By the numbers
Opioids are the leading cause of overdoses in Wisconsin, according to the state Department of Health Services’ most recent data. The figures, from 2014 through 2021, show considerable variation from county to county not only on the number of opioid overdoses but on the rate as well.
The Badger Institute has previously analyzed the opioid crisis that seemingly has consumed not only our state but our nation as well.
The first graph depicts opioid overdose death rates in the 10 most populous counties in Wisconsin (left to right in descending order of population).
While the state’s most populous county, Milwaukee, had among the state’s largest counties the highest rate, with 34 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. Milwaukee did not have the highest rate in the state however, when looking at the second graph you can see that Menominee is the county with the highest overdose death rate with a rate of 40.2 deaths per 100,000 people.
The data behind the graph was aggregated over an eight-year period (2014-2021) and is the most up-to-date information that the DHS website offers for by county overdose rates.
The underlying numbers
| 10 most populous counties | Number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 people |
| Milwaukee | 34.0 |
| Dane | 17.9 |
| Waukesha | 15.2 |
| Brown | 9.5 |
| Racine | 18.1 |
| Outagamie | 8.7 |
| Winnebago | 13.0 |
| Kenosha | 21.6 |
| Rock | 23.2 |
| Washington | 15.3 |
| Counties with the highest opioid overdose rates | Number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 people |
| Menominee | 40.2 |
| Milwaukee | 34.0 |
| Forest | 28.6 |
| Rock | 23.2 |
| Adams | 23.1 |
| Kenosha | 21.6 |
| Sawyer | 19.5 |
| Dodge | 19.1 |
| Columbia | 18.4 |
| Racine | 18.1 |
Published in the Feb. 2 issue of Top Picks.
