Chart assignment
Charts to read and discuss
Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.
Chart 1 of 1 · Health
How many Americans die of drug overdoses each year?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
65,351 people died of drug overdoses in the US in the 12 months ending May 2026, about 41% fewer than at the peak of about 111,500 in the 12 months ending June 2023. The counts are provisional: the latest months are slightly undercounted while some causes of death are still being investigated. CDC's provisional counts start with the 12 months ending January 2015.
Questions to discuss
- In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
- Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
- Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional drug overdose death counts (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of May 31, 2026
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