 and 2024, a resource that will be updated as the new state-level figures are incorporated.
Arizona's 2025 state-level breakdown from the CDC is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- azcapitoltimes.com retrieved 14/05/2026 20:15
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 14/05/2026 20:15. Every claim traces to a source.
