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Drug Addiction Statistics by State, Race, and Gender

By NJ Addiction Centers Editorial Team | Last reviewed: | 8 min read Clinically Reviewed

Drug Addiction Statistics by State, Race, and Gender

Key Takeaways

  • An estimated 48.7 million Americans aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder in 2023, according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2024).
  • West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee consistently report the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates, per CDC WONDER mortality data (2023).
  • New Jersey’s age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 33.1 per 100,000 in 2022, above the national average of 32.6 per 100,000, according to CDC WONDER (2023).
  • Men are nearly twice as likely as women to have a substance use disorder, though the gap has narrowed over the past two decades (SAMHSA NSDUH, 2024).
  • Black and Native American populations have seen the sharpest increases in overdose death rates since 2019, according to CDC WONDER data (2023).
  • Young adults aged 18-25 have the highest rate of past-year substance use disorder at 27.8%, per SAMHSA NSDUH (2024).

Statistics updated quarterly. Last reviewed March 28, 2026.

Substance use disorders affect every demographic group in the United States, but prevalence, access to treatment, and outcomes vary substantially by geography, race, gender, and age. Understanding these patterns is essential for designing effective public health interventions and allocating treatment resources where they are needed most. This page compiles the most current demographic data from federal surveys, CDC mortality tracking, and peer-reviewed research to provide an accurate, sourced picture of who is affected and how.

Drug Addiction Prevalence in the United States

National Estimates from NSDUH

SAMHSA’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), released in 2024, estimated that 48.7 million Americans aged 12 and older met diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder in the past year. This represents approximately 17.3% of the population in that age group.

Breaking this down by substance category:

  • Alcohol use disorder: 29.5 million people (10.5% of those aged 12+), according to SAMHSA NSDUH (2024).
  • Drug use disorder: 27.2 million people (9.7%), per the same survey.
  • Both alcohol and drug use disorder: 8.0 million people met criteria for both conditions simultaneously, per SAMHSA NSDUH (2024).

The category of drug use disorder encompasses illicit substances and prescription medications used outside clinical guidance. Marijuana use disorder remains the most common drug-specific diagnosis, followed by opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder, according to SAMHSA NSDUH (2024).

Substance use disorder prevalence has shifted significantly over the past ten years. SAMHSA data shows that while alcohol use disorder rates have remained relatively stable, drug use disorder prevalence has increased, driven largely by rising opioid and stimulant use. The NSDUH estimated 20.4 million people with drug use disorder in 2019 compared to 27.2 million in 2023, reflecting a 33% increase over four years (SAMHSA, 2020; SAMHSA, 2024).

This increase coincides with the third wave of the opioid epidemic, characterized by the proliferation of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, and a parallel rise in methamphetamine availability across much of the country, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR, 2023).

Addiction Statistics by State

States with Highest and Lowest Rates

Drug overdose death rates, often used as a proxy for addiction severity, vary dramatically by state. According to CDC WONDER provisional mortality data (2023):

Highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates (per 100,000):

  • West Virginia: 81.4
  • Tennessee: 56.6
  • Louisiana: 55.9
  • Kentucky: 55.6
  • Ohio: 47.2

Lowest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates (per 100,000):

  • Nebraska: 11.2
  • South Dakota: 12.8
  • Iowa: 14.3
  • North Dakota: 14.7
  • Kansas: 16.1

These figures reflect deaths, not total SUD prevalence, which is measured differently through self-reported surveys. States with lower overdose death rates do not necessarily have lower rates of substance use disorder; they may have different substance profiles (e.g., more alcohol-dominant) or better access to overdose-reversal tools like naloxone.

New Jersey’s Position

New Jersey reported an age-adjusted drug overdose death rate of 33.1 per 100,000 in 2022, according to CDC WONDER (2023). This rate positions NJ slightly above the national average of 32.6 per 100,000.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 2,900 suspected drug-related deaths in 2022, with fentanyl or fentanyl analogs involved in approximately 77% of those deaths (NJ Department of Health, Suspected Drug Related Deaths dashboard, 2023). This reflects a state where the opioid crisis has transitioned almost entirely to synthetic opioids.

SAMHSA’s sub-state estimates from the NSDUH indicate that approximately 7.5% of New Jersey adults aged 18 and older had a past-year substance use disorder, slightly below the national average of 7.7% (SAMHSA sub-state estimates, 2022-2023).

Addiction Rates by Race and Ethnicity

Disparities in Prevalence

Substance use disorder prevalence varies across racial and ethnic groups, though these differences reflect social, economic, and systemic factors rather than biological predisposition. According to SAMHSA’s 2023 NSDUH:

  • American Indian/Alaska Native populations had the highest past-year SUD prevalence at 26.2% among those aged 12 and older.
  • Multiracial individuals reported a prevalence of 22.9%.
  • White non-Hispanic individuals reported 18.4%.
  • Black non-Hispanic individuals reported 16.0%.
  • Hispanic/Latino individuals reported 15.4%.
  • Asian Americans reported the lowest prevalence at 9.5%.

