Health
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2021


Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2021

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 87 admissions to treatment per 10,000 residents in 2021, down 46% from 2018 and below the state rate of 126. The decline began in 2019 and accelerated in 2020 when the COVID pandemic began. In both Essex and the state, heroin and opioids were the most common primary drug, making up nearly half of all admissions. Alcohol was the next most common primary drug, making up about 33%. Heroin admissions were the fastest growing category, with admissions peaking in 2016, but they have declined 55% to a rate of 35 per 10,000 in 2021.

Marijuana and crack/cocaine admissions were among the lowest rates both state and county-wide, averaging only around 8% of admissions when combined.

How do we compare to similar counties?

Middlesex, MA had 59 admissions per 10,000 residents, about 32% less than Essex's rate and a decline since 2008. Essex's admission rate for heroin, 35, was higher than in Middlesex (24). Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester, NY.

Notes about the data

The state did not disclose admissions data for cities/towns and for some substance categories with low numbers, for confidentiality reasons. CGR aggregated local data in prior years to produce totals for counties, but the suppression of some small localities or substance categories means that county-level admissions by substance do not sum exactly to total county admissions. National data were not available.

Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2021
AlcoholCrack/CocaineHeroinMarijuanaOtherOther OpioidsOther Sedatives/HypnoticsOther StimulantsTotal
Essex County, MA294353162187
Middlesex County, MA21324231159
Massachusetts4265531511126

Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Notes: Rates are per 10,000 residents. Data was not disclosed for all substances and geographies.




Number of Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2021
AlcoholCrack/CocaineHeroinMarijuanaOtherOther OpioidsOther Sedatives/HypnoticsOther StimulantsTotal
Essex County, MA2,3273532,82121271494141717,053
Middlesex County, MA3,4304763,906286476191959,528
Massachusetts29,0174,39738,6891,7598793,51787987987,930

Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Notes: Data was not disclosed for all substances and geographies.




Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2008
AlcoholCrack/CocaineHeroinMarijuanaOtherOther OpioidsOther Sedatives/HypnoticsOther StimulantsTotal
Essex County, MA611359911020154
Amesbury102144984180
Beverly51732511108
Gloucester661062613160
Haverhill76134414181158
Lawrence70186616132177
Lynn8128138171631284
Methuen4573585101
Newburyport4511194485
Peabody536827184170
Salem8315437122163
Andover26317755
Danvers631041513133
Ipswich5412778
Marblehead41193470
North Andover373155263
Salisbury8631941025248
Saugus1005923116364449
Swampscott49928613104
Middlesex County, MA406367071097
Massachusetts641259911110157

Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Notes: Rates are per 10,000 residents. Data was not disclosed for all substances and geographies.




Number of Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2008
AlcoholCrack/CocaineHeroinMarijuanaOtherOther OpioidsOther Sedatives/HypnoticsOther StimulantsTotal
Essex County, MA4,4589534,356681457151252311,343
Amesbury1652379137291
Beverly200291261944423
Gloucester190281791637460
Haverhill45577266868507952
Lawrence527138495122823131,328
Lynn7252471,2361551422852,544
Methuen207341603721466
Newburyport78193377146
Peabody26730413348819856
Salem3396317529489667
Andover8595523181
Danvers163251061334347
Ipswich70169102
Marblehead813767138
North Andover103943146176
Salisbury702577820202
Saugus2631556084396111,183
Swampscott671338818144
Middlesex County, MA5,8498995,307970719701285714,265
Massachusetts41,5937,62737,9326,1024076,915915305101,695

Source: Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Notes: Data was not disclosed for all substances and geographies.




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults Not Applicable
Preterm Births Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Youth Arrests Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment Maintaining
Tourism Spending Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Charitable Contributions Maintaining
Protected Land Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality Increasing
Beach Contamination Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident Decreasing
Crimes Against People Maintaining
Crimes Against Property Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence Increasing
Incarceration Rates Decreasing
Recidivism Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Change in Total Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Households by Type Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work Not Applicable
Employer Size Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Bullying Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Median Home Value Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Increasing
Cost of Renting Increasing
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeless Persons Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate Decreasing
Mortality Rate Decreasing
People who Smoke Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Suicide Rate Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable