Data brief, September 2026

New Hampshire and Massachusetts Overdose Data Brief

Every number cited
Updated quarterly
NH, MA and U.S. side by side

The most recent public overdose numbers for both states in one place, from the CDC, New Hampshire's Drug Monitoring Initiative and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Every number links to its source and carries its release date. We update this page every quarter. Next update: January 2027.

(603) 769-8981 Where to get help

Updated September 25, 2026

The short version

What the latest numbers show

New Hampshire is moving the other way from Massachusetts and the country. In the CDC's provisional counts for the 12 months ending April 2026, New Hampshire recorded 251 drug overdose deaths, up 3.7% from 242 a year earlier. Over the same period, Massachusetts fell 9.7%, from 1,452 to 1,311, and the United States fell 13.5%, from 75,967 to 65,726. These are provisional counts, and the CDC marks its most recent months as underreported while death records are completed.

New Hampshire, full year 2025: 266 confirmed overdose deaths, with 1 still pending, down from 289 in 2024, according to the state's Drug Monitoring Initiative report for June 2026. Deaths involving cocaine rose from 47 to 65.

Massachusetts, full year 2025: 978 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths among residents, according to preliminary Department of Public Health data released June 5, 2026. That is 27% lower than 2024, and the first year under 1,000 since 2013.

These sources count different things: all drug overdose deaths by the state where they happened, confirmed deaths from New Hampshire's medical examiner, and opioid-related deaths among Massachusetts residents. That is why the numbers do not match each other. Each table below says exactly what it counts.

NH vs MA vs U.S.

CDC provisional drug overdose deaths, 12 months ending April 2026

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts, release of September 16, 2026, based on data available for analysis on September 6, 2026. Deaths are counted in the state where they occurred.

12-month provisional drug overdose death counts, April 2025 and April 2026
Place	12 months ending April 2025	12 months ending April 2026, reported	Change, reported	12 months ending April 2026, predicted	Change, predicted
New Hampshire	242	251	+3.7%	252	+4.1%
Massachusetts	1,452	1,311	-9.7%	1,311	-9.7%
United States	75,967	65,726	-13.5%	66,937	-12.1%

Reported counts are the death records received so far. Predicted counts are the CDC's adjustment for typical reporting delays, and the CDC's own map of percent change uses the predicted figures, so both are shown. For April 2025, the predicted counts equal the reported ones for New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and the U.S. predicted count is 76,176. The CDC labels the April 2026 figures underreported due to incomplete data. Percent changes are our arithmetic from the CDC counts. The CDC updates these counts monthly, and the next release is expected in October 2026.

By county

CDC provisional counts for the counties around our centers

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional County-Level Drug Overdose Death Counts, data as of July 5, 2026. Counts are by the county where the death occurred, for 12-month periods ending in December.

Provisional drug overdose deaths by county, 12 months ending December 2024 and December 2025
County	Includes	12 months ending Dec 2024	12 months ending Dec 2025	Change
Hillsborough County, NH	Manchester, Nashua	105	90	-14.3%
Rockingham County, NH	Londonderry, Derry, Salem	42	38	-9.5%
Norfolk County, MA	Needham, Dedham, Wellesley	108	95	-12.0%
Middlesex County, MA	Newton, Waltham, Framingham	242	222	-8.3%
Suffolk County, MA	Boston	248	211	-14.9%

The county release lags the state release by a few months. The CDC suppresses county counts between 1 and 9 for confidentiality, which does not affect these five counties.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire overdose deaths by year, Drug Monitoring Initiative

Source: New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center, Drug Monitoring Initiative, June 2026 report, dated August 13, 2026 and posted August 25, 2026. Death data come from the NH Medical Examiner's Office, as analyzed on June 1, 2026.

New Hampshire drug overdose deaths, 2020 to 2026
Year	All overdose deaths	Involving opioids	Involving cocaine	Involving meth	Deaths per 100,000
2020	417	357	58	59	30.27
2021	436	404	36	63	31.65
2022	486	427	56	97	34.84
2023	431	386	62	63	30.67
2024	289	242	47	38	20.51
2025, not final	266, 1 pending	192	65	42	18.88
2026 so far, not final	73, 30 pending	57	25	14	5.18

A death involving more than one drug is counted in each drug column. The same report counts 188 suspected opioid overdoses and 22 suspected opioid overdose deaths in Manchester so far in 2026, and 72 and 9 in Nashua. It also notes year over year increases since 2021 in cocaine cases analyzed by the NH State Police Forensic Laboratory, and that the state is tracking a new synthetic opioid, N-propionitrile chlorphine, known as cychlorphine, detected in a few states, Canada and Europe. The DMI publishes a report each month. The most recent NH Medical Examiner drug data update we found on dhhs.nh.gov is from September 2025, so this page uses the newer DMI figures.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts opioid-related overdose deaths among residents

Sources: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2024 Opioid-Involved Overdose Report, published March 2026, and the DPH press release of June 5, 2026, Massachusetts opioid-related overdose deaths fall under 1,000 for the first time in over a decade.

