Drug overdose death rate, term by term
Every term lined up from its inauguration. Context is everything: compare the start of a term with the trend it inherited and with what was happening in the world (recessions, pandemics), all of which are on the full drug overdose death rate chart.
Of the 4 completed terms with data, the drug overdose death rate rose fastest under Donald Trump (1st term), at +2.13 per 100k/yr against +1.68 per 100k/yr in the four years before, and fell fastest under Joe Biden, at −1.30 per 100k/yr against +2.13 per 100k/yr in the four years before. So far under Donald Trump (2nd term), it has gone from 23.1 per 100k in 2024 to 20.8 per 100k in 12 mo. to Jun 2025.
Numbers
| President | During term | 4 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (2nd term) | 23.1 per 100k → 20.8 per 100k −4.62 per 100k/yr · through Jun 2025 | −1.30 per 100k/yr |
| Joe Biden | 28.3 per 100k → 23.1 per 100k −1.30 per 100k/yr | +2.13 per 100k/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) | 19.8 per 100k → 28.3 per 100k +2.13 per 100k/yr | +1.68 per 100k/yr |
| Barack Obama | 11.9 per 100k → 19.8 per 100k +0.99 per 100k/yr | +0.63 per 100k/yr |
| George W. Bush | 6.2 per 100k → 11.9 per 100k +0.71 per 100k/yr | — |
| Bill Clinton | no data | no data |
| George H. W. Bush | no data | no data |
| Ronald Reagan | no data | no data |
| Jimmy Carter | no data | no data |