Provisional County-Level Drug Overdose Death Counts in the United States

Provisional counts of drug overdose deaths are reported for 12-month-ending periods by county of residence and month of death occurrence. The data, sourced from the National Vital Statistics System, includes quality metrics like the percentage of deaths pending investigation and historical completeness notes. Counts are updated quarterly and include deaths from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in drug overdose death counts by county of residence and month of death occurrence to identify emerging geographic hotspots.
• Monitor data quality by tracking the percentage of deaths with a cause pending investigation across different 12-month-ending periods.
• Assess the completeness of provisional surveillance data by examining historical completeness percentages provided for each reporting period.
• Compare provisional death counts across states and counties while accounting for suppressed counts (1-9) due to confidentiality standards.

Strengths

• Data is updated quarterly, providing regular updates for public health surveillance.
• Includes quality metrics like the percentage of deaths pending investigation and historical completeness notes to aid interpretation.
• Covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia, offering national geographic scope.
• Counts are for 12-month-ending periods, which are insensitive to seasonal reporting variations.

Limitations

• Provisional counts are incomplete and underestimate final counts due to pending investigations, especially for recent periods.
• Counts between 1 and 9 are suppressed for confidentiality, limiting granular analysis in low-population counties.
• Data has a reporting lag; provisional estimates for drug overdose deaths are reported approximately 6 months after the date of death.

Provenance

Source

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) via the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).

Collection Method

Based on death records received and processed by NCHS from state vital registration offices through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.

Time Range

Data is for 12-month-ending periods; specific start and end dates are not provided in the input.

Freshness

Updated quarterly; last updated January 23, 2026.

Geography

County-level data for the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.