Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Minnesota
This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Minnesota
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 Minnesota, the opioid dispensing rate was 30.2 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Minnesota stand.
#50. Anoka County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 20.3 per 100 people
--- 32.8% lower than state average
--- 53.1% lower than national average
#49. Murray County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 20.6 per 100 people
--- 31.8% lower than state average
--- 52.4% lower than national average
#48. Becker County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 21.2 per 100 people
--- 29.8% lower than state average
--- 51.0% lower than national average
#47. Chippewa County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 21.6 per 100 people
--- 28.5% lower than state average
--- 50.1% lower than national average
#46. Steele County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 21.7 per 100 people
--- 28.1% lower than state average
--- 49.9% lower than national average
#45. Isanti County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.2 per 100 people
--- 23.2% lower than state average
--- 46.4% lower than national average
#44. Mcleod County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.3 per 100 people
--- 22.8% lower than state average
--- 46.2% lower than national average
#43. Otter Tail County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.7 per 100 people
--- 21.5% lower than state average
--- 45.3% lower than national average
#42. Carver County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 23.9 per 100 people
--- 20.9% lower than state average
--- 44.8% lower than national average
#41. Grant County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 24.2 per 100 people
--- 19.9% lower than state average
--- 44.1% lower than national average
#40. Lyon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.0 per 100 people
--- 17.2% lower than state average
--- 42.3% lower than national average
#39. Pine County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.1 per 100 people
--- 16.9% lower than state average
--- 42.0% lower than national average
#38. Washington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.4 per 100 people
--- 15.9% lower than state average
--- 41.3% lower than national average
#37. Faribault County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.6 per 100 people
--- 15.2% lower than state average
--- 40.9% lower than national average
#36. Carlton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 26.5 per 100 people
--- 12.3% lower than state average
--- 38.8% lower than national average
#35. Stevens County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.3 per 100 people
--- 6.3% lower than state average
--- 34.6% lower than national average
#34. Polk County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.8 per 100 people
--- 4.6% lower than state average
--- 33.5% lower than national average
#33. Kandiyohi County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.1 per 100 people
--- 3.6% lower than state average
--- 32.8% lower than national average
#32. Brown County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.3 per 100 people
--- 3.0% lower than state average
--- 32.3% lower than national average
#31. Hubbard County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.5 per 100 people
--- 2.3% lower than state average
--- 31.9% lower than national average
#30. Beltrami County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 29.5 per 100 people
--- 2.3% lower than state average
--- 31.9% lower than national average
#29. Mille Lacs County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.2 per 100 people
--- 0.0% lower than state average
--- 30.3% lower than national average
#28. Itasca County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.3 per 100 people
--- 0.3% higher than state average
--- 30.0% lower than national average
#27. Rock County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.9 per 100 people
--- 2.3% higher than state average
--- 28.6% lower than national average
#26. Kanabec County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.3 per 100 people
--- 7.0% higher than state average
--- 25.4% lower than national average
#25. Crow Wing County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 33.3 per 100 people
--- 10.3% higher than state average
--- 23.1% lower than national average
#24. Morrison County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.7 per 100 people
--- 18.2% higher than state average
--- 17.6% lower than national average
#23. Pennington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 35.8 per 100 people
--- 18.5% higher than state average
--- 17.3% lower than national average
#22. Koochiching County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.5 per 100 people
--- 20.9% higher than state average
--- 15.7% lower than national average
#21. Pipestone County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 36.7 per 100 people
--- 21.5% higher than state average
--- 15.2% lower than national average
#20. Douglas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 37.6 per 100 people
--- 24.5% higher than state average
--- 13.2% lower than national average
#19. Swift County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 37.7 per 100 people
--- 24.8% higher than state average
--- 12.9% lower than national average
#18. Hennepin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.0 per 100 people
--- 25.8% higher than state average
--- 12.2% lower than national average
#17. Yellow Medicine County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.1 per 100 people
--- 26.2% higher than state average
--- 12.0% lower than national average
#16. Stearns County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.2 per 100 people
--- 29.8% higher than state average
--- 9.5% lower than national average
#15. Roseau County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.3 per 100 people
--- 30.1% higher than state average
--- 9.2% lower than national average
#14. Pope County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.9 per 100 people
--- 32.1% higher than state average
--- 7.9% lower than national average
#13. Ramsey County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.0 per 100 people
--- 32.5% higher than state average
--- 7.6% lower than national average
#12. Watonwan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.0 per 100 people
--- 35.8% higher than state average
--- 5.3% lower than national average
#11. Lac Qui Parle County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.5 per 100 people
--- 40.7% higher than state average
--- 1.8% lower than national average
#10. Aitkin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.5 per 100 people
--- 47.4% higher than state average
--- 2.8% higher than national average
#9. Big Stone County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.0 per 100 people
--- 49.0% higher than state average
--- 3.9% higher than national average
#8. Blue Earth County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.8 per 100 people
--- 51.7% higher than state average
--- 5.8% higher than national average
#7. Saint Louis County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 47.7 per 100 people
--- 57.9% higher than state average
--- 10.2% higher than national average
#6. Martin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.1 per 100 people
--- 69.2% higher than state average
--- 18.0% higher than national average
#5. Lincoln County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.8 per 100 people
--- 71.5% higher than state average
--- 19.6% higher than national average
#4. Clearwater County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.4 per 100 people
--- 90.1% higher than state average
--- 32.6% higher than national average
#3. Renville County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 61.0 per 100 people
--- 102.0% higher than state average
--- 40.9% higher than national average
#2. Wadena County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 84.0 per 100 people
--- 178.1% higher than state average
--- 94.0% higher than national average
#1. Olmsted County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 84.3 per 100 people
--- 179.1% higher than state average
--- 94.7% higher than national average
