Meth Overdose Deaths by State: CDC Data to February 2026
Methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths in the United States fell 13.8% over the year to February 2026 — from 28,993 to 24,994. That is a substantial national decline, and it is the headline most coverage stops at.
It is not what happened everywhere. Deaths rose in 6 states while falling in 38. The table below shows every state with reportable data, worst trend first.
What is being counted. These are deaths where the death certificate recorded psychostimulants with abuse potential (ICD-10 code T43.6). That category is predominantly methamphetamine but also includes other stimulants such as amphetamine. It excludes cocaine, which CDC counts separately.
Most of these deaths involve more than one drug. A large share also involve illicitly manufactured fentanyl. A substance appearing on a death certificate does not establish it as the sole cause — see fentanyl contamination.
Psychostimulant-involved overdose deaths by state
Provisional counts, 12 months ending February 2026, compared with the 12 months ending February 2025. Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Rapid Release.
| State | February 2026 | Year earlier | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 582 | 480 | +102 | ▲ +21.2% |
| New Hampshire | 46 | 39 | +7 | ▲ +17.9% |
| Colorado | 906 | 819 | +87 | ▲ +10.6% |
| Minnesota | 425 | 402 | +23 | ▲ +5.7% |
| Wyoming | 41 | 40 | +1 | ▲ +2.5% |
| Connecticut | 61 | 60 | +1 | ▲ +1.7% |
| Arizona | 1,689 | 1,696 | -7 | ▼ -0.4% |
| Montana | 86 | 87 | -1 | ▼ -1.1% |
| South Carolina | 482 | 493 | -11 | ▼ -2.2% |
| Utah | 280 | 300 | -20 | ▼ -6.7% |
| Maryland | 88 | 95 | -7 | ▼ -7.4% |
| Wisconsin | 209 | 229 | -20 | ▼ -8.7% |
| California | 5,076 | 5,622 | -546 | ▼ -9.7% |
| Kansas | 240 | 269 | -29 | ▼ -10.8% |
| Missouri | 488 | 549 | -61 | ▼ -11.1% |
| South Dakota | 24 | 27 | -3 | ▼ -11.1% |
| Michigan | 310 | 350 | -40 | ▼ -11.4% |
| Alaska | 180 | 205 | -25 | ▼ -12.2% |
| Tennessee | 862 | 984 | -122 | ▼ -12.4% |
| Texas | 1,809 | 2,075 | -266 | ▼ -12.8% |
| Idaho | 118 | 137 | -19 | ▼ -13.9% |
| Hawaii | 207 | 243 | -36 | ▼ -14.8% |
| Washington | 1,611 | 1,895 | -284 | ▼ -15.0% |
| Massachusetts | 144 | 172 | -28 | ▼ -16.3% |
| Illinois | 330 | 396 | -66 | ▼ -16.7% |
| New York | 254 | 311 | -57 | ▼ -18.3% |
| Georgia | 609 | 747 | -138 | ▼ -18.5% |
| Oklahoma | 454 | 559 | -105 | ▼ -18.8% |
| New York City | 180 | 225 | -45 | ▼ -20.0% |
| Kentucky | 539 | 674 | -135 | ▼ -20.0% |
| Iowa | 188 | 239 | -51 | ▼ -21.3% |
| Rhode Island | 25 | 32 | -7 | ▼ -21.9% |
| Ohio | 612 | 805 | -193 | ▼ -24.0% |
| West Virginia | 336 | 448 | -112 | ▼ -25.0% |
| Mississippi | 168 | 226 | -58 | ▼ -25.7% |
| Virginia | 248 | 335 | -87 | ▼ -26.0% |
| Maine | 121 | 164 | -43 | ▼ -26.2% |
| Indiana | 465 | 631 | -166 | ▼ -26.3% |
| New Jersey | 145 | 198 | -53 | ▼ -26.8% |
| Arkansas | 145 | 199 | -54 | ▼ -27.1% |
| Alabama | 333 | 469 | -136 | ▼ -29.0% |
| Vermont | 15 | 22 | -7 | ▼ -31.8% |
| District of Columbia | 27 | 47 | -20 | ▼ -42.6% |
| Delaware | 26 | 46 | -20 | ▼ -43.5% |
| United States | 24,994 | 28,993 | -3,999 | ▼ -13.8% |
Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Puerto Rico are not shown — CDC suppressed those figures for this period due to data quality or reporting completeness, not because deaths were zero.
