The number of people who died from drug overdoses in Philadelphia declined by 7% in 2023, the first drop-off in five years, according to data released Wednesday. Life expectancy in the city also rose closer to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend health officials cited as a benchmark of recovery from the public health crisis.
There were 1,122 unintentional fatal drug overdoses last year, the city’s preliminary count shows. That’s down from 1,207 overdose deaths in 2022. There were 556 Black people who died from drug overdoses in 2023 — nearly half of the overall total. That was a slight decline from 562 in 2022, the first drop in overdose deaths among Black people in a decade.
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The 2022 overdose figures are lower than the 1,413 the Department of Public Health reported as an all-time high last fall. The health department did not immediately respond to a request for clarification about the discrepancies in its data. If the preliminary 2023 data is compared to the higher 2022 figure, the decline in overdose deaths would be greater than 20%.
The city did not detail how many of the fatal overdoses in 2023 were attributed to opioids. Last fall, the city reported that more than 80% of fatal overdoses in 2022 were caused by opioids — and among those deaths, 96% were linked to fentanyl.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a national decline of about 10.6% in drug overdose deaths in 2023, NPR reported last month. Although the federal data are provisional, some states saw drops in the range of 20% to 30%. The CDC projects a decline of about 18.57% in Pennsylvania from April 2023 to April 2024.
Opioid overdoses came up during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz touted significant declines in the country over the last 12 months. The CDC’s statistics through April represent the first annual decline in opioid overdose deaths since the 12 months that ended in April 2019.
Racial disparities still prevalent
The health department shared the new data on the city’s PhilaStats dashboard, which tracks population metrics that can be broken down by race, age and gender to better understand health outcomes in Philadelphia.
Drug overdoses were the third most common cause of death last year behind heart disease and cancer. And there were about three times as many overdose deaths in 2023 as there were homicides, which fell to 402 after peaking at 554 in 2021.
Megan Todd, the health department’s chief epidemiologist, said the findings on major causes of death in the city show progress in overcoming some of the biggest challenges seen during the pandemic. But the data underscore ongoing inequities in Philadelphia.
“Too many Philadelphians continue to die from overdoses, violence, and chronic disease – issues that have threatened the city since long before COVID-19,” Todd said in a press release. “And the impact of these deaths is far from equal. Structural factors like poverty and racism mean that race, ethnicity, and neighborhood still dictate who bears the heaviest burden.”
The city’s overall life expectancy of 76.2 years has rebounded from 73.2 years in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic sent life expectancy downward. COVID-19 was the third highest cause of death in 2020, but fell to 13th in 2023.
Yet, the life expectancy for Black men in Philadelphia, at 67.5 years, is well below the overall figure. Black women have a life expectancy of 77.2 years — more than 5 1/2 years lower than white women.
The disproportionate rise in fatal drug overdoses among Black and Hispanic Americans has been a national trend since the pandemic. Health experts have said the pervasiveness of fentanyl in street drugs has been a major contributing factor.
In Philadelphia, fatal overdoses among Black people increased by 87% between 2018 and 2022, according to a report the health department released last fall. They rose 43% among Hispanic people. Opioids mixed with stimulants, like cocaine and methamphetamine, accounted for the sharpest increases.
By comparison, overdose deaths among white people declined by 12% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Homelessness rises in Philadelphia
The city’s homeless population has increased for three consecutive years.
Including people staying in emergency shelters, safe havens and transitional housing, Philadelphia’s homeless population rose to 5,198 during an annual count conducted in January, according to the Office of Homeless Services. The number of people living on the street increased from 706 people in 2023 to 976 during this year’s count — a 38% increase.
Kensington, the neighborhood that has been at the center of Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic, accounted for 35% of the city’s unsheltered homeless population — those who are not staying in emergency shelters, safe havens or transitional housing. That figured had increased by 23%.
The count happened before Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration began its initiative to clear open air drug markets in Kensington and remove homeless encampments.
In May, when the city cleared an encampment from a stretch of Kensington Avenue, officials said 59 people had gone into treatment or shelters offered during the month leading up to the enforcement. Some outreach workers in Kensington have criticized the city’s approach to the overdose crisis, arguing that a law-and-order enforcement plan could backfire if harm reduction does not remain a core strategy to address the multiple issues facing people in addiction.
The city is planning to construct a $100 million drug treatment facility in Northeast Philadelphia next to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. The plan calls for 290 living units and space to serve up to 690 people who need services and shelter.
Concerns about Philadelphia’s homeless population have mounted since June, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a case that may give local governments more authority to put restrictions on where homeless residents can stay outdoors.
The health department stressed that the city still faces serious public health crises coming out of the pandemic, but said the data released Wednesday offers signs of hope.
“These new findings are good news for Philadelphia,” Todd said. “The rebound in life expectancy suggests that we are recovering from the negative health impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
