Milwaukee County Overdose Deaths Down 30% in 2024

Milwaukee Fire Chief speaks at press conference on Monday, August 25, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. Steph Conquest-Ware/WPR

Milwaukee County saw a 30 percent drop in overdose deaths in 2024 — a new milestone in local leaders’ fight against the opioid epidemic.

Overdoses across the county have decreased in the past three years. In 2022, 674 people died from overdoses. The following year, that number fell by 3 percent but plummeted by over 30 percent in 2024.

Based on monthly data for 2025, the decline in deaths appears to be continuing.

In March 2025, there were 20 fatal overdoses in the county — the lowest number of fatal overdoses in a single month since 2016. Through April of this year, there have been 124 overdose deaths, down from 173 during the same period last year.

At a recent press conference at Milwaukee City Hall, community advocates and officials called the decline in overdose deaths a hopeful sign, but said the fight is not over.

“While we have made progress with expanding programs and access to things like Naloxone or placing harm reduction vending machines throughout our region, investing in behavioral health resources and strengthening our community-based programs through the opioid settlement dollars, we know that there is so much more work for us all to do,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said.

The opioid epidemic has taken many lives nationwide in the last couple decades. The CDC announced that the country recently saw a 2 percent decrease in the rate of deaths from 2022 to 2023, the first annual drop since 2018. But overdose deaths in the U.S. and Wisconsin have remained high.

In 2023, approximately 105,000 people nationwide died from overdoses, including 1,772 in Wisconsin. Last year, that number dropped by over 33 percent in the state.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson emphasized the significance of each overdose death and the work to get the number of fatalities to zero.

“Every single one is a loss,” the mayor said. “Every individual overdose is an opportunity for all of us to have a call to action, to do more, to do something about this issue that’s facing our community.”

There have been efforts throughout the state to make overdose-reversing drugs and harm reduction kits more widely available.

Naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcan, has been crucial in the fight against drug overdoses, according to advocates. The opioid antagonist can quickly restore breathing to overdose victims.

In Milwaukee County, teams have gone door-to-door to hand out harm reduction kits. Communities around the state have used opioid settlement funds to pay for programing to reduce overdose deaths and treat addiction.

Vending machines distributing free Narcan will be placed at several sites throughout Milwaukee County. Evan Casey/WPR

Tahira Malik is the founder of Samad’s House, a sober living facility for women recovering from opioid addiction and substance abuse. She believes carrying Naloxone can save lives.

“We stand here today to say: Let’s normalize carrying Naloxone in our backs and our glove box and our purses, please. Because you never know,” Malik said.

Johnson and Crowley announced that the city and county will recognize Aug. 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day. The holiday was established at a Salvation Army in Melbourne, Australia, but has since grown into a worldwide movement.

During Labor Day Weekend, there will be multiple events to provide spaces of “healing,” “compassion” and “listening,” Malik noted. These events include the Driven of Hope Drive on Aug. 29 at Mitchell Park and the International Overdose Awareness Day Memorial on Aug. 31 at Washington Park.

Milwaukee County overdose deaths down 30 percent, officials say was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.