Philadelphia Overdose Data 2024
Philadelphia recorded 1,045 overdose deaths in 2024 — a 20% decrease from 1,310 in 2023 and the second consecutive annual decline after the 2022 peak of 1,376 (Philadelphia Department of Public Health).
Year-Over-Year Trend
Philadelphia's overdose death toll peaked at 1,376 in 2022, declined to 1,310 in 2023, and fell to 1,045 in 2024 — a 20% year-over-year drop and the steepest decline since tracking began. Preliminary state data for January through August 2025 recorded 469 overdose deaths in the city; if that pace holds, 2025 will be the first year since 2016 with fewer than 1,000 deaths in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania statewide saw a 29% decline in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024 (Pennsylvania Department of Health preliminary data).
Substances Involved in 2023 Deaths
Fentanyl was involved in approximately 80% of all drug-involved deaths in Philadelphia in 2023. Cocaine was involved in 63% — a sharp rise driven largely by fentanyl contamination of the cocaine supply. Stimulants without any opioids accounted for 15% of deaths. Xylazine was involved in 38% of all overdose deaths and was always present alongside fentanyl. More than 10,000 patients with opioid use disorder were seen in Philadelphia emergency departments in 2023.
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Demographic Disparity
The 2023 decrease in overdose deaths was not evenly distributed across Philadelphia. Deaths among non-Hispanic White residents fell 15%. Deaths among non-Hispanic Black residents fell only 5%. Deaths among Hispanic residents rose 2%. The overdose death rate for Philadelphia Latinos in 2023 was 77.9 per 100,000 residents (Philadelphia DPH, as cited in the Inquirer). Philadelphia's 2023 unintentional overdose rate was 8.5 per 10,000 people — the second-highest rate on record.
Neighborhood Concentration
The River Wards — Kensington, Fishtown, Bridesburg, and Port Richmond — bear the heaviest burden. In Pew's 2025 survey, 76% of River Ward residents reported the opioid crisis had a negative impact on their neighborhood quality of life, up from 64% in 2019. Harrowgate and Olde Richmond, adjacent neighborhoods, are similarly affected. Center City, South Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia have lower per-capita overdose rates but higher concentrations of professional-class callers seeking placement services.
Medetomidine — The 2024-2025 Development
By January 2025, DEA Operation Engage Philadelphia testing found medetomidine — a veterinary sedative 200 times more potent than xylazine — in 87% of fentanyl samples. Preliminary Philadelphia DPH data found medetomidine in approximately 15% of fatal overdoses between May 2024 and May 2025. The shift from xylazine to medetomidine adulteration means Philadelphia-area detox protocols are being updated on an ongoing basis.
What Is Driving the Decline
Multiple factors appear to be contributing: distribution of more than 100,000 naloxone doses in 2023 (nearly double 2022), the launch of the Naloxone in Black initiative placing free naloxone boxes outside 61 Philadelphia fire stations starting August 2025, expansion of buprenorphine prescribing (the number of Philadelphia prescribers writing buprenorphine nearly tripled between 2017 and 2023), the city's door-to-door outreach distributing naloxone and treatment resources in affected neighborhoods, and national trends in reduced substance use among teens and young adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are overdose deaths still declining in Philadelphia?
Is fentanyl still the dominant substance?
Why are overdose rates declining more slowly among Black Philadelphians?
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