In 2020 the United States suffered over 96,000 drug-induced deaths, or about 29.2 such deaths per 100,000 population.  These results were up sharply from 2019, when the U.S. recorded just over 74,500 drug-induced deaths, or 22.7 such deaths per 100,000 population.  The year-to-year increase in drug-induced deaths in the U.S. was the continuation of an unfavorable trend that goes back at least two decades.  This negative trend is mainly attributable to rising overdose deaths, which account for well over 90% of drug-induced deaths in the U.S. each year.  In 2020 the six-state New England region recorded 5,405 drug-induced deaths, giving the region a collective drug-induced death rate of 36.4 such deaths per 100,000 population.  In 2020, every state in the region recorded a drug-induced death rate above the national average and, collectively, New England was one of the worst regions of the country for drug-induced fatalities.  Further inspection of mortality data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reveals the following about drug-induced death rates in New England:

Drug-Induced Death Rates in New England

State	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Connecticut	1,434	3,557,006	40.3
Maine	513	1,350,141	38.0
Massachusetts	2,449	6,893,574	35.5
New Hampshire	402	1,366,275	29.4
Rhode Island	407	1,057,125	38.5
Vermont	200	623,347	32.1
Region	5,405	14,847,468	36.4
U.S. Totals	96,096	329,484,123	29.2

(*) number of drug-induced deaths (intentional and unintentional) per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on October 29 2022