Camden County Drug Overdose Statistics 2024

Camden County's 37% drop in overdose deaths in 2024 is historic progress. But with 206 lives still lost — and the county still ranking 2nd highest in New Jersey — the need for accessible, professional addiction treatment in Cherry Hill remains urgent.

This page compiles verified overdose data for Camden County, New Jersey from the NJ Office of Chief State Medical Examiner (OCSME), the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, and the NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). These numbers represent real people — neighbors, family members, community members — and understanding them is the first step toward meaningful action.

The 2024 Numbers: Historic Progress, Ongoing Crisis

Camden County recorded 206 suspected overdose deaths in 2024, down from 327 in 2023 and 354 in 2022. The 37% single-year decline is the largest reduction in overdose deaths ever recorded in the county, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office and NJ OCSME data released in February 2025.

This improvement reflects real, coordinated work: expanded naloxone distribution, increased access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and the efforts of Camden County OMHA, Cooper University Health Care's harm reduction network, and local treatment providers.

Source: NJ Office of Chief State Medical Examiner / Camden County Prosecutor's Office, February 2025. camdencounty.com

Still #2 in New Jersey: The Context Behind the Progress

Despite the historic decline, Camden County still ranks as the second-highest county for overdose deaths in New Jersey, behind only Essex County. This context matters: a 37% improvement is extraordinary, but 206 deaths in a single year — in a county of roughly 500,000 people — represents a crisis that demands continued, accessible treatment.

Essex County ranks first statewide. Behind Camden, Middlesex, Bergen, and Monmouth counties round out the top five. The geographic concentration of overdose deaths in North and South Jersey's urban and suburban corridors — including the Philadelphia-adjacent communities of Camden County — reflects longstanding economic and supply-chain factors that no single year of progress can fully reverse.

The Fentanyl Factor: Why the Drug Supply Changed Everything

The single biggest driver of New Jersey's overdose crisis — and Camden County's — is fentanyl contamination of the drug supply. According to NJ OCSME data, fentanyl was detected in approximately 78% of confirmed overdose deaths in New Jersey in 2022 (2,266 of 2,914 confirmed deaths).

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and approximately 50 times more potent than heroin. A lethal dose is invisible to the naked eye — smaller than a few grains of salt. When fentanyl is mixed unevenly into other substances (a phenomenon called "hot spots"), even experienced drug users cannot predict dose. This is why overdose can happen rapidly and without warning.

Increasingly, xylazine (a veterinary sedative known as "tranq") is also detected in South Jersey's fentanyl supply. Xylazine is not an opioid — naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse its effects, though naloxone should still be given for the opioid component. Xylazine also causes severe necrotic skin wounds. NJ began distributing xylazine test strips at Harm Reduction Centers in January 2024.

For more detail, see our pages on the fentanyl crisis in South Jersey and xylazine in the NJ drug supply.

Treatment Demand in Camden County

Camden County ranked third highest in NJ for treatment admissions in 2022, with 7,390 people entering substance use treatment — out of 85,266 statewide. This represents approximately 8.7% of all NJ treatment admissions, from a county with 5.5% of the state's population.

The primary substances cited at admission in New Jersey were heroin/opioids (36%) and alcohol (37%). These numbers underscore that treatment demand in Camden County is substantial and that the region needs accessible, local professional treatment options.

