Canva
1 / 50#50. Clermont County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 25.9 per 100 people
--- 45.4% lower than state average
--- 40.2% lower than national average
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Ohio
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 Ohio, the opioid dispensing rate was 47.4 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Ohio stand.
Kilmer Media // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Warren County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 27.5 per 100 people
--- 42.0% lower than state average
--- 36.5% lower than national average
James Marciniak // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Jackson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.6 per 100 people
--- 39.7% lower than state average
--- 33.9% lower than national average
dvgpro // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Delaware County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.7 per 100 people
--- 39.5% lower than state average
--- 33.7% lower than national average
Nagel Photography // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Van Wert County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.9 per 100 people
--- 39.0% lower than state average
--- 33.3% lower than national average
Canva
6 / 50#45. Guernsey County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 28.9 per 100 people
--- 39.0% lower than state average
--- 33.3% lower than national average
Rosamar // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Wood County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.1 per 100 people
--- 36.5% lower than state average
--- 30.5% lower than national average
Canva
8 / 50#43. Logan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.2 per 100 people
--- 36.3% lower than state average
--- 30.3% lower than national average
JNix // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Pickaway County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 30.5 per 100 people
--- 35.7% lower than state average
--- 29.6% lower than national average
Lake Front Drones // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Lorain County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.1 per 100 people
--- 34.4% lower than state average
--- 28.2% lower than national average
Donna Wickerham // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Richland County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 31.4 per 100 people
--- 33.8% lower than state average
--- 27.5% lower than national average
JNix // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Perry County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.0 per 100 people
--- 32.5% lower than state average
--- 26.1% lower than national average
Canva
13 / 50#38. Highland County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.2 per 100 people
--- 32.1% lower than state average
--- 25.6% lower than national average
Canva
14 / 50#37. Adams County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 32.9 per 100 people
--- 30.6% lower than state average
--- 24.0% lower than national average
Canva
15 / 50#36. Union County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 33.6 per 100 people
--- 29.1% lower than state average
--- 22.4% lower than national average
redtbird02 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Ashtabula County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 34.3 per 100 people
--- 27.6% lower than state average
--- 20.8% lower than national average
Keith J Finks // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Huron County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.3 per 100 people
--- 19.2% lower than state average
--- 11.5% lower than national average
Mikhalis Makarov // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Lake County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.6 per 100 people
--- 18.6% lower than state average
--- 10.9% lower than national average
Big Joe // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Erie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.9 per 100 people
--- 15.8% lower than state average
--- 7.9% lower than national average
Canva
20 / 50#31. Trumbull County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 40.1 per 100 people
--- 15.4% lower than state average
--- 7.4% lower than national average
Canva
21 / 50#30. Butler County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.3 per 100 people
--- 12.9% lower than state average
--- 4.6% lower than national average
Joshua D'Ariano // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Hancock County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.8 per 100 people
--- 11.8% lower than state average
--- 3.5% lower than national average
ADC Bradley // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Brown County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.1 per 100 people
--- 11.2% lower than state average
--- 2.8% lower than national average
JNix // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Clinton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.4 per 100 people
--- 6.3% lower than state average
--- 2.5% higher than national average
Wendy van Overstreet // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Athens County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.9 per 100 people
--- 5.3% lower than state average
--- 3.7% higher than national average
Canva
26 / 50#25. Crawford County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.1 per 100 people
--- 2.7% lower than state average
--- 6.5% higher than national average
Eric Glenn // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Fairfield County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 48.5 per 100 people
--- 2.3% higher than state average
--- 12.0% higher than national average
Almal3xia // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Greene County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 50.1 per 100 people
--- 5.7% higher than state average
--- 15.7% higher than national average
Canva
29 / 50#22. Pike County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 50.6 per 100 people
--- 6.8% higher than state average
--- 16.9% higher than national average
The American Explorer // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Lawrence County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 50.8 per 100 people
--- 7.2% higher than state average
--- 17.3% higher than national average
Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Defiance County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.6 per 100 people
--- 8.9% higher than state average
--- 19.2% higher than national average
James Marciniak // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Clark County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.6 per 100 people
--- 8.9% higher than state average
--- 19.2% higher than national average
BLAZE Pro // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Stark County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.1 per 100 people
--- 12.0% higher than state average
--- 22.6% higher than national average
JNix // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Gallia County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.3 per 100 people
--- 12.4% higher than state average
--- 23.1% higher than national average
Showcase Imaging // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Summit County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.5 per 100 people
--- 12.9% higher than state average
--- 23.6% higher than national average
Canva
36 / 50#15. Cuyahoga County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.7 per 100 people
--- 13.3% higher than state average
--- 24.0% higher than national average
BLAZE Pro // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Tuscarawas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 55.7 per 100 people
--- 17.5% higher than state average
--- 28.6% higher than national average
Canva
38 / 50#13. Muskingum County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 57.8 per 100 people
--- 21.9% higher than state average
--- 33.5% higher than national average
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Franklin County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 60.4 per 100 people
--- 27.4% higher than state average
--- 39.5% higher than national average
Canva
40 / 50#11. Washington County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 61.7 per 100 people
--- 30.2% higher than state average
--- 42.5% higher than national average
Canva
41 / 50#10. Ross County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.8 per 100 people
--- 34.6% higher than state average
--- 47.3% higher than national average
Canva
42 / 50#9. Fayette County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 65.7 per 100 people
--- 38.6% higher than state average
--- 51.7% higher than national average
Bravo Charlie Productions // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Allen County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.5 per 100 people
--- 42.4% higher than state average
--- 55.9% higher than national average
photo.ua // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Hamilton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 69.3 per 100 people
--- 46.2% higher than state average
--- 60.0% higher than national average
Canva
45 / 50#6. Montgomery County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 69.6 per 100 people
--- 46.8% higher than state average
--- 60.7% higher than national average
Canva
46 / 50#5. Scioto County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.1 per 100 people
--- 50.0% higher than state average
--- 64.2% higher than national average
James W. Thompson // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Marion County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 73.6 per 100 people
--- 55.3% higher than state average
--- 70.0% higher than national average
Canva
48 / 50#3. Jefferson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 76.7 per 100 people
--- 61.8% higher than state average
--- 77.1% higher than national average
Canva
49 / 50#2. Mahoning County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 77.2 per 100 people
--- 62.9% higher than state average
--- 78.3% higher than national average
Michael Shake // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Lucas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 79.0 per 100 people
--- 66.7% higher than state average
--- 82.4% higher than national average