Where deaths are still rising
Six states ran against the national trend:
- New Mexico — 480 to 582 (+102, +21.2%)
- New Hampshire — 39 to 46 (+7, +17.9%)
- Colorado — 819 to 906 (+87, +10.6%)
- Minnesota — 402 to 425 (+23, +5.7%)
- Wyoming — 40 to 41 (+1, +2.5%)
- Connecticut — 60 to 61 (+1, +1.7%)
New Mexico and Colorado are the two that matter most here. Both carry substantial absolute numbers, so their increases are not a small-sample artefact — New Mexico added 102 deaths and Colorado 87 in a year when the country as a whole recorded nearly 4,000 fewer.
Be careful with the others. New Hampshire, Wyoming and Connecticut are working from small bases — 39, 40 and 60 deaths respectively. At those numbers a handful of cases swings the percentage sharply, and a single year is not a trend. Treat small-state percentages as a prompt to look closer, not as a finding.
Where the decline was steepest
- Delaware — 46 to 26 (-20, -43.5%)
- District of Columbia — 47 to 27 (-20, -42.6%)
- Vermont — 22 to 15 (-7, -31.8%)
- Alabama — 469 to 333 (-136, -29.0%)
- Arkansas — 199 to 145 (-54, -27.1%)
- New Jersey — 198 to 145 (-53, -26.8%)
Delaware and the District of Columbia both fell more than 40%. As above, both are small enough that a single year should be read cautiously. Among larger states, Alabama (-29.0%) and Indiana recorded the steepest declines with numbers big enough to be meaningful.
Why there are no per-capita rates here
Raw counts favour big states — California will top almost any list because California is large. A rate per 100,000 people would be more comparable, and we have deliberately not published one.
The reason is that a rate is only as good as its denominator. CDC’s own state population series that pairs with this mortality data currently runs to 2018, and dividing 2026 deaths by 2018 population would produce numbers that look authoritative and are quietly wrong — some states have grown or shrunk considerably since. We would rather publish counts that are accurate than rates that are not.
For age-adjusted rates, CDC WONDER is the right tool and lets you build the query yourself.
How to read this data honestly
- These are provisional. Counts are revised as investigations close. Recent months are the least complete and will generally rise slightly.
- A ranking is not a league table of blame. Reporting practices, toxicology testing rates and coroner systems differ by state, and some of the variation between states is measurement rather than reality.
- Deaths are not use. This measures fatal overdoses, not how many people use meth. A state can have falling deaths and rising use, or the reverse — particularly where naloxone access and supply contamination are changing.
- One year is not a trend. Two data points make a line, not a direction.
- The national decline is real but partial. Nearly 25,000 people still died in a single twelve-month period.
What this is useful for
- Identifying where prevention, treatment and harm-reduction services are most needed
- Giving public health teams an early signal of emerging local risk
- Holding state policy to account — a state moving against the national trend is a question worth asking locally
- Understanding that a national improvement does not mean your state improved
If this is personal rather than statistical: SAMHSA National Helpline — 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7. FindTreatment.gov lists licensed facilities by location. Emergency: 911.
Recognising an overdose · Treatment and recovery · For families
Sources
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics. VSRR Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts. Indicator: Psychostimulants with abuse potential (T43.6), 12 month-ending periods. Data retrieved 3 August 2026.
- CDC WONDER — for age-adjusted rates and custom queries.
- CDC. Overdose Prevention.
General information, not medical advice — and not a substitute for care from a qualified clinician. This page has not been reviewed by a licensed clinician (medical review policy).
Need help now? SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 — free, 24/7. In an emergency, call 911. Published by PopNet Media LLC. Editorial policy · Sources · Corrections · Advertising disclosure.
