Canva
1 / 50#50. Rush County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.6 per 100 people
--- 28.8% lower than state average
--- 1.6% lower than national average
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Kansas
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 Kansas, the opioid dispensing rate was 59.8 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Kansas stand.
Canva
2 / 50#49. Montgomery County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.6 per 100 people
--- 28.8% lower than state average
--- 1.6% lower than national average
BeautifulEarth // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Logan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.1 per 100 people
--- 26.3% lower than state average
--- 1.8% higher than national average
Canva
4 / 50#47. Washington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 47.0 per 100 people
--- 21.4% lower than state average
--- 8.5% higher than national average
Canva
5 / 50#46. Dickinson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 48.7 per 100 people
--- 18.6% lower than state average
--- 12.5% higher than national average
Canva
6 / 50#45. Sumner County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 48.7 per 100 people
--- 18.6% lower than state average
--- 12.5% higher than national average
Canva
7 / 50#44. Phillips County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.8 per 100 people
--- 16.7% lower than state average
--- 15.0% higher than national average
Canva
8 / 50#43. Ness County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.7 per 100 people
--- 11.9% lower than state average
--- 21.7% higher than national average
Real Window Creative // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Atchison County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.7 per 100 people
--- 11.9% lower than state average
--- 21.7% higher than national average
Canva
10 / 50#41. Rooks County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.4 per 100 people
--- 9.0% lower than state average
--- 25.6% higher than national average
Canva
11 / 50#40. Edwards County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.6 per 100 people
--- 8.7% lower than state average
--- 26.1% higher than national average
Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Seward County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.8 per 100 people
--- 8.4% lower than state average
--- 26.6% higher than national average
Canva
13 / 50#38. Clark County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.2 per 100 people
--- 7.7% lower than state average
--- 27.5% higher than national average
Canva
14 / 50#37. Shawnee County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.6 per 100 people
--- 7.0% lower than state average
--- 28.4% higher than national average
Canva
15 / 50#36. Thomas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.9 per 100 people
--- 6.5% lower than state average
--- 29.1% higher than national average
Canva
16 / 50#35. Johnson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.9 per 100 people
--- 6.5% lower than state average
--- 29.1% higher than national average
Canva
17 / 50#34. Ellis County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.5 per 100 people
--- 5.5% lower than state average
--- 30.5% higher than national average
Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Cowley County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.8 per 100 people
--- 3.3% lower than state average
--- 33.5% higher than national average
Canva
19 / 50#32. Ellsworth County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 59.5 per 100 people
--- 0.5% lower than state average
--- 37.4% higher than national average
Canva
20 / 50#31. Osborne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 61.3 per 100 people
--- 2.5% higher than state average
--- 41.6% higher than national average
Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Butler County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 61.7 per 100 people
--- 3.2% higher than state average
--- 42.5% higher than national average
Stephanie L Bishop // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Barton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 62.2 per 100 people
--- 4.0% higher than state average
--- 43.6% higher than national average
William Silver // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Bourbon County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 62.6 per 100 people
--- 4.7% higher than state average
--- 44.6% higher than national average
Canva
24 / 50#27. Labette County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.8 per 100 people
--- 6.7% higher than state average
--- 47.3% higher than national average
Canva
25 / 50#26. Mitchell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 66.5 per 100 people
--- 11.2% higher than state average
--- 53.6% higher than national average
Canva
26 / 50#25. Clay County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.0 per 100 people
--- 12.0% higher than state average
--- 54.7% higher than national average
Michael Rosebrock // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Ford County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 69.7 per 100 people
--- 16.6% higher than state average
--- 61.0% higher than national average
melissamn // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Norton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.1 per 100 people
--- 17.2% higher than state average
--- 61.9% higher than national average
Michael Rosebrock // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Kearny County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.4 per 100 people
--- 17.7% higher than state average
--- 62.6% higher than national average
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Reno County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.6 per 100 people
--- 19.7% higher than state average
--- 65.4% higher than national average
Canva
31 / 50#20. Crawford County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.7 per 100 people
--- 19.9% higher than state average
--- 65.6% higher than national average
Canva
32 / 50#19. Harvey County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.8 per 100 people
--- 21.7% higher than state average
--- 68.1% higher than national average
jstillma // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Brown County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.5 per 100 people
--- 22.9% higher than state average
--- 69.7% higher than national average
Canva
34 / 50#17. Kiowa County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 74.4 per 100 people
--- 24.4% higher than state average
--- 71.8% higher than national average
Canva
35 / 50#16. Scott County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 77.3 per 100 people
--- 29.3% higher than state average
--- 78.5% higher than national average
Canva
36 / 50#15. Neosho County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 81.4 per 100 people
--- 36.1% higher than state average
--- 88.0% higher than national average
Canva
37 / 50#14. Allen County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 83.3 per 100 people
--- 39.3% higher than state average
--- 92.4% higher than national average
Canva
38 / 50#13. Russell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 84.6 per 100 people
--- 41.5% higher than state average
--- 95.4% higher than national average
Canva
39 / 50#12. Coffey County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 85.1 per 100 people
--- 42.3% higher than state average
--- 96.5% higher than national average
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Sedgwick County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 88.6 per 100 people
--- 48.2% higher than state average
--- 104.6% higher than national average
Canva
41 / 50#10. Smith County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 89.7 per 100 people
--- 50.0% higher than state average
--- 107.2% higher than national average
Canva
42 / 50#9. Saline County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 94.3 per 100 people
--- 57.7% higher than state average
--- 117.8% higher than national average
Canva
43 / 50#8. Pratt County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 96.3 per 100 people
--- 61.0% higher than state average
--- 122.4% higher than national average
Wirestock Creators // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Wyandotte County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 98.1 per 100 people
--- 64.0% higher than state average
--- 126.6% higher than national average
Canva
45 / 50#6. Morton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 102.8 per 100 people
--- 71.9% higher than state average
--- 137.4% higher than national average
Canva
46 / 50#5. Stanton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 105.8 per 100 people
--- 76.9% higher than state average
--- 144.3% higher than national average
Canva
47 / 50#4. Wilson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 109.1 per 100 people
--- 82.4% higher than state average
--- 152.0% higher than national average
Canva
48 / 50#3. Trego County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 117.2 per 100 people
--- 96.0% higher than state average
--- 170.7% higher than national average
Canva
49 / 50#2. Greeley County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 117.6 per 100 people
--- 96.7% higher than state average
--- 171.6% higher than national average
Canva
50 / 50#1. Cheyenne County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 150.1 per 100 people
--- 151.0% higher than state average
--- 246.7% higher than national average
