Opioid & Overdose Statistics (Nassau & Suffolk Counties)
The opioid and overdose crisis continues to affect communities across the United States, including Long Island. Both Nassau County and Suffolk County continue to record opioid-involved deaths, suspected opioid overdose calls, naloxone use by emergency responders and enrollment in substance-use-disorder treatment programs.
At the same time, the direction of the epidemic has changed considerably from its early-2020s peak. Final national mortality data show a large decline in overdose deaths in 2024, while provisional 2025 data indicate that the decline continued nationally and in New York State. Long Island data should still be interpreted measure by measure because mortality, EMS, naloxone and treatment statistics come from different reporting systems.
This page compiles data from the New York State Opioid Data Dashboard, New York State County Opioid Quarterly Reports, New York State Department of Health opioid reports, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), CDC WONDER and other official sources. The latest NYSDOH county quarterly release reviewed for this page is the July 2026 edition.
NYSDOH classifies its quarterly county reports as provisional. Death investigations, EMS records, treatment records and naloxone reports can be added or revised after an initial release. For consistency, the county tables below emphasize complete annual figures from the established reporting series rather than combining those figures with newer partial-year or provisional quarterly totals.
Long Island Opioid & Overdose Data Snapshot
| Category | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overdose Deaths Involving Any Opioid (2023) | 182 | 418 | 600 |
| Opioid Death Rate per 100,000 (2023) | 13.2 | 27.4 | County rates differ |
| EMS Suspected Opioid Overdoses (2024) | 691 | 620 | 1,311 |
| EMS Naloxone Administration Reports (2024) | 504 | 429 | 933 |
| Law Enforcement Naloxone Reports (2024) | 31 | 33 | 64 |
| Community Program Naloxone Reports (2024) | 18 | 74 | 92 |
| Unique Individuals in OASAS-Certified Treatment Reporting Any Opioid as Primary Substance (2024) | 2,098 | 4,892 | 6,990 |
Sources: NYS Opioid Data Dashboard, NYS County Opioid Quarterly Reports, NYSDOH opioid reports, CDC WONDER and OASAS treatment data. Naloxone figures represent reports within individual reporting systems and should not be added together as a count of unique overdose events or confirmed lives saved. Nassau County law-enforcement naloxone reporting is not comprehensive in the state dataset.
Opioid Overdose Deaths in Nassau and Suffolk Counties
The standardized county mortality series reproduced below shows a decline in opioid-involved overdose deaths in both Long Island counties from 2022 to 2023. Nassau County declined from 218 deaths to 182, while Suffolk County declined from 464 to 418. The combined Long Island total fell from 682 to 600, a decrease of approximately 12%.
| Year | Nassau Opioid Deaths | Nassau Rate | Suffolk Opioid Deaths | Suffolk Rate | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 218 | 15.8 per 100,000 | 464 | 30.4 per 100,000 | 682 |
| 2023 | 182 | 13.2 per 100,000 | 418 | 27.4 per 100,000 | 600 |
NYSDOH defines this indicator as poisoning deaths involving any opioid, including deaths of all manners, using specified underlying and multiple-cause-of-death ICD-10 codes. County mortality figures are based on the decedent’s county of residence rather than the location where the death occurred. The state notes that more recent provisional mortality figures can change as death investigations are completed and additional records are received.
The state’s July 2026 County Opioid Quarterly Report contains newer provisional county surveillance data. Those provisional figures are deliberately not mixed into the annual mortality table above because subsequent quarterly releases can revise earlier counts.
New York State and National Trends
The decline seen in the Long Island figures is part of a broader change in overdose mortality. New York’s final 2023 data recorded 5,308 overdose deaths involving any opioid. More recent provisional data indicate that the statewide decline continued after 2023.
In May 2026, New York State reported, citing provisional CDC National Vital Statistics System data, that annual drug-overdose fatalities in New York fell 44.9% from 2022 through 2025. Opioid-related deaths declined 51.9% over the same period. Because the 2025 figures are provisional, they may be revised as mortality records are finalized.
Final national data now provide a clearer picture of the decline. According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, the United States recorded 79,384 drug-overdose deaths in 2024, down from 105,007 in 2023. The national age-adjusted overdose death rate fell 26.2%, from 31.3 to 23.1 deaths per 100,000 population.
| U.S. Mortality Measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| All Drug Overdose Deaths | 105,007 | 79,384 |
| Deaths Involving Any Opioid | 79,358 | 54,045 |
| Deaths Involving Synthetic Opioids Other Than Methadone | 72,776 | 47,735 |
| Age-Adjusted Drug Overdose Death Rate | 31.3 per 100,000 | 23.1 per 100,000 |
The CDC category “synthetic opioids other than methadone” includes substances such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogs and tramadol. The age-adjusted death rate involving this category declined 35.6% nationally from 2023 to 2024, although synthetic opioids continued to account for a large share of opioid-involved deaths.
