TABLE 2. Percentage of opioid-involved overdose deaths* involving synthetic opioids among adults aged ≥18 years, by urbanization level, age group, and race/ethnicity, — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2015–2017.
| Urbanization level† | Age group (yrs) | Race/Ethnicity§,¶ | Year, % |
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | % Increase, 2015–2017**,†† | |||
| Large central metro |
All |
Black |
30.6 |
57.1 |
69.2 |
126 |
| White |
26.1 |
44.0 |
56.0 |
115 |
||
| Hispanic |
20.2 |
45.8 |
55.7 |
175 |
||
| 18–24 |
Black |
33.8 |
48.2 |
70.8 |
109 |
|
| White |
29.8 |
44.9 |
59.9 |
101 |
||
| Hispanic |
17.1 |
40.6 |
56.4 |
230 |
||
| 25–34 |
Black |
35.1 |
60.1 |
70.3 |
100 |
|
| White |
30.6 |
51.1 |
62.8 |
105 |
||
| Hispanic |
22.9 |
46.1 |
56.4 |
147 |
||
| 35–44 |
Black |
27.8 |
55.4 |
66.5 |
139 |
|
| White |
27.8 |
49.8 |
61.5 |
121 |
||
| Hispanic |
20.2 |
50.6 |
59.2 |
193 |
||
| 45–54 |
Black |
29.7 |
61.8 |
70.0 |
135 |
|
| White |
24.1 |
41.1 |
54.2 |
125 |
||
| Hispanic |
21.1 |
48.1 |
56.0 |
165 |
||
| 55–64 |
Black |
31.8 |
55.0 |
69.9 |
120 |
|
| White |
20.7 |
32.7 |
44.9 |
117 |
||
| Hispanic |
17.2 |
41.1 |
47.5 |
176 |
||
| ≥65 |
Black |
22.9 |
50.0 |
65.5 |
186 |
|
| White |
19.7 |
23.9 |
28.8 |
46 |
||
| Hispanic |
—§§ |
— |
46.3 |
— |
||
| Large fringe metro |
All |
Black |
34.5 |
55.1 |
74.8 |
117 |
| White |
34.3 |
52.0 |
65.4 |
91 |
||
| Hispanic |
29.1 |
53.7 |
67.2 |
131 |
||
| 18–24 |
Black |
41.7 |
64.4 |
70.5 |
69 |
|
| White |
37.8 |
56.1 |
70.9 |
88 |
||
| Hispanic |
32.3 |
51.1 |
64.2 |
99 |
||
| 25–34 |
Black |
43.1 |
59.1 |
75.1 |
74 |
|
| White |
39.5 |
59.4 |
72.9 |
85 |
||
| Hispanic |
34.4 |
61.2 |
67.9 |
98 |
||
| 35–44 |
Black |
35.6 |
56.0 |
79.1 |
122 |
|
| White |
36.1 |
55.1 |
69.4 |
92 |
||
| Hispanic |
27.7 |
54.6 |
71.0 |
156 |
||
| 45–54 |
Black |
28.3 |
50.9 |
71.3 |
152 |
|
| White |
30.5 |
46.0 |
59.9 |
97 |
||
| Hispanic |
28.2 |
45.0 |
72.6 |
158 |
||
| 55–64 |
Black |
30.3 |
50.7 |
74.5 |
146 |
|
| White |
24.5 |
37.7 |
48.9 |
100 |
||
| Hispanic |
— |
— |
50.7 |
— |
||
| ≥65 |
Black |
— |
— |
79.4 |
— |
|
| White |
20.7 |
28.5 |
37.0 |
79 |
||
| Hispanic |
— |
— |
— |
— |
||
| Medium and small metro | All |
Black |
36.0 |
49.9 |
67.4 |
87 |
| White |
29.0 |
42.3 |
57.8 |
100 |
||
| Hispanic |
17.9 |
36.9 |
47.9 |
168 |
||
| 18–24 |
Black |
58.3 |
47.4 |
65.1 |
12 |
|
| White |
34.3 |
45.9 |
66.0 |
92 |
||
| Hispanic |
25.6 |
36.4 |
53.2 |
108 |
||
| 25–34 |
Black |
35.1 |
54.1 |
76.2 |
117 |
|
| White |
34.0 |
49.1 |
66.3 |
95 |
||
| Hispanic |
16.8 |
35.2 |
53.4 |
217 |
||
| 35–44 |
Black |
37.7 |
51.8 |
69.7 |
85 |
|
| White |
31.0 |
46.6 |
62.8 |
102 |
||
| Hispanic |
20.1 |
44.6 |
51.1 |
154 |
||
| 45–54 |
Black |
34.5 |
50.6 |
68.0 |
97 |
|
| White |
26.1 |
38.9 |
53.6 |
106 |
||
| Hispanic |
18.2 |
34.3 |
43.7 |
140 |
||
| 55–64 |
Black |
30.3 |
47.1 |
58.8 |
94 |
|
| White |
21.6 |
28.6 |
43.0 |
99 |
||
| Hispanic |
— |
31.2 |
32.5 |
— |
||
| ≥65 | Black |
— |
— |
46.9 |
— |
|
| White |
17.2 |
23.4 |
22.2 |
29 |
||
| Hispanic | — | — | — | — | ||
* Deaths were classified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Opioid-involved overdose deaths were identified using underlying cause-of-death codes X40–44, X60–64, X85, and Y10–14. Among deaths with overdose as the underlying cause, the type of drug involved in the overdose death was indicated by the following ICD-10 multiple cause-of-death codes: any opioid (T40.0, T40.1, T40.2, T40.3, T40.4, or T40.6) and synthetic opioids other than methadone (T40.4). Totals for deaths by category might involve more than one drug other than synthetic opioids. The percentage of opioid-involved overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids was calculated by dividing the number of opioid-involved overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids by the number of opioid-involved overdose deaths, then multiplying by 100.
† Based on the 2013 urbanization classification (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/urban_rural.htm). Large central metro: counties in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) of ≥1 million population that 1) contain the entire population of the largest principal city of the MSA, or 2) have their entire population contained in the largest principal city of the MSA, or 3) contain at least 250,000 inhabitants of any principal city of the MSA. Large fringe metro: counties in the MSAs of ≥1 million population that did not qualify as large central metro counties. Medium metro: counties in MSAs of populations of 250,000–999,999. Small metro: counties in MSAs of populations <250,000. Because of low numbers of deaths and rate suppression for key populations, micropolitan areas (nonmetropolitan counties) and noncore areas (counties that did not qualify as micropolitan) were not included in this analysis.
§ Blacks and whites were non-Hispanic; Hispanics could be of any race.
¶ Data for Hispanic origin should be interpreted with caution; studies comparing Hispanic origin on death certificates and on census surveys have indicated that reporting on Hispanic ethnicity is inconsistent. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_172.pdf.
** Percentage increase in opioid-involved overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids was calculated by subtracting the percentage of deaths that involved synthetic opioids in 2017 from the percentage of deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2015, dividing this value by the percentage of deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2015, and then multiplying by 100.
†† Total percent changes were rounded to the nearest whole number.
§§ Dashes indicate that percent change in synthetic opioid involvement in opioid-involved overdose deaths could not be calculated because of unreliable rates or suppression.