Opioid & Overdose Statistics (Nassau & Suffolk)
The opioid crisis continues to impact communities across the United States, and Long Island is no exception. Both Nassau and Suffolk Counties have experienced fatal overdoses, suspected opioid overdose calls, naloxone use by emergency responders, and ongoing demand for substance-use-disorder treatment services.
This page compiles official data from the New York State Opioid Data Dashboard, New York State Department of Health opioid quarterly reports, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is intended as a clear, fact-based overview of opioid-related deaths, emergency response, naloxone use, and treatment enrollment across Long Island.
Recent data should be read carefully. Fatal overdose data is usually released with a lag, while EMS, naloxone, and treatment indicators may be updated more frequently. Some figures are not directly comparable because they come from different reporting systems and measure different events.
Opioid Crisis on Long Island (Latest Public 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 substantially |
| 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 Annual Report 2025, NYS Opioid Data Dashboard, NYSDOH County Opioid Quarterly Reports, CDC WONDER, NYS EMS data, and OASAS treatment data. Naloxone figures are reports of administrations, not confirmed lives saved. Treatment enrollment reflects unique individuals in OASAS-certified substance-use-disorder treatment programs who reported any opioid, including heroin, as the primary substance at admission.
Recent Opioid Overdose Deaths
The most current finalized county-level opioid-death figures reviewed for this page are for 2023. In that year, Nassau County recorded 182 overdose deaths involving any opioid, while Suffolk County recorded 418. Suffolk’s crude rate was more than twice Nassau’s, reflecting the county’s historically heavier overdose burden.
| 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 |
From 2022 to 2023, opioid-involved overdose deaths declined in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The combined Long Island total fell from 682 to 600, a decrease of about 12%. These county-level figures are separate from newer provisional statewide and national reporting, which indicate larger overdose-death declines after 2023.
Statewide and National Context
New York State’s 2025 opioid annual report shows that statewide overdose deaths involving any opioid reached 5,361 in 2022 and declined slightly to 5,308 in 2023. The report also states that synthetic opioids other than methadone, a category commonly used as a proxy for illicitly manufactured fentanyl, were involved in 93% of New York opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2023.
More recent state and national reporting shows a larger decline after 2023. The CDC reported that the national age-adjusted drug overdose death rate decreased by 26.2% from 2023 to 2024, and New York officials have reported substantial overdose-death reductions in 2024 and provisional 2025 data. These improvements are encouraging, but overdose remains a major public-health issue, especially in communities with persistent fentanyl exposure and barriers to treatment.
EMS Suspected Opioid Overdoses
EMS suspected opioid overdose reports provide a more current view of emergency-response activity than finalized mortality data. These reports are based on EMS encounters and are not the same as confirmed fatal overdoses. They can be affected by dispatch practices, documentation, reporting systems, and changes in data collection.
| Year | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 863 | 869 | 1,732 |
| 2023 | 866 | 819 | 1,685 |
| 2024 | 691 | 620 | 1,311 |
| 2025 YTD | 245 through June | 422 through June | 667 through June |
The 2024 EMS suspected overdose totals were lower than 2023 in both counties. Early 2025 data is partial-year data and should not be compared directly with full-year totals until the year is complete.
Naloxone Administrations
Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. It is administered by EMS, law enforcement, hospitals, community organizations, and bystanders. The official figures below are reports of naloxone administrations by specific reporting systems; they should not be described as confirmed “lives saved,” because outcomes depend on timing, dosage, medical care, and the circumstances of the overdose.
| Reporting Category | Nassau County (2024) | Suffolk County (2024) | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMS Naloxone Administration Reports | 504 | 429 | 933 |
| Law Enforcement Naloxone Reports | 31 | 33 | 64 |
| Registered Community Program Reports | 18 | 74 | 92 |
| Total Across Listed Reporting Categories | 553 | 536 | 1,089 |
Important limitation: Naloxone reporting systems can overlap or differ by source. EMS, law enforcement, and community-program figures should not automatically be added as a single count of unique overdose events. Nassau law-enforcement reporting is also not comprehensively captured in the state report notes.
