NYC overdose deaths fall to lowest level since 2019, down 58% from the 2022 peak

Fewer New Yorkers are dying of drug overdoses than at any point since before the pandemic. The city recorded 359 overdose deaths from April through June 2026, the lowest quarterly count since 2019, the Mayor's Office announced this week, citing new Health Department data.

That is 58% below the worst three months on record: 859 deaths in October through December 2022, at the height of the fentanyl crisis.

The numbers

• 2022: 3,070 overdose deaths, the city's highest annual total.
• 2025: 1,873 deaths, down 39% from 2022.
• Second quarter of 2026: 359 deaths.

NY1 reported the same quarterly figures. Its story attributes the 3,070 total to 2019; the Mayor's Office release gives 3,070 as the 2022 total.

The figures are provisional. In its most recent quarterly report, the Health Department notes that recent quarters can rise as the medical examiner closes pending cases, so the 2026 count may grow somewhat. Even so, overdose remains a public health emergency in the city: the department's last quarterly report said someone died of an overdose every five hours, with fentanyl the most common drug involved and the highest death rates in the Bronx, Upper Manhattan and Central Brooklyn.

What the city credits

Mayor Zohran Mamdani pointed to a $12 million investment announced in May to train and hire peer specialists, people with a history of substance use who help others in recovery. The money is expected to create about 500 positions at community groups over four years, according to the release. The city's HealthyNYC plan aims to cut overdose deaths 25% by 2030.

"Every overdose death is a life lost," Mamdani said in the statement. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham said his office is "cautiously optimistic" about the decline.

Where to get help

• 988: call or text any time for confidential support and referrals, in English, Spanish and more than 200 other languages by phone.
• Naloxone: free kits and training from registered programs at nyc.gov/naloxone. Naloxone nasal spray is also sold over the counter, and New York State covers insurance copays of up to $40 at participating pharmacies, the Health Department says.
• Treatment: methadone and buprenorphine are effective for opioid use disorder; NYC Mental Health Connect, the city's online directory, lists recovery services by neighborhood.

Annual and quarterly reports are posted on the Health Department's alcohol and drug use data page.