Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in California
This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in California
When Purdue Pharma first began sales of OxyContin in the late 1990s, it was advertised as relief for cancer patients and people with chronic pain. Aggressive marketing fueled the drug's popularity, along with that of other opioid pain management drugs on the market. But as the company touted OxyContin to physicians, it downplayed the drug's addictiveness, according to confidential Justice Department reports obtained by news organizations, leading to widespread use that has fueled an opioid epidemic across the U.S.
More than 645,000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data shows just under 80,000 people died in 2022 alone.
Opioid prescriptions have decreased dramatically over the past decade as physicians and public health officials learned about the dangers of OxyContin and other opioids prescribed for pain management. In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the national opioid dispense rate reached 43.3 per 100 people, the lowest rate ever recorded.
A 2022 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that counties with higher dispensing rates had more cases of opioid misuse and dependence. The study suggested that reducing prescriptions at the local level can lower a community's rate of opioid abuse or misuse.
Other studies, however, have suggested that decreasing prescriptions may have fueled a new phase of the opioid epidemic: the rise of synthetics like fentanyl. In 2020, synthetics accounted for 82% of all opioid deaths.
It's also important to note that, as awareness has grown about the dangers of dispensing opioid prescription painkillers, more health care professionals are also prescribing medications like Suboxone–which contains buprenorphine and naloxone—for the treatment of addiction and opioid use disorders. While Suboxone is also an opioid medication, it works differently than typical opioid painkillers, blocking the effects of more powerful and addictive opioids to deter intentional misuse.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ophelia broke down counties in every state with the highest opioid dispense rates. In the case of a tie, the county with the higher population and higher raw number is ranked higher. Data was available for 98% of counties in the United States. Overall in California, the opioid dispensing rate was 28.5 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of California stand.
#50. Solano County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 21.5 per 100 people
--- 24.6% lower than state average
--- 50.3% lower than national average
#49. Napa County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 22.9 per 100 people
--- 19.6% lower than state average
--- 47.1% lower than national average
#48. Yolo County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 22.9 per 100 people
--- 19.6% lower than state average
--- 47.1% lower than national average
#47. Contra Costa County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 22.9 per 100 people
--- 19.6% lower than state average
--- 47.1% lower than national average
#46. Alpine County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.0 per 100 people
--- 19.3% lower than state average
--- 46.9% lower than national average
#45. Los Angeles County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.5 per 100 people
--- 14.0% lower than state average
--- 43.4% lower than national average
#44. Colusa County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.7 per 100 people
--- 13.3% lower than state average
--- 43.0% lower than national average
#43. Calaveras County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.7 per 100 people
--- 13.3% lower than state average
--- 43.0% lower than national average
#42. San Joaquin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.7 per 100 people
--- 13.3% lower than state average
--- 43.0% lower than national average
#41. Glenn County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.2 per 100 people
--- 11.6% lower than state average
--- 41.8% lower than national average
#40. San Diego County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.5 per 100 people
--- 10.5% lower than state average
--- 41.1% lower than national average
#39. Monterey County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.8 per 100 people
--- 9.5% lower than state average
--- 40.4% lower than national average
#38. Inyo County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 26.6 per 100 people
--- 6.7% lower than state average
--- 38.6% lower than national average
#37. Lake County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.0 per 100 people
--- 5.3% lower than state average
--- 37.6% lower than national average
#36. Imperial County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.7 per 100 people
--- 2.8% lower than state average
--- 36.0% lower than national average
#35. Santa Cruz County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.8 per 100 people
--- 2.5% lower than state average
--- 35.8% lower than national average
#34. El Dorado County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.4 per 100 people
--- 0.4% lower than state average
--- 34.4% lower than national average
#33. Riverside County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.1 per 100 people
--- 2.1% higher than state average
--- 32.8% lower than national average
#32. Yuba County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.2 per 100 people
--- 2.5% higher than state average
--- 32.6% lower than national average
#31. Orange County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.8 per 100 people
--- 4.6% higher than state average
--- 31.2% lower than national average
#30. San Francisco County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.5 per 100 people
--- 7.0% higher than state average
--- 29.6% lower than national average
#29. Ventura County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.9 per 100 people
--- 8.4% higher than state average
--- 28.6% lower than national average
#28. Trinity County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.7 per 100 people
--- 11.2% higher than state average
--- 26.8% lower than national average
#27. Sonoma County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.7 per 100 people
--- 11.2% higher than state average
--- 26.8% lower than national average
#26. Mono County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.8 per 100 people
--- 11.6% higher than state average
--- 26.6% lower than national average
#25. Amador County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.8 per 100 people
--- 11.6% higher than state average
--- 26.6% lower than national average
#24. Merced County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.8 per 100 people
--- 15.1% higher than state average
--- 24.2% lower than national average
#23. Sacramento County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.0 per 100 people
--- 19.3% higher than state average
--- 21.5% lower than national average
#22. San Bernardino County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.5 per 100 people
--- 21.1% higher than state average
--- 20.3% lower than national average
#21. Tulare County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.9 per 100 people
--- 22.5% higher than state average
--- 19.4% lower than national average
#20. Tehama County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.0 per 100 people
--- 22.8% higher than state average
--- 19.2% lower than national average
#19. Kern County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.1 per 100 people
--- 23.2% higher than state average
--- 18.9% lower than national average
#18. Kings County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.1 per 100 people
--- 26.7% higher than state average
--- 16.6% lower than national average
#17. Lassen County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.3 per 100 people
--- 27.4% higher than state average
--- 16.2% lower than national average
#16. Modoc County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.4 per 100 people
--- 27.7% higher than state average
--- 15.9% lower than national average
#15. Nevada County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.7 per 100 people
--- 35.8% higher than state average
--- 10.6% lower than national average
#14. Santa Barbara County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.1 per 100 people
--- 37.2% higher than state average
--- 9.7% lower than national average
#13. Plumas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.7 per 100 people
--- 46.3% higher than state average
--- 3.7% lower than national average
#12. Fresno County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.9 per 100 people
--- 47.0% higher than state average
--- 3.2% lower than national average
#11. San Luis Obispo County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.6 per 100 people
--- 49.5% higher than state average
--- 1.6% lower than national average
#10. Placer County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.0 per 100 people
--- 61.4% higher than state average
--- 6.2% higher than national average
#9. Humboldt County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.8 per 100 people
--- 64.2% higher than state average
--- 8.1% higher than national average
#8. Siskiyou County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.5 per 100 people
--- 87.7% higher than state average
--- 23.6% higher than national average
#7. Stanislaus County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.4 per 100 people
--- 90.9% higher than state average
--- 25.6% higher than national average
#6. Del Norte County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.1 per 100 people
--- 96.8% higher than state average
--- 29.6% higher than national average
#5. Mendocino County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.8 per 100 people
--- 99.3% higher than state average
--- 31.2% higher than national average
#4. Shasta County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 60.9 per 100 people
--- 113.7% higher than state average
--- 40.6% higher than national average
#3. Butte County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.0 per 100 people
--- 121.1% higher than state average
--- 45.5% higher than national average
#2. Tuolumne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 65.2 per 100 people
--- 128.8% higher than state average
--- 50.6% higher than national average
#1. Sutter County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.1 per 100 people
--- 146.0% higher than state average
--- 61.9% higher than national average
