New York City is finally making a noticeable dent in its drug overdose crisis, mirroring a national trend, according to the latest data from the city health department.
The city recorded 2,192 deaths from accidental drug overdoses last year, a 28% decrease from the 3,056 deaths in 2023, according to preliminary city data released Tuesday. Drug deaths in the city first started to level off in 2023 after four straight years of record-breaking highs.
“Progress on reducing opioid overdoses will never make up for the families that have been devastated and the communities torn apart by these drugs, but it gives us hope that brighter days are ahead,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
The next mayor will take office at a pivotal moment in the effort to dial back overdose deaths and will be tasked with finding ways to build on this progress. The city’s HealthyNYC project to extend life expectancy set a goal of reducing annual overdose deaths to 1,812 by 2030.
The rise of opioids over the past 25 years, and fentanyl, in particular, over the past decade, helped to more than quadruple the annual overdose death toll across the five boroughs, which city data shows hovered just above 600 in the year 2000.
Nationwide, there were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2024 — a decrease of 27% from the 110,037 deaths estimated in the year before, according to the federal data.
Also, for the first time since 2018, overdose deaths dropped last year among Black and Latino New Yorkers, and deaths were down in every borough across the city. But the data shows deep racial and geographic disparities persist.
In the Bronx, 24% fewer residents died of overdoses last year than in 2023, city data shows. But the borough continues to bear the biggest burden of the overdose crisis, with a death rate that remains more than double that of Manhattan.
“My borough's devastated with the overdose deaths,” said Marilyn Reyes, a board member at the nonprofit Vocal NY who does peer outreach to drug users in the Bronx. “The city must continue their investment in solutions that work.”
Reyes said she was concerned that she’s recently seen more policing of drug users in her borough, which she and some other advocates consider disruptive to efforts to connect people to services. “If we don't continue on the path of reducing harm, we're going to continue losing more people in the black and brown community,” Reyes said.
Toni Smith, the state director for the Drug Policy Alliance, said she was encouraged to see that the latest decline in drug deaths extended to the hardest-hit communities. But she also noted that the illegal “drug supply is unpredictable,” meaning steady progress is not a given.
“ There's no guarantee that a trend downward this year means a trend downward next year,” Smith said.
Staten Island saw the biggest improvement last year, with a 49% decline in overdose deaths.
“As city leaders, we must be steadfast in our support of programs that save lives, while we continue to address historic disinvestment and other forms of structural racism,” said Dr. Michelle Morse, the acting city health commissioner.
Although recent federal cuts have put some public health efforts at risk, the city and state have received a windfall in recent years from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers – money that has been dedicated to addressing addiction and reducing overdose deaths.
New York City has so far garnered about $190 million from those settlements and that’s expected to grow to $550 million by 2041, according to the city.
In its announcement of the latest data, the Adams administration touted its investments so far in treatment programs and initiatives to reduce the harms of drug use, including $41 million distributed in fiscal year 2025.
Adams has also supported the operation of two overdose prevention centers during his time in office. At these centers, New Yorkers can use illicit drugs under the supervision of trained staff who can intervene if there are signs of an overdose.
Advocates who work with drug users in the city said more overdose prevention centers are needed, but the model remains on shaky legal ground under federal law. In the last mayoral debate, both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s running as an independent, and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani said they would maintain the same number of overdose prevention centers. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said he would abolish the program.
In August, Adams also announced $27 million to expand treatment and harm reduction programs, although it’s unclear whether that funding has already been allocated.
This story was updated with a link to the new findings from the city.
