New Hampshire Addiction Statistics

New Hampshire faces quite a challenge with addiction, with alarmingly high rates of substance abuse and overdose deaths compared to other states.

Let’s have a look at the key statistics and trends related to addiction in New Hampshire.

Key Takeaways:

New Hampshire ranked 33rd in the U.S. for excessive drinking rates, with 19% of adults reporting binge drinking on one occasion in the past 30 days in 2022.

New Hampshire ranked 39th for youth illicit drug use in the United States in 2019, with 10.1% of children aged 12 to 17 reporting using illicit drugs in the last 30 days.

Nearly half of New Hampshire’s young adults (49.7%) engaged in binge alcohol use between 2017 and 2019, significantly higher than the national average of 35.4%.

About 22.0% of New Hampshire’s young adults struggled with a substance-use disorder in the last 12 months between 2017 and 2019, higher than the national average of 14.7%.

Between 2018 and 2019, New Hampshire ranked 44th for youth alcohol use, with 10.9% of children aged 12 to 17 reporting alcohol use in the past month.

In 2022, Coos County had the highest rate of suspected drug overdose deaths at 6.97 deaths per 10,000 residents, followed by Hillsborough County with 4.16 deaths per 10,000 residents.

The age group most affected by drug overdose deaths in 2022 was adults aged 30-39, accounting for 28% of all overdose fatalities.

Opioid overdoses accounted for 31% of all unintentional injury deaths in New Hampshire in 2023 and 53% of unintentional deaths among individuals aged 18 to 34.

New Hampshire ranked in the top five states for opioid-related fatalities in 2017, with 424 overdose deaths linked to opioids.

Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in 80% of drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2017.

New Hampshire ranked 33rd in the U.S. for excessive drinking among women, with 20.1% of adult women (aged 18 to 44) reporting binge drinking on one occasion in the past 30 days between 2020 and 2021.

69.7% of those who die from excessive alcohol use each year in New Hampshire are males.

General Insights

General New Hampshire addiction statistics include:

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 18.3% of adults in New Hampshire engage in binge drinking at least once a month.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), New Hampshire experienced a 4.5% increase in drug overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021.

As of 2022, Coos County has the highest rate of suspected drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire, with 6.97 deaths per 10,000 residents. Hillsborough County follows, with a rate of 4.16 overdose deaths per 10,000 residents.

According to New Hampshire DHHS, the age group most affected by drug overdose deaths is adults between 30-39 years old, accounting for 28% of all overdose fatalities in 2022.

Between 2017 and 2019, around 107,000 individuals in New Hampshire reported struggling with a substance use disorder in the past year, as reported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This makes up 9.1% of New Hampshire’s population, higher than the national average of 7.4%.

According to America’s Health Rankings, New Hampshire ranked 33rd in the U.S. for excessive drinking rates, with 19% of adults reporting binge drinking on one occasion in the past 30 days in 2022.

Between 2020 and 2021, New Hampshire ranked 33rd in the U.S. for excessive drinking among women, with 20.1% of adult women (aged 18 to 44) reporting binge drinking on one occasion in the past 30 days.

According to America’s Health Rankings, New Hampshire ranked 19th for illicit drug use among women in the United States, with 10.9% of women aged 18 to 49 reporting using illicit drugs in the past 30 days in 2019.

According to the New Hampshire Justice Center, New Hampshire saw 537 deaths attributed to alcohol and 487 fatalities due to drug overdoses in 2022.

In 2022, 168 individuals in New Hampshire sought treatment for heroin use, 117 for alcohol use, and 41 for other opioids, according to the New Hampshire Justice Center.

According to the NH Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, EMS drug abuse incidents in New Hampshire have risen from 2,545 cases in 2016 to 5,045 cases in 2022.

Between 2015 and 2019, New Hampshire experienced a rise of 55.5% in the average yearly rate of deaths per capita linked to excessive alcohol consumption, according to data from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS).

According to the NCDAS, males in New Hampshire make up 69.7% of those who die from excessive alcohol use each year.

Each year in New Hampshire, 59.9% of deaths attributed to excessive alcohol consumption result from chronic conditions, such as alcohol use disorder.

Annually, approximately 85.2% of deaths due to excessive alcohol use in New Hampshire occur among adults aged 35 and older, whereas 1.66% involve individuals under 21.

In 2010, excessive alcohol use cost New Hampshire taxpayers $959.9 million, according to the NCDAS. When adjusted for inflation, this amount rises to $1.296 billion in 2022, which breaks down to $1.24 per drink.

According to SAMHSA, an annual average of 1.5% of New Hampshire’s population (or 17,000 individuals) reported experiencing marijuana use disorder between 2017 and 2019. This rate is close to the national average of 1.6%.

Between 2017 and 2019, about 0.50% of New Hampshire residents (roughly 6,000 people) reported using heroin in the past year. This prevalence was higher than the national average of 0.30%.

According to SAMHSA, New Hampshire reported an average annual prevalence of 2.9% (about 34,000 individuals) experiencing illicit drug use disorder between 2017 and 2019.

In March 2019, among those receiving substance use treatment in New Hampshire, 69.6% were treated solely for drug abuse, 10.4% for alcohol abuse, and 20.0% for both drug and alcohol abuse simultaneously.

As reported by SAMHSA, a single-day count in March 2019 revealed that 6,473 people in New Hampshire were undergoing treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD).

