What does this measure?

The number of people from a geographic area (county, city or town) admitted to alcohol/substance abuse treatment centers anywhere in the state, expressed as a rate per 10,000 residents.

Why is this important?

Drinking and drug use increases an individual's risk of poor health outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes and unintentional injuries, and is often a contributing factor in child abuse, domestic violence, suicide and homicide. The availability of treatment can be a critical factor in helping people recover from addiction.

How is our county doing?

Essex had 101 admissions to treatment per 10,000 residents in 2024, down 37% from 2018 and below the state rate of 129. The decline began in 2019 and increased again in 2023 and 2024. In both Essex and the state, heroin and alcohol were the most common primary drug, and made up 72% of all admissions among Essex residents. Crack/Cocaine admissions were the fastest growing category since 2018, with admissions peaking in 2024.

Marijuana and other opioids admissions were among the lowest rates both state and county-wide, averaging around 7% of admissions among Essex residents when combined.

How do we compare to similar counties?

Middlesex, MA had 56 admissions per 10,000 residents, much lower than Essex's rate of 101. Essex's admission rate for heroin, 38, was higher than in Middlesex (18). Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester, NY.

Notes about the data

Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions data is not available below county level.

National data were not available.