These figures reflect self-reported past-year SUD and include both alcohol and drug use disorders. The NSDUH data should be interpreted with the understanding that survey-based prevalence may undercount populations with limited housing stability, incarceration, or language barriers (SAMHSA methodology notes, 2024).

Disparities in Treatment Access

While prevalence tells one part of the story, treatment access reveals another. According to SAMHSA’s 2023 NSDUH, among people with a past-year SUD:

  • Approximately 24.1% of White non-Hispanic individuals received any form of treatment.
  • Approximately 19.7% of Black non-Hispanic individuals received treatment.
  • Approximately 17.8% of Hispanic/Latino individuals received treatment.

These disparities in treatment access are well-documented in the research literature. A 2022 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that Black and Hispanic individuals with opioid use disorder were significantly less likely to receive medication-assisted treatment (buprenorphine) than White individuals, even after controlling for insurance status and geographic access (Lagisetty et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2019; updated analysis by Kilaru et al., 2022).

In New Jersey specifically, the NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) reported that Black residents represented 20% of treatment admissions in 2022 despite comprising 15% of the state population, suggesting both higher need and potential overrepresentation in the criminal-justice-to-treatment pipeline (NJ DMHAS, 2023).

Gender Differences in Substance Use Disorders

Prevalence Differences

Men consistently report higher rates of substance use disorder than women, though the gap has been narrowing. According to SAMHSA’s 2023 NSDUH:

  • Men aged 12+: 20.4% had a past-year SUD.
  • Women aged 12+: 14.3% had a past-year SUD.

The gender gap is more pronounced for drug use disorders than for alcohol use disorders. Men were approximately 1.7 times more likely than women to have a drug use disorder, while the ratio for alcohol use disorder was approximately 1.4 to 1 (SAMHSA NSDUH, 2024).

However, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III) has documented that rates of alcohol use disorder among women have increased at a faster pace than among men over the past two decades. Between 2002 and 2023, the gender gap in alcohol use disorder narrowed by approximately 30%, according to analyses of NSDUH trend data published by NIAAA (2024).

Treatment-Seeking Patterns

Women face distinct barriers to treatment that contribute to lower treatment utilization despite clinical need. According to a 2021 analysis published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, women with SUD are more likely than men to cite childcare responsibilities, fear of losing custody, stigma, and financial barriers as obstacles to entering treatment (Greenfield et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2021).

SAMHSA’s Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) shows that women represented 33% of substance use treatment admissions nationally in 2022, a proportion that has remained relatively stable for two decades despite the narrowing gender gap in prevalence (SAMHSA TEDS, 2023).

In New Jersey, women represented approximately 35% of treatment admissions in fiscal year 2022, according to NJ DMHAS data. The state’s treatment system includes several women-specific programs that address childcare, prenatal needs, and trauma, though availability does not meet demand in all regions of the state (NJ DMHAS Annual Report, 2023).

Young Adult Peak Use

Young adults aged 18-25 consistently report the highest rates of substance use and substance use disorder. According to SAMHSA’s 2023 NSDUH:

  • Ages 18-25: 27.8% had a past-year SUD, the highest of any age group.
  • Ages 26-49: 19.9% had a past-year SUD.
  • Ages 50+: 9.8% had a past-year SUD.
  • Ages 12-17: 8.0% had a past-year SUD.

The 18-25 age group also shows the highest rates of binge alcohol use (29.5%), marijuana use (38.0%), and misuse of prescription medications (4.6%), per SAMHSA NSDUH (2024). This period coincides with key developmental and social transitions, including college attendance, workforce entry, and separation from family structures that may have provided protective factors.

Among adolescents aged 12-17, SAMHSA data indicates that marijuana is the most commonly used substance, with 12.4% reporting past-year use in 2023, followed by alcohol at 11.8% (SAMHSA NSDUH, 2024). The introduction of high-potency cannabis products and vaping devices has raised concerns among researchers about adolescent substance use trajectories, according to a 2023 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Substance Use Among Older Adults

Substance use disorder among adults aged 65 and older represents a growing public health concern that often goes underrecognized. SAMHSA’s 2023 NSDUH estimated that approximately 3.8 million adults aged 65 and older had a past-year substance use disorder, representing a substantial increase from the 2.4 million estimated in 2018 (SAMHSA, 2019; SAMHSA, 2024).

The increase is driven by two factors. First, the baby boomer generation, which has historically had higher rates of substance use than previous generations, is aging into this demographic. Second, prescription medication misuse, particularly involving opioid pain medications and benzodiazepines, is more common among older adults due to higher rates of chronic pain and multiple prescriptions (NIDA, 2023).

In New Jersey, the NJ Department of Human Services has noted increasing treatment admissions among adults over 55, with alcohol remaining the primary substance of concern in this age group, followed by opioids (NJ DMHAS, 2023).

This page is part of the Addiction Statistics, Research, and Recovery Data guide on NJ Addiction Centers.

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