The decline continued in the CDC’s provisional 2025 series. The agency estimated 69,973 U.S. drug-overdose deaths during 2025, nearly 14% below the corresponding provisional estimate for 2024. Estimated opioid-involved deaths declined from 55,296 in the provisional 2024 series to 44,564 in 2025. These provisional estimates use a different data vintage from the final 2024 totals above and should not be compared one-for-one with final mortality counts.
EMS Suspected Opioid Overdoses
EMS suspected opioid overdose reports provide another view of overdose activity. They represent emergency medical encounters meeting New York’s surveillance definition for a suspected opioid overdose and are not the same as confirmed fatal overdoses. EMS totals can also be affected by reporting participation, documentation practices and changes in the state’s electronic patient-care reporting system.
| Year | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 863 | 869 | 1,732 |
| 2023 | 866 | 819 | 1,685 |
| 2024 | 691 | 620 | 1,311 |
Reported EMS suspected opioid overdoses declined in both counties from 2023 to 2024. Nassau declined from 866 to 691 reports, while Suffolk declined from 819 to 620. The combined total fell from 1,685 to 1,311.
Suffolk County requires an additional caution when newer EMS figures are compared with earlier years. NYSDOH states that most historical Suffolk data were obtained through Suffolk County Regional EMS Medical Control. Beginning in 2023, the state used a deduplicated combination of electronic patient-care reports and a smaller Medical Control dataset. The requirement to report medication administrations through that regional system continued until July 2025, and NYSDOH stopped collecting Regional EMS Medical Control data at the end of 2025. Changes spanning that transition should therefore be interpreted cautiously.
Naloxone Administration Reports
Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. New York receives naloxone reports through several different systems, including EMS agencies, law enforcement and registered Community Opioid Overdose Prevention programs. These figures describe reported administrations within each system and are not counts of confirmed overdose deaths prevented.
| Reporting Category | Nassau County (2024) | Suffolk County (2024) | Reported Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMS Naloxone Administration Reports | 504 | 429 | 933 |
| Law Enforcement Naloxone Reports | 31 | 33 | 64 |
| Registered Community Program Reports | 18 | 74 | 92 |
The three rows should not be added together. They come from separate reporting systems, can differ in completeness and do not represent a deduplicated count of unique overdose incidents. NYSDOH specifically states that its law-enforcement dataset does not comprehensively include the Nassau County Police Department because Nassau uses a different reporting mechanism.
Community naloxone figures are also known to understate actual use. NYSDOH notes that community reports can be delayed, the database is continually updated and the actual number of community naloxone administrations is likely to substantially exceed the number reported to the state.
Treatment Enrollment
OASAS tracks unique individuals enrolled in OASAS-certified substance-use-disorder treatment programs who reported any opioid, including heroin, as the primary substance at admission. A person receiving multiple services during the same reporting period is counted once, while someone remaining in treatment across multiple years may appear once in each year’s count.
| Year | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,509 | 5,272 | 7,781 |
| 2023 | 2,331 | 5,007 | 7,338 |
| 2024 | 2,098 | 4,892 | 6,990 |
The number reported in this treatment measure declined in both counties over the three years shown. Suffolk’s count remained considerably higher than Nassau’s, but the figures should not be interpreted as a direct estimate of the number of residents with opioid use disorder. NYSDOH notes that the OASAS dataset does not include people who never enter treatment, receive treatment outside the OASAS-certified system, obtain care outside New York or receive addiction medication from a physician outside that system. The availability of treatment services within a county can also affect enrollment counts.
Why Suffolk County Overdose Totals Can Differ by Source
Readers may encounter Suffolk County overdose figures that differ from the NYSDOH opioid mortality series. This does not necessarily indicate that one of the sources is incorrect. Different agencies use different definitions, time periods and inclusion criteria.
For example, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s final 2024 accidental intoxication report recorded 321 total overdose deaths. Of those, 310 were classified in its broader category of deaths from opioids, novel psychoactive substances and other illicit substances. The Medical Examiner report includes only deaths classified as accidental and uses substance categories different from the standardized NYSDOH opioid indicator, so its figures should not be substituted directly into the Nassau-Suffolk opioid mortality table.