Youth Addiction in New Hampshire

Youth addiction statistics for New Hampshire include:

According to America’s Health Rankings, New Hampshire ranks 39th for youth illicit drug use in the United States, with 10.1% of children (aged 12 to 17) reporting using illicit drugs in the last 30 days in 2019.

Between 2018 and 2019, New Hampshire ranked 44th for youth alcohol use in the United States, with 10.9% of children (aged 12 to 17) reporting alcohol use in the past month.

Between 2017 and 2019, around 10,000 children (aged 12 to 17) in New Hampshire engaged in illicit drug use. The annual average prevalence in the state was 10.6%, higher than the national average of 8.2%.

Between 2017 and 2019, approximately 8.0% of young adults (aged 18 to 25) in New Hampshire (11,000 individuals) experienced past-year illicit drug use disorder. This table shows how the prevalence of youth illicit drug use disorder in New Hampshire compared to regional and national rates.

Years	New Hampshire	Regional average	National average
2015 – 2017	9.90%	9.90%	7.20%
2017 – 2019	8.00%	9.10%	7.50%

Between 2017 and 2019, around 64,000 (or 45.7%) of young adults (aged 18 to 25) in New Hampshire used marijuana in the past year. This is significantly higher than the national average of 35.0%.

According to SAMHSA, 8000 young adults in New Hampshire (5.5%) struggled with a marijuana use disorder between 2017 and 2019.

Between 2017 and 2019, nearly half of New Hampshire’s young adults (49.7%) or 70,000 individuals aged 18 to 25 engaged in binge alcohol use. This is significantly higher than the national average of 35.4%.

Between 2017 and 2019, 26,000 young adults (or 18.2%) struggled with an alcohol use disorder in the past year. This is nearly double the national average of 9.8%.

Around 22.0% of New Hampshire’s young adults (31,000 individuals) struggled with a substance-use disorder in the past year between 2017 and 2019. This is higher than the national average of 14.7%.

Opioid Addiction in New Hampshire

Here’s what you should know about opioid addiction and overdoses in New Hampshire:

According to the New Hampshire DHHS, opioid overdoses constituted 31% of all unintentional injury deaths in New Hampshire in 2023, accounting for 53% of unintentional deaths among individuals aged 18 to 34.

According to the New Hampshire Criminal Justice Snapshot, 69% of drug overdose fatalities in 2022 were attributed to fentanyl. The number of fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 was 1.4 times higher than in 2015.

Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that in 2021, New Hampshire experienced 382 opioid overdose deaths, making up 87% of the state’s total drug overdose fatalities. This was higher than the national rate of 75% opioid-induced drug overdose deaths.

According to the NH Division of Public Health Services, Coos County had the highest rate of opioid-related emergency department visits in New Hampshire, with 2.54 visits per 10,000 residents in January 2023. Belknap County followed closely behind, with a rate of 2.08 visits per 10,000 residents.

In January 2023, treatment centers in New Hampshire saw a higher number of male admissions (60%) compared to females (39%) or transgender individuals (1%) for opioid/opiates, methamphetamine, and cocaine/crack use.

According to the NH Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services, admissions for methamphetamine treatment in New Hampshire rose by 50% from December 2022 to January 2023, while treatment admissions for heroin/fentanyl treatment decreased by 9% and cocaine/crack decreased by 19%.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), New Hampshire ranked in the top five states for opioid-related fatalities in 2017, with 424 overdose deaths linked to opioids.

In 2017, the age-adjusted mortality rate for opioid-related deaths in New Hampshire was 34.0 per 100,000 residents, more than double the national average of 14.6 per 100,000.

Data from the NIDA shows that there was a significant rise in cases involving synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl), with fatalities increasing from 30 in 2013 to 374 in 2017. In contrast, heroin-related overdose deaths fell from 98 in 2014 to 28 in 2017, and deaths linked to prescription opioids dropped from 103 to 62 over the same timeframe.

From October 2019 to October 2020, there were 359 fatalities in New Hampshire attributed to opioid overdoses. Opioid overdose deaths saw a 1.7% increase in the state between 2018 and 2020.

In 2017, the per capita expenditure on both fatal and nonfatal opioid use disorder overdoses in New Hampshire was $5,953. This amount was 89.9% higher than the national average.

Between 2014 and 2016, New Hampshire experienced successive annual increases in opioid-related death rates—a 98% rise, followed by increases of 34% and 14% in subsequent years.

In 2017, New Hampshire’s age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths related to opioid prescriptions was 4.8 per 100,000 people.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in 80% of drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2017.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl-related overdose deaths in New Hampshire have risen by a staggering 1590% between 2017 and 2020, and have increased by over 50% since 2014.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Drugs Are Abused Commonly in New Hampshire?

Synthetic opioids and meth have been identified as the most commonly abused drugs in New Hampshire.

How Bad Is Teen Drug Use in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire is one of the worst states for teen drug use, ranked 39th in the U.S. for illicit drug use among children aged 12 to 17. Learn more in our post on New Hampshire teen mental health statistics.

Which County in New Hampshire Is Worst for Drug Use?

In 2022, Coos County in New Hampshire had the highest rate of suspected drug overdose deaths at 6.97 deaths per 10,000 residents.

Data Sources

Discover Health Editorial Team

Our team of behavioral health experts includes licensed counselors, trauma specialists, certified recovery support workers, and alcohol & drug treatment professionals. We provide accurate, evidence-based information to guide you on your path to wellness.

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