Data is from the Illinois Department of Health:
We used 12.6 million for the population of Illinois and 5.15 million for the population of Cook County each year.
This website previously published two reports on drug overdose deaths in King County (Seattle), Washington. Seattle has been a true testing ground for the most radical hands-off, anything-goes drug policies. In 2022, 2.7 people died per day of overdoses in King County, and the numbers are already much higher in 2023.
Cook County, IL’s rates are even higher than in King County! This is because of the higher percentage of Blacks. We see the same pattern as King County. Whites and Latinos are dying of overdoses at much higher rates than East Asians. Blacks are dying of overdoses at far higher rates than the White and Latino rates.
Statewide:
2018: 2,722 (21.6 per 100k)
2019: 2,788 (22.1 per 100k)
2020: 3,543 (28.1 per 100k) 27.1% jump
2021: 3,717 (29.5 per 100k)
Cook County:
2018: 1,207 (23.4 per 100k)
2019: 1,357 (26.3 per 100k)
2020: 1,847 (35.9 per 100k) 36.1% jump
2021: 1,936 (37.6 per 100k)
Non-Hispanic White:
2018: 1,702 (22.7 per 100k)
2019: 1,663 (22.2 per 100k)
2020: 1,887 (25.2 per 100k) 13.5% jump
2021: 1,900 (25.3 per 100k)
Non-Hispanic Black:
2018: 740 (40.0 per 100k)
2019: 838 (45.3 per 100k)
2020: 1,203 (65.0 per 100k) 43.5% jump
2021: 1,357 (73.4 per 100k)
Hispanic:
2018: 254 (11.0 per 100k)
2019: 254 (11.0 per 100k)
2020: 412 (17.8 per 100k) 61.8% jump
2021: 424 (18.3 per 100k)
Non-Hispanic Other:
2018: 26 (2.7 per 100k)
2019: 33 (3.5 per 100k)
2020: 42 (4.4 per 100k) 25.7% jump
2021: 36 (3.8 per 100k)
Statewide Racial Breakdown:
Non-Hispanic White: 59.5% (7.50 million)
Non-Hispanic Black: 14.7% (1.85 million)
Hispanic: 18.3% (2.31 million)
Non-Hispanic Other: 7.5% (.95 million) (Mostly East Asian)
