What does this measure?
Deaths due to opioid drug overdoses, expressed as a rate per 100,000 residents.
Why is this important?
In addition to ending a life tragically, a death by drug overdose profoundly affects surviving relatives and friends. Rising drug overdose deaths can reflect increasing rates of addiction, more potent and dangerous substances, inadequate systems to treat and support addicts, and other worrisome trends.
How is Brookline doing?
In 2021, Brookline had an opioid drug overdose mortality rate of 2 deaths per 100,000 residents, much lower than the statewide rate of 33. This is a decline from a high rate of 10 per 100,000 residents in 2017.
Brookline had the lowest rate among comparison localities in 2021. Everett had the highest rate at 49 per 100,000 followed by Cambridge at 18.
Notes about the data
Deaths may be accidental or intentional, or this information may be unknown. Opioids include heroin, illicitly manufactured fentanyl, opioid-based prescription painkillers, and other unspecified opioids.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 1.7 | 1.7 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 10.1 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 4.7 | 1.6 | ||||||
| Arlington, Middlesex County | 6.8 | 11.2 | 13.4 | 13.3 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 6.6 | ||||||
| Cambridge, Middlesex County | 5.4 | 7.1 | 11.5 | 23.3 | 10.3 | 9.3 | 11.8 | 11.0 | 17.9 | ||||||
| Everett, Middlesex County | 11.6 | 65.4 | 37.3 | 50.1 | 39.0 | 32.2 | 32.3 | 32.5 | 49.4 | ||||||
| Newton, Middlesex County | 2.3 | 6.8 | 7.9 | 18.1 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 10.3 | ||||||
| Norfolk County | 8.2 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 8.6 | 9.4 | 10.3 | 11.9 | 18.1 | 23.6 | 30.6 | 23.7 | 24.2 | 18.3 | 21.2 | 22.4 |
| Essex County | 12.2 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 12.3 | 15.6 | 26.6 | 30.2 | 35.1 | 38.1 | 34.6 | 35.4 | 30.9 | 35.7 |
| Middlesex County | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 6.1 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 9.7 | 17.3 | 21.5 | 25.2 | 21.7 | 20.0 | 18.9 | 18.2 | 22.0 |
| Massachusetts | 10.0 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.0 | 14.2 | 20.1 | 25.7 | 30.9 | 29.3 | 29.2 | 29.1 | 29.7 | 32.7 |
Notes: Rates per 100,000 residents. Numbers are age- and sex-adjusted.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Arlington, Middlesex County | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| Cambridge, Middlesex County | 6 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 21 | ||||||
| Everett, Middlesex County | 5 | 29 | 17 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 24 | ||||||
| Newton, Middlesex County | 2 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 | ||||||
| Norfolk County | 54 | 73 | 65 | 58 | 64 | 70 | 82 | 125 | 164 | 213 | 166 | 170 | 129 | 154 | 162 |
| Essex County | 89 | 65 | 74 | 49 | 57 | 93 | 119 | 205 | 235 | 274 | 299 | 273 | 279 | 250 | 288 |
| Middlesex County | 110 | 112 | 124 | 91 | 130 | 118 | 152 | 273 | 341 | 402 | 348 | 321 | 304 | 297 | 356 |
| Massachusetts | 642 | 622 | 638 | 547 | 656 | 733 | 954 | 1,356 | 1,746 | 2,110 | 2,008 | 2,013 | 2,005 | 2,091 | 2,281 |
Notes: Opioids include heroin, illicitly manufactured fentanyl, opioid-based prescription painkillers, and other unspecified opioids.
