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1 / 50#50. Charlevoix County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.1 per 100 people
--- 35.5% lower than state average
--- 18.9% lower than national average
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Michigan
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 Michigan, the opioid dispensing rate was 54.4 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Michigan stand.
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2 / 50#49. Van Buren County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.7 per 100 people
--- 34.4% lower than state average
--- 17.6% lower than national average
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3 / 50#48. Baraga County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.3 per 100 people
--- 33.3% lower than state average
--- 16.2% lower than national average
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4 / 50#47. Monroe County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 37.2 per 100 people
--- 31.6% lower than state average
--- 14.1% lower than national average
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5 / 50#46. Lenawee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.9 per 100 people
--- 28.5% lower than state average
--- 10.2% lower than national average
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6 / 50#45. Iron County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.5 per 100 people
--- 27.4% lower than state average
--- 8.8% lower than national average
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7 / 50#44. Kalkaska County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.9 per 100 people
--- 26.7% lower than state average
--- 7.9% lower than national average
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8 / 50#43. Jackson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.2 per 100 people
--- 26.1% lower than state average
--- 7.2% lower than national average
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9 / 50#42. Benzie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.0 per 100 people
--- 24.6% lower than state average
--- 5.3% lower than national average
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10 / 50#41. Roscommon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.7 per 100 people
--- 23.3% lower than state average
--- 3.7% lower than national average
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11 / 50#40. Tuscola County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.8 per 100 people
--- 23.2% lower than state average
--- 3.5% lower than national average
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12 / 50#39. Luce County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.9 per 100 people
--- 23.0% lower than state average
--- 3.2% lower than national average
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13 / 50#38. Clare County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.1 per 100 people
--- 22.6% lower than state average
--- 2.8% lower than national average
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14 / 50#37. Oceana County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.4 per 100 people
--- 22.1% lower than state average
--- 2.1% lower than national average
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15 / 50#36. Mackinac County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.6 per 100 people
--- 21.7% lower than state average
--- 1.6% lower than national average
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16 / 50#35. Berrien County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.7 per 100 people
--- 21.5% lower than state average
--- 1.4% lower than national average
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17 / 50#34. Dickinson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 43.1 per 100 people
--- 20.8% lower than state average
--- 0.5% lower than national average
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18 / 50#33. Schoolcraft County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.6 per 100 people
--- 16.2% lower than state average
--- 5.3% higher than national average
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19 / 50#32. Antrim County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.4 per 100 people
--- 14.7% lower than state average
--- 7.2% higher than national average
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20 / 50#31. Gogebic County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 47.1 per 100 people
--- 13.4% lower than state average
--- 8.8% higher than national average
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21 / 50#30. Montcalm County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 47.7 per 100 people
--- 12.3% lower than state average
--- 10.2% higher than national average
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22 / 50#29. Mason County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 48.6 per 100 people
--- 10.7% lower than state average
--- 12.2% higher than national average
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23 / 50#28. Ontonagon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.5 per 100 people
--- 9.0% lower than state average
--- 14.3% higher than national average
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24 / 50#27. Midland County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 50.6 per 100 people
--- 7.0% lower than state average
--- 16.9% higher than national average
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25 / 50#26. Cheboygan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.6 per 100 people
--- 5.1% lower than state average
--- 19.2% higher than national average
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26 / 50#25. Alpena County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.4 per 100 people
--- 3.7% lower than state average
--- 21.0% higher than national average
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27 / 50#24. Iosco County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.9 per 100 people
--- 0.9% lower than state average
--- 24.5% higher than national average
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28 / 50#23. Macomb County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.0 per 100 people
--- 0.7% lower than state average
--- 24.7% higher than national average
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29 / 50#22. Wayne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.7 per 100 people
--- 2.4% higher than state average
--- 28.6% higher than national average
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30 / 50#21. Saint Clair County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.3 per 100 people
--- 3.5% higher than state average
--- 30.0% higher than national average
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31 / 50#20. Marquette County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.4 per 100 people
--- 5.5% higher than state average
--- 32.6% higher than national average
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32 / 50#19. Delta County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.3 per 100 people
--- 7.2% higher than state average
--- 34.6% higher than national average
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33 / 50#18. Manistee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.6 per 100 people
--- 7.7% higher than state average
--- 35.3% higher than national average
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34 / 50#17. Kent County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 59.6 per 100 people
--- 9.6% higher than state average
--- 37.6% higher than national average
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35 / 50#16. Wexford County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 62.9 per 100 people
--- 15.6% higher than state average
--- 45.3% higher than national average
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36 / 50#15. Calhoun County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.6 per 100 people
--- 16.9% higher than state average
--- 46.9% higher than national average
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37 / 50#14. Kalamazoo County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 64.7 per 100 people
--- 18.9% higher than state average
--- 49.4% higher than national average
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38 / 50#13. Muskegon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 66.5 per 100 people
--- 22.2% higher than state average
--- 53.6% higher than national average
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39 / 50#12. Bay County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 66.6 per 100 people
--- 22.4% higher than state average
--- 53.8% higher than national average
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40 / 50#11. Oakland County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 69.7 per 100 people
--- 28.1% higher than state average
--- 61.0% higher than national average
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41 / 50#10. Washtenaw County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.2 per 100 people
--- 29.0% higher than state average
--- 62.1% higher than national average
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42 / 50#9. Mecosta County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.2 per 100 people
--- 34.6% higher than state average
--- 69.1% higher than national average
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43 / 50#8. Genesee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.2 per 100 people
--- 34.6% higher than state average
--- 69.1% higher than national average
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44 / 50#7. Ingham County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.4 per 100 people
--- 34.9% higher than state average
--- 69.5% higher than national average
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45 / 50#6. Crawford County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 75.8 per 100 people
--- 39.3% higher than state average
--- 75.1% higher than national average
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46 / 50#5. Ogemaw County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 78.2 per 100 people
--- 43.8% higher than state average
--- 80.6% higher than national average
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47 / 50#4. Saginaw County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 80.2 per 100 people
--- 47.4% higher than state average
--- 85.2% higher than national average
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48 / 50#3. Grand Traverse County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 81.3 per 100 people
--- 49.4% higher than state average
--- 87.8% higher than national average
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49 / 50#2. Emmet County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 105.3 per 100 people
--- 93.6% higher than state average
--- 143.2% higher than national average
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50 / 50#1. Otsego County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 111.5 per 100 people
--- 105.0% higher than state average
--- 157.5% higher than national average
