For the third year in a row, accidental drug-related overdose and poisoning deaths have dropped in Los Angeles County, a decline officials attribute to ongoing investments in prevention and harm reduction resources countywide.
There were 2,298 accidental drug overdose and poisoning deaths in 2025, down 6%, a relatively small drop from 2,438 the prior year but an overall substantial reduction from the all-time high of 3,220 deaths countywide in 2022, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental deaths countywide — surpassing the deaths due to vehicle crashes and firearms in 2017 combined — with methamphetamine and fentanyl most often involved in the overdoses.
The problem reached a historic high in 2022 when fentanyl surpassed methamphetamine as the most common drug listed as a cause of overdose deaths. At the time, the number of overdoses in general had increased across the board.
However, these accidental deaths have been on a downward trend, with a nearly 30% overall decrease in drug-related overdoses from 2022 to 2025. Fentanyl-related deaths dropped by 40% and methamphetamine-related deaths declined by 25% in that period.
Officials said in the report that the numbers are more modest compared with 2024, when accidental overdose deaths plunged overall by 22%, which they said “demonstrates sustained progress in the County’s efforts to address the overdose crisis.”
“Three consecutive years of fewer overdose deaths in LA County is proof that sustained investments in prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services saves lives,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said in a statement.
Ferrer credited the continued reduction to outreach workers and community partners who “are working every day to connect people to treatment, distribute lifesaving naloxone and meet people where they are without judgment.”
The department continues to invest in a coordinated spectrum of community-based overdose prevention efforts that include the Fentanyl Frontline — a multimedia campaign focused on the widespread distribution of naloxone — and ByLAforLA.org, a community-powered platform that connects residents to lifesaving services with an aim to reduce stigma.
The health department report also found:
Los Angeles County overdose deaths declined across most age groups in 2025 but deaths among adults 65 and older increased by 14%.
Although older adults accounted for only 11% of all overdose deaths, this increase contrasts with the broader downward trend observed across other age groups, according to the report.
Those aged 40 to 64 remained the most affected group, accounting for 53% of overdose deaths last year.
Communities with 30% of residents living below the federal poverty level had a higher rate of drug overdose deaths than areas with less than 10% of families living below the federal poverty level.
By race, Black residents continued to experience the highest overdose death rates in 2025.
By gender, a persistent disparity remains, with men accounting for most overdose deaths, nearly 1,800 compared with more than 500 deaths among women.
Nationwide, opioid overdose deaths have been on the decline since mid-2023, driven largely by decreases in fentanyl-related deaths, but the numbers remain above pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent report by KFF, a national health policy organization.
KFF said multiple policy actions have contributed to the decline, including efforts to expand access to treatment as well as overdose-reversal drugs and public awareness campaigns. At the federal level, there have been some efforts to mitigate the crisis including improving fentanyl detection at ports and borders.
“Despite progress, a range of more recent federal policy actions may affect future trends, including federal budget cuts, federal staffing reductions, and cuts to federal grants that support state and local programs; reduced Medicaid and Marketplace coverage; and a shift toward a more enforcement-focused approach, including the designation of illicit fentanyl as a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction,’” according to the report.
Los Angeles County residents can access assistance for substance-use services 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling (800) 854-7771, select Option 2 after the language prompt.
