How many drug overdose deaths happen every year in Kentucky?
Updated May. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
There were 1,492 overdose deaths in 2024. That means that for every 100,000 people living in the state, 32.5 died of drug overdose. This was the 6th highest the drug overdose death rate has been in the state since data from 1999 became available.
In 2024
33
per 100,000 people died of overdoses
In 2024
1.49K
people died of overdoses
Unadjusted data about the nation is a useful starting point, but age-adjusted data tells a more complete story. Age-adjusting accounts for differences in age distributions across populations, which is crucial when comparing health outcomes since age is a major risk factor for many conditions. This adjustment enables fairer comparisons of mortality rates between different groups or over time. The rest of the data on this page is age-adjusted.
In 2024, Kentucky had a drug overdose death rate higher than the US rate overall, nearly 45% higher. The drug overdose death rate in Kentucky increased in 17 of the last 25 years in which data is available. The overdose death rate increased 3% since 2019 and increased 36% since 2014.
In 2024, Kentucky had a drug overdose death rate higher than the US rate.
Drug-involved overdose deaths in Kentucky, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 people
What drugs are most commonly involved in drug overdose deaths?
The rise in drug overdose deaths nationally has been due to growing use of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, however, this may vary by state. In 2024, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have been involved in more overdose deaths than any other drug, making up 60% of total overdose deaths in Kentucky. The rates of drug overdose deaths involving Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids and Methamphetamine increased 29.6 and 21.9 times, between 2002 and 2024 and 2011 and 2024, respectively.
In 2024, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids was involved in more overdose deaths than any other drug.
Drug-involved overdose deaths in Kentucky, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 people
How do drug overdose deaths vary by county in Kentucky?
Drug overdose death rates can vary across counties. In 2024, the death rate for overdoses in Kentucky ranged from 12.8 per 100,000 in Campbell County to 164.1 per 100,000 in Lee County.
Occasionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will mark data as either suppressed or unreliable. Suppression occurs when data does not meet confidentiality requirements. As a result, data may not be available for every county in this state. Age-adjusted data is also not available at the county level. County-level tables reflect the most recent year of available data.
Drug-involved overdose deaths per 100,000 people (2024)
| 1. | Lee County | 164.1 |
| 2. | Knott County | 141.4 |
| 3. | Breathitt County | 125.0 |
| 4. | Powell County | 92.8 |
| 5. | Clay County | 86.8 |
| 6. | Lawrence County | 82.3 |
| 7. | Pendleton County | 80.8 |
| 8. | Boyd County | 79.5 |
| 9. | Estill County | 78.6 |
| 10. | Harlan County | 75.8 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
