Drug overdose deaths increased from 160 in 2019 to 388 in 2023.
Deaths do not occur equally around the City. While each city council ward has about the same number of people, in 2023, overdose deaths were highest in Near North (Ward 5) and Phillips/Cedar Riverside/Ventura Village (Ward 6). Ward 9, which had many of the homeless encampments, had a lower rate of deaths than either Ward 5 or Ward 6.
Southeast (Ward 12), Southwest (Ward 13) and the Prospect Park/University areas (Ward 2) had the lowest rates of overdose deaths. Changes over time were also not uniform. Increases were concentrated in Wards 4, 5, and 6.
