Drug Induced Deaths in the Rocky Mountain Region

U.S. drug induced deaths totaled over 74,500 in 2019, or about 22.7 deaths per 100,000 population.  Drug overdoses, both accidental and intentional, accounted for almost 95% of these fatalities.  In the twenty years from 1999, the number of drug induced deaths in the U.S. per 100,000 population more than tripled.  While all regions of the country witnessed sharp increases in drug induced deaths in the twenty years from 1999 to 2019, the experience in the five-state Rocky Mountain region was less severe.  Even so, the region's drug induced death rate more than doubled, from 7.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 18.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.   A review of data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following about drug induced deaths in the Rocky Mountain region.:

Drug Induced Deaths in the Rocky Mountain Region

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
CO	375	784	1,118
ID	66	181	280
MT	48	147	153
UT	212	508	614
WY	21	63	81
Region	722	1,683	2,246
U.S.	19,128	39,147	74,511
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
CO	8.9	15.8	19.4
ID	5.2	11.6	15.7
MT	5.3	14.9	14.3
UT	9.6	18.7	19.2
WY	4.3	11.3	14.0
Region	7.9	15.6	18.1
U.S.	6.9	12.8	22.7

(*) number of drug induced deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 5, 2021