Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Texas
This story originally appeared on Ophelia and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties where the most opioids are dispensed in Texas
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 Texas, the opioid dispensing rate was 37.9 per 100 people, compared to 43.3 nationally.
Read the national story for additional historical context and see where other counties outside of Texas stand.
#50. Camp County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 38.1 per 100 people
--- 0.5% higher than state average
--- 12.0% lower than national average
#49. Montague County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.0 per 100 people
--- 2.9% higher than state average
--- 9.9% lower than national average
#48. Travis County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.1 per 100 people
--- 3.2% higher than state average
--- 9.7% lower than national average
#47. Kerr County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.4 per 100 people
--- 4.0% higher than state average
--- 9.0% lower than national average
#46. Brazos County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 39.7 per 100 people
--- 4.7% higher than state average
--- 8.3% lower than national average
#45. Ector County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.2 per 100 people
--- 8.7% higher than state average
--- 4.8% lower than national average
#44. Galveston County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 41.2 per 100 people
--- 8.7% higher than state average
--- 4.8% lower than national average
#43. Hopkins County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.1 per 100 people
--- 11.1% higher than state average
--- 2.8% lower than national average
#42. Rockwall County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.2 per 100 people
--- 11.3% higher than state average
--- 2.5% lower than national average
#41. Jeff Davis County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 42.8 per 100 people
--- 12.9% higher than state average
--- 1.2% lower than national average
#40. Jim Wells County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.0 per 100 people
--- 16.1% higher than state average
--- 1.6% higher than national average
#39. Bexar County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.1 per 100 people
--- 16.4% higher than state average
--- 1.8% higher than national average
#38. Cass County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 44.5 per 100 people
--- 17.4% higher than state average
--- 2.8% higher than national average
#37. Wise County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.0 per 100 people
--- 18.7% higher than state average
--- 3.9% higher than national average
#36. Tarrant County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.1 per 100 people
--- 19.0% higher than state average
--- 4.2% higher than national average
#35. Somervell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.7 per 100 people
--- 20.6% higher than state average
--- 5.5% higher than national average
#34. Dallas County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 45.9 per 100 people
--- 21.1% higher than state average
--- 6.0% higher than national average
#33. Tom Green County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 46.6 per 100 people
--- 23.0% higher than state average
--- 7.6% higher than national average
#32. Mclennan County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 48.9 per 100 people
--- 29.0% higher than state average
--- 12.9% higher than national average
#31. Titus County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.4 per 100 people
--- 30.3% higher than state average
--- 14.1% higher than national average
#30. Wilbarger County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.6 per 100 people
--- 30.9% higher than state average
--- 14.5% higher than national average
#29. Hamilton County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 49.8 per 100 people
--- 31.4% higher than state average
--- 15.0% higher than national average
#28. Foard County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 51.7 per 100 people
--- 36.4% higher than state average
--- 19.4% higher than national average
#27. Comanche County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.1 per 100 people
--- 37.5% higher than state average
--- 20.3% higher than national average
#26. Orange County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.4 per 100 people
--- 38.3% higher than state average
--- 21.0% higher than national average
#25. Mitchell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 52.7 per 100 people
--- 39.1% higher than state average
--- 21.7% higher than national average
#24. Bell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 53.8 per 100 people
--- 42.0% higher than state average
--- 24.2% higher than national average
#23. Nacogdoches County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 54.1 per 100 people
--- 42.7% higher than state average
--- 24.9% higher than national average
#22. Hood County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 56.8 per 100 people
--- 49.9% higher than state average
--- 31.2% higher than national average
#21. Angelina County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 58.3 per 100 people
--- 53.8% higher than state average
--- 34.6% higher than national average
#20. Brown County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 59.7 per 100 people
--- 57.5% higher than state average
--- 37.9% higher than national average
#19. Fayette County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.2 per 100 people
--- 66.8% higher than state average
--- 46.0% higher than national average
#18. Childress County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 63.9 per 100 people
--- 68.6% higher than state average
--- 47.6% higher than national average
#17. Grayson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 64.4 per 100 people
--- 69.9% higher than state average
--- 48.7% higher than national average
#16. Victoria County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.5 per 100 people
--- 78.1% higher than state average
--- 55.9% higher than national average
#15. Gray County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 67.8 per 100 people
--- 78.9% higher than state average
--- 56.6% higher than national average
#14. Lamar County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 68.2 per 100 people
--- 79.9% higher than state average
--- 57.5% higher than national average
#13. Nueces County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.0 per 100 people
--- 84.7% higher than state average
--- 61.7% higher than national average
#12. Jefferson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 70.3 per 100 people
--- 85.5% higher than state average
--- 62.4% higher than national average
#11. Culberson County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 71.9 per 100 people
--- 89.7% higher than state average
--- 66.1% higher than national average
#10. Gillespie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.0 per 100 people
--- 90.0% higher than state average
--- 66.3% higher than national average
#9. Terrell County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.3 per 100 people
--- 90.8% higher than state average
--- 67.0% higher than national average
#8. Taylor County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 72.7 per 100 people
--- 91.8% higher than state average
--- 67.9% higher than national average
#7. Wichita County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 78.2 per 100 people
--- 106.3% higher than state average
--- 80.6% higher than national average
#6. Red River County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 82.2 per 100 people
--- 116.9% higher than state average
--- 89.8% higher than national average
#5. Lubbock County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 85.7 per 100 people
--- 126.1% higher than state average
--- 97.9% higher than national average
#4. Smith County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 99.5 per 100 people
--- 162.5% higher than state average
--- 129.8% higher than national average
#3. Potter County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 102.8 per 100 people
--- 171.2% higher than state average
--- 137.4% higher than national average
#2. Bowie County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 104.0 per 100 people
--- 174.4% higher than state average
--- 140.2% higher than national average
#1. Gregg County
- Opioid dispensing rate: 105.0 per 100 people
--- 177.0% higher than state average
--- 142.5% higher than national average
