These States Have the Highest Drug Use

With around 70,000 overdose deaths logged in America over a one-year stretch in 2025, as recorded by the CDC, drug abuse remains a rampant issue. To determine which areas are most at risk, and therefore may need more attention to remedy the problem, WalletHub examined all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 20 metrics across three main categories: drug use and addiction, which includes use of illegal substances by both minors and adults, the number of opioid prescriptions, and overdose deaths; law enforcement, which takes things like drug arrests and employment drug testing into account; and drug health issues and rehab—think available drug treatment programs, substance abuse counselors, and AA meetings, among others. New Mexico emerged as the state struggling the most with drug abuse, while Utah is the cleanest. Here, the top and bottom 10:

Highest Drug Use

1. New Mexico (No. 1 in "Drug Use and Addiction" category)
2. Arkansas
3. Alaska
4. Nevada
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Colorado
8. District of Columbia
9. Oklahoma
10. Mississippi

Lowest Drug Use

1. Nebraska (last in "Drug Use and Addiction" category)
2. Connecticut
3. Hawaii
4. Ohio
5. Virginia
6. Iowa
7. Maryland
8. Minnesota (last in "Law Enforcement" category)
9. Florida
10. Utah

More here. (These are America's most and least healthy states.)