Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in New York
This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in New York
When Purdue Pharma first began sales of OxyContin in the late 1990s, it was advertised as relief for cancer patients and people with chronic pain. Aggressive marketing fueled the drug's popularity, along with that of other opioid pain management drugs on the market. But as the company touted OxyContin to physicians, it downplayed the drug's addictiveness, according to confidential Justice Department reports obtained by news organizations, leading to widespread use that has fueled an opioid epidemic across the U.S.
More than 645,000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data shows just under 80,000 people died in 2022 alone.
Opioid prescriptions have decreased dramatically over the past decade as physicians and public health officials learned about the dangers of OxyContin and other opioids prescribed for pain management. In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the national opioid dispense rate reached 43.3 per 100 people, the lowest rate ever recorded.
A 2022 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that counties with higher dispensing rates had more cases of opioid misuse and dependence. The study suggested that reducing prescriptions at the local level can lower a community's rate of opioid abuse or misuse.
Other studies, however, have suggested that decreasing prescriptions may have fueled a new phase of the opioid epidemic: the rise of synthetics like fentanyl. In 2020, synthetics accounted for 82% of all opioid deaths.
It's also important to note that, as awareness has grown about the dangers of dispensing opioid prescription painkillers, more health care professionals are also prescribing medications like Suboxone–which contains buprenorphine and naloxone—for the treatment of addiction and opioid use disorders. While Suboxone is also an opioid medication, it works differently than typical opioid painkillers, blocking the effects of more powerful and addictive opioids to deter intentional misuse.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ophelia broke down counties in every state with the highest opioid dispense rates. In the case of a tie, the county with the higher population and higher raw number is ranked higher. Data was available for 98% of counties in the United States. Overall in New York, the opioid dispensing rate was 31.9 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of New York stand.
#50. Oswego County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 22.5 per 100 people
--- 29.5% lower than state average
--- 48.0% lower than national average
#49. Seneca County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.0 per 100 people
--- 27.9% lower than state average
--- 46.9% lower than national average
#48. Washington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.1 per 100 people
--- 24.5% lower than state average
--- 44.3% lower than national average
#47. Cayuga County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.3 per 100 people
--- 23.8% lower than state average
--- 43.9% lower than national average
#46. Westchester County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.7 per 100 people
--- 22.6% lower than state average
--- 43.0% lower than national average
#45. Putnam County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.1 per 100 people
--- 21.3% lower than state average
--- 42.0% lower than national average
#44. Chenango County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.2 per 100 people
--- 21.0% lower than state average
--- 41.8% lower than national average
#43. Richmond County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 26.6 per 100 people
--- 16.6% lower than state average
--- 38.6% lower than national average
#42. Wyoming County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.0 per 100 people
--- 15.4% lower than state average
--- 37.6% lower than national average
#41. Niagara County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.2 per 100 people
--- 14.7% lower than state average
--- 37.2% lower than national average
#40. Rockland County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.5 per 100 people
--- 13.8% lower than state average
--- 36.5% lower than national average
#39. Hamilton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.6 per 100 people
--- 13.5% lower than state average
--- 36.3% lower than national average
#38. Allegany County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.9 per 100 people
--- 12.5% lower than state average
--- 35.6% lower than national average
#37. Rensselaer County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.0 per 100 people
--- 12.2% lower than state average
--- 35.3% lower than national average
#36. Orange County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.0 per 100 people
--- 9.1% lower than state average
--- 33.0% lower than national average
#35. Schenectady County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.2 per 100 people
--- 8.5% lower than state average
--- 32.6% lower than national average
#34. Suffolk County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.9 per 100 people
--- 6.3% lower than state average
--- 30.9% lower than national average
#33. Schoharie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.2 per 100 people
--- 5.3% lower than state average
--- 30.3% lower than national average
#32. Franklin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.1 per 100 people
--- 0.6% higher than state average
--- 25.9% lower than national average
#31. Saratoga County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.2 per 100 people
--- 0.9% higher than state average
--- 25.6% lower than national average
#30. Dutchess County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.4 per 100 people
--- 1.6% higher than state average
--- 25.2% lower than national average
#29. Essex County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.7 per 100 people
--- 2.5% higher than state average
--- 24.5% lower than national average
#28. Fulton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.0 per 100 people
--- 6.6% higher than state average
--- 21.5% lower than national average
#27. Ulster County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.8 per 100 people
--- 9.1% higher than state average
--- 19.6% lower than national average
#26. Steuben County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.0 per 100 people
--- 9.7% higher than state average
--- 19.2% lower than national average
#25. Columbia County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.9 per 100 people
--- 12.5% higher than state average
--- 17.1% lower than national average
#24. Ontario County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.5 per 100 people
--- 14.4% higher than state average
--- 15.7% lower than national average
#23. Cattaraugus County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.9 per 100 people
--- 15.7% higher than state average
--- 14.8% lower than national average
#22. Schuyler County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 37.7 per 100 people
--- 18.2% higher than state average
--- 12.9% lower than national average
#21. Saint Lawrence County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.3 per 100 people
--- 20.1% higher than state average
--- 11.5% lower than national average
#20. Oneida County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.6 per 100 people
--- 24.1% higher than state average
--- 8.5% lower than national average
#19. Livingston County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.2 per 100 people
--- 26.0% higher than state average
--- 7.2% lower than national average
#18. Monroe County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.2 per 100 people
--- 26.0% higher than state average
--- 7.2% lower than national average
#17. Nassau County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.3 per 100 people
--- 29.5% higher than state average
--- 4.6% lower than national average
#16. Chautauqua County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.9 per 100 people
--- 31.3% higher than state average
--- 3.2% lower than national average
#15. Madison County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 43.0 per 100 people
--- 34.8% higher than state average
--- 0.7% lower than national average
#14. Genesee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.1 per 100 people
--- 38.2% higher than state average
--- 1.8% higher than national average
#13. Otsego County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 47.7 per 100 people
--- 49.5% higher than state average
--- 10.2% higher than national average
#12. Jefferson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.0 per 100 people
--- 53.6% higher than state average
--- 13.2% higher than national average
#11. Tompkins County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.8 per 100 people
--- 56.1% higher than state average
--- 15.0% higher than national average
#10. Montgomery County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 50.7 per 100 people
--- 58.9% higher than state average
--- 17.1% higher than national average
#9. Broome County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.6 per 100 people
--- 74.3% higher than state average
--- 28.4% higher than national average
#8. New York County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.3 per 100 people
--- 76.5% higher than state average
--- 30.0% higher than national average
#7. Albany County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.5 per 100 people
--- 80.3% higher than state average
--- 32.8% higher than national average
#6. Erie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.2 per 100 people
--- 82.4% higher than state average
--- 34.4% higher than national average
#5. Onondaga County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 59.5 per 100 people
--- 86.5% higher than state average
--- 37.4% higher than national average
#4. Clinton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.5 per 100 people
--- 111.6% higher than state average
--- 55.9% higher than national average
#3. Chemung County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.5 per 100 people
--- 111.6% higher than state average
--- 55.9% higher than national average
#2. Sullivan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.9 per 100 people
--- 125.4% higher than state average
--- 66.1% higher than national average
#1. Warren County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.1 per 100 people
--- 126.0% higher than state average
--- 66.5% higher than national average