The NYSDOH opioid mortality indicator, by comparison, identifies poisoning deaths involving specified opioid ICD-10 codes and includes all manners of death. Differences between county medical-examiner reports, state vital statistics and CDC datasets can therefore result from methodology rather than conflicting underlying records.
Understanding the Data
Suffolk County has higher figures than Nassau County for several important indicators, but not for every measure. In the 2023 mortality series, Suffolk recorded 418 opioid-involved deaths compared with 182 in Nassau, and its crude death rate was also higher. Suffolk also had more individuals represented in the 2024 OASAS treatment measure. By contrast, Nassau recorded more EMS suspected opioid overdoses in 2024, with 691 compared with 620 in Suffolk. County comparisons should therefore be made using the same indicator and reporting period.
Naloxone reports require similar care. Naloxone can reverse many opioid overdoses, but an administration report does not establish a final diagnosis or prove that a specific administration saved a life. Outcomes depend on the substance involved, timing, dosage, additional medical treatment and other circumstances. EMS, law-enforcement and community reports also should not be combined into a single number because their reporting systems are different and may overlap.
Synthetic opioids remain an important part of the overdose picture even as mortality has declined. Both NYSDOH and CDC use the category “synthetic opioids other than methadone,” which includes fentanyl and fentanyl analogs but can also include other synthetic opioids. It is more precise to use that official category than to treat every death in the category as a confirmed illicit-fentanyl death.
Mortality figures are also slower to stabilize than many other indicators. Death investigations can take weeks or months, specific substances may initially be unknown and a record can be revised after toxicology or other information becomes available. NYSDOH therefore labels its quarterly county mortality data provisional and maintains a separate annual dashboard for final data.
Methodology
- Opioid-involved overdose deaths: NYSDOH defines these as poisoning deaths involving any opioid using specified underlying and multiple-cause-of-death ICD-10 codes. The measure includes all manners of death and is based on county of residence.
- Final versus provisional mortality data: NYSDOH’s quarterly county reports are provisional and may change as investigations and records are completed. The annual dashboard is identified by NYSDOH as its final-data source.
- EMS suspected opioid overdoses: These are EMS encounters meeting the state’s surveillance definition for a suspected opioid overdose. They are not equivalent to confirmed overdose deaths or hospital diagnoses.
- EMS naloxone reports: These represent EMS encounters in which naloxone was administered during patient care. Naloxone may be administered when an opioid overdose is suspected before a final diagnosis is known.
- Law-enforcement naloxone reports: These are self-reported administration records from participating law-enforcement agencies. Nassau County figures are incomplete in the statewide dataset because the Nassau County Police Department uses a different reporting mechanism.
- Community naloxone reports: These are reports submitted through registered Community Opioid Overdose Prevention programs. Reporting can lag, records can later be corrected or deduplicated and actual community naloxone use is believed to exceed reported totals.
- Treatment enrollment: OASAS figures represent unique individuals enrolled in OASAS-certified treatment programs who reported an opioid, including heroin, as their primary substance at admission. These figures do not measure every resident with opioid use disorder.
- County rates: Mortality rates shown on this page are crude rates per 100,000 population. Other NYSDOH indicators may use different denominators, including EMS rates per 1,000 unique 911 EMS dispatches.
- Different official totals: Medical-examiner, vital-statistics, EMS and treatment datasets can produce different numbers because they measure different events and use different definitions.
Data Sources & Updates
Data reviewed: September 21, 2026.
The most recent NYSDOH County Opioid Quarterly Report available at the time of this review is the July 2026 edition. New York also currently lists the New York State Opioid Annual Report 2025 and May 2026 streamlined substance-use indicators among its current statewide resources. CDC final mortality data are available through 2024, while newer 2025 overdose estimates remain provisional.
The county figures presented on this page are compiled from official public sources including the New York State Opioid Data Dashboard, NYSDOH County Opioid Quarterly Reports, NYSDOH opioid reports, OASAS, CDC WONDER, the CDC National Center for Health Statistics and, where specifically identified, county-level medical-examiner reporting.
Because these systems measure different parts of the overdose crisis, figures should not automatically be combined or compared across datasets. Mortality statistics, EMS encounters, naloxone administration reports and treatment enrollment each answer different questions. Provisional data can also change as additional records are received.
This page is informational and is not a substitute for medical or emergency guidance. In a suspected overdose, New York State advises calling 911 immediately and administering naloxone if it is available. For non-emergency substance-use support and treatment referrals, the New York State OASAS HOPEline is available 24 hours a day at 1-877-8-HOPENY (467369) or by texting HOPENY to 467369.
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