Treatment Enrollment
New York tracks unique individuals enrolled in OASAS-certified substance-use-disorder treatment programs who reported an opioid, including heroin, as the primary substance at admission. This is more precise than saying all of these individuals “entered treatment for opioid use disorder,” because the dashboard measure is based on treatment-system enrollment and primary substance reported at admission.
| 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 |
| 2025 YTD | 1,486 through March | 3,429 through March | 4,915 through March |
Treatment enrollment remains much higher in Suffolk County than Nassau County. The difference reflects population, service patterns, historical overdose burden, and the number of people enrolled in OASAS-certified treatment programs who report opioids as their primary substance at admission.
Methodology
- Overdose deaths involving any opioid: Drawn from CDC WONDER and the NYS Opioid Annual Report. These deaths include multiple-cause-of-death records involving opioid ICD-10 codes and are not mutually exclusive by substance type.
- EMS suspected opioid overdoses: Drawn from NYS EMS reporting in the NYSDOH opioid quarterly reports. These are suspected overdose events documented by EMS and are not equivalent to confirmed fatal overdoses.
- Naloxone data: Drawn from NYS EMS data, law-enforcement reports, and registered Community Opioid Overdose Prevention program reports where available. Naloxone administrations are not the same as confirmed lives saved.
- Treatment enrollment: Drawn from OASAS data showing unique individuals enrolled in OASAS-certified substance-use-disorder treatment programs who reported any opioid, including heroin, as the primary substance at admission.
- Rates: County death rates are crude rates per 100,000 population. EMS suspected overdose and EMS naloxone rates are commonly reported per 1,000 unique 911 EMS dispatches.
- Partial-year data: 2025 figures shown on this page are year-to-date only and should not be compared directly with full-year totals.
FAQ
Q: Why are Suffolk County’s numbers higher than Nassau’s?
A: Suffolk has a larger population and has historically recorded a higher opioid overdose burden. In 2023, Suffolk recorded 418 overdose deaths involving any opioid compared with 182 in Nassau, and Suffolk’s crude opioid-death rate was more than twice Nassau’s.
Q: Does naloxone always save a life?
A: No. Naloxone can reverse many opioid overdoses, but outcomes depend on timing, dosage, the substances involved, whether additional doses are needed, and whether the person receives follow-up medical care.
Q: Are prescription opioids or fentanyl driving the crisis?
A: Current New York State reporting shows that synthetic opioids other than methadone, used as a proxy for fentanyl, are the dominant driver of opioid-involved overdose deaths. In 2023, this category was involved in 93% of opioid-involved overdose deaths statewide.
Q: Why did the old page show much higher naloxone numbers?
A: Older or less precise summaries may have combined different reporting systems or counted broader indicators. This updated page separates EMS, law-enforcement, and community-program naloxone reports and avoids calling them confirmed lifesaving reversals.
Q: How often is this data updated?
A: NYS opioid dashboard and quarterly-report indicators are updated periodically, while finalized mortality data is typically released with a lag. CDC and NYS mortality figures may be revised as records are finalized.
Data Sources & Updates
Data Last Updated: June 2026.
The opioid and overdose information presented on this page is compiled from official and public data sources, including the New York State Opioid Data Dashboard, NYSDOH County Opioid Quarterly Reports, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) treatment data, CDC WONDER, CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) overdose reporting, and the New York State Opioid Annual Report. Data is reviewed periodically and updated as new annual mortality files, quarterly EMS indicators, naloxone reports, and treatment-enrollment data become available.
Because opioid statistics come from multiple reporting systems, figures may not align perfectly across sources. Mortality data, EMS data, naloxone administration reports, hospital data, and treatment enrollment each measure different parts of the overdose crisis. Partial-year figures should be interpreted cautiously and should not be compared directly with full-year totals.
