Despite the decrease in overdose deaths in the United States in 2024, deaths rebound in the State of Arizona in early...

Drug overdose deaths decreased in the United States overall from 2023 to 2024, yet provisional data suggest a subsequent increase in overdose deaths in the southwestern state of Arizona. To better understand this pattern, we compared Arizona overdose death counts in the most recent months available and in previous years.

We analyzed monthly drug overdose death counts (overall and by demographic and drug type) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for deaths that occurred in Arizona from January 2018-August 2025.

Arizona overdose deaths in January, February, March, and April 2025 reached the highest monthly totals recorded for these months across all years examined (2018-2025). The provisional number of overdose deaths in Arizona from January-August 2025 (2,034) was 20% higher than in January-August 2024 (1,689), and percent increases were most pronounced in ages 18-24 (increasing 35% from 69 to 93), ages 25-34 (increasing 29% from 328 to 423), ages 35-44 (increasing 28% from 414 to 530), and Hispanic (increasing 43% from 443 to 634) and Non-Hispanic Black (increasing 25% from 154 to 193) populations. Increases between January-August 2024 and January-August 2025 were observed across deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl (increasing 40% from 996 to 1,396), psychostimulants such as methamphetamine (increasing 23% from 1,005 to 1,233), and cocaine (increasing 66% from 177 to 294).

Nationwide declines in overdose deaths are encouraging but may obscure potential rebounds at the state/local level, and sustained investment is warranted in evidence-based harm reduction and overdose prevention programs.