Massachusetts opioid-related overdose deaths, 2022 to 2025
Year	Opioid-related overdose deaths	Change from the year before	Source
2022	2,364	Record high	2024 report and June 2026 release
2023	2,114	About 10% lower	2024 report
2024	1,336	37% lower	2024 report
2025, preliminary	978	27% lower	June 5, 2026 release

The 2024 report also counts 1,667 Massachusetts residents who died of a drug overdose of any kind in 2024, 80% of them opioid-involved, and DPH treats all death data as preliminary until its Annual Death Report. For town-level numbers, including Needham, Newton and Boston, DPH points to the BSAS Dashboard Community Profile, updated in August 2026 with deaths through December 31, 2025. DPH says the dashboard is typically updated every six months.

For families

What this means for families

The numbers are lower than at the peak in both states. Massachusetts opioid-related deaths in 2025 were less than half the 2022 record, and New Hampshire's yearly total fell from 486 in 2022 to 266 in 2025. But the CDC's latest provisional year shows New Hampshire ticking up while Massachusetts and the country keep falling, and every one of these numbers is a person someone loved.

If someone in your family uses opioids, New Hampshire's Doorway says that having naloxone, also called Narcan, on hand and knowing how to use it could save their life, and The Doorway offers naloxone along with treatment and recovery support. The Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline provides harm reduction, treatment and recovery support, 24 hours a day. The Doorway also helps family members who are calling about someone else.

We do not interpret why the numbers moved. The sources above are the place to read the states' own explanations, and questions about a specific person belong with a clinician.

Get help

Where to get help in each state

In an emergency, call 911. For a mental health or suicidal crisis, call or text 988.

New Hampshire: dial 211 to reach The Doorway, the state's entry point for substance use help at nine hospital locations, including 300 Hanover Street in Manchester and 268 Main Street in Nashua. Clear Steps Recovery's Londonderry center, at 1D Commons Dr, Units 21 & 22, offers PHP, IOP, Evening IOP and outpatient care, with medical detox by referral to a partner facility.

Massachusetts: call or text the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline at (800) 327-5050, or the Behavioral Health Help Line at (833) 773-2445, both free and open 24/7. Clear Steps Recovery's Needham center, at 392 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, offers Day Treatment, Evening Treatment and outpatient care, with detox by referral.

Clear Steps Recovery admissions: (603) 769-8981, one number for both centers, answered 24/7. For families, see intervention help, our Section 35 guide and free and low-cost treatment in NH and MA.

Frequently asked

Questions about overdose data in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

How many people died of drug overdoses in New Hampshire in 2025?

266 confirmed overdose deaths, with 1 still pending, according to the New Hampshire Drug Monitoring Initiative's June 2026 report, based on NH Medical Examiner's Office data as of June 1, 2026. That is down from 289 in 2024.

Are overdose deaths rising in New Hampshire?

In the latest CDC provisional count, yes, slightly. New Hampshire recorded 251 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending April 2026, up 3.7% from 242 a year earlier, while Massachusetts fell 9.7% and the United States fell 13.5%. The full calendar year 2025 was lower than 2024 in the state's own data. The CDC figures are provisional.

How many opioid overdose deaths were there in Massachusetts in 2025?

978 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts residents, according to preliminary Department of Public Health data released June 5, 2026. That is 27% lower than 2024 and the first year below 1,000 since 2013.

Why do the New Hampshire, Massachusetts and CDC numbers not match?

They count different things. The CDC counts all drug overdose deaths in the state where they occurred, including non-residents, and its recent months are provisional. New Hampshire's Drug Monitoring Initiative reports confirmed deaths from the state medical examiner. Massachusetts reports opioid-related overdose deaths among its residents.

How often is this page updated?

Every quarter. The next update is planned for January 2027. The CDC updates its provisional counts monthly, New Hampshire's Drug Monitoring Initiative publishes a monthly report, and the Massachusetts BSAS dashboard is typically updated every six months.

Sources

Sources, release dates and next updates

CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts, release of September 16, 2026, data as of September 6, 2026. Updated monthly. Suggested citation: Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Rossen LM, Sutton P. Provisional drug overdose death counts. National Center for Health Statistics. 2026.
CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Provisional County-Level Drug Overdose Death Counts, data as of July 5, 2026.
New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center. Drug Monitoring Initiative June 2026 report, dated August 13, 2026, posted August 25, 2026. Monthly.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Massachusetts 2024 Opioid-Involved Overdose Report, published March 2026, listed on the Substance Use and Overdose Data page.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Press release of June 5, 2026 on preliminary 2025 opioid-related overdose deaths.
Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. BSAS Dashboard, updated August 2026, typically every six months.

Figures were read from these sources on September 25, 2026. This page is updated quarterly, and the next update is planned for January 2027. Journalists and community groups are welcome to cite it, and should cite the original sources for any number.

The path is clear

Worried about someone? You can call today.

Outpatient addiction treatment in Londonderry, NH and Needham, MA, with evening programs Monday to Thursday. Admissions is answered 24/7 and checks insurance at no cost.

(603) 769-8981 Intervention help for families