We are on our way back down!
But how far left do we have to go to get back to normal?
After opioid overdoses rose exponentially in the United States for two decades — 8.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2003 to 32.6 in 2022 – the death rate has finally decreased to 31.3 in 2023 (according to a National Vital Statistics Survey report 2025).
This downward trend is mirrored in Florida and in the Tampa Bay region (FDLE drug caused death data pulled 1/2025). The region’s death rates are dropping, yet we are still experiencing 120% greater loss of life from opioids than we were just 8 years ago.
The rates of response by EMS to nonfatal overdoses in the Tampa Bay region is trending down as well (provisional data ODMaps), with the largest increase occurring between 2022 and 2023.
Yet this trend is not bearing out for all demographics.
In the US, the death rate is increasing for those 55 and older. And in Florida, as the death rate has steadily declined over the past three years, the number of deaths continue to increase for those 60 years and older. Astonishingly, if you live in the Tampa Bay region, you are more likely to die from a fatal overdose if you are 60 or older than if you are 30 years old or younger.
Finally, as rates decreased for White non-Hispanic people from 2022-2023 nationally, rates for other race and Hispanic-origin groups generally stayed the same or increased. The Tampa Bay region fares better with the exponential growth of the opioid overdose death rate in the black community finally beginning to reverse course.
Interested in finding out how our region stacks up against other MSAs? Want to gain a better understanding of trends overtime? Join us for our Annual Leaders Luncheon to End Overdose on March 28, 2025, where Bemetra Simmons, Leadership Chair of Live Tampa Bay and President/CEO of Tampa Bay Partnerships, will present the State of the Overdose Epidemic in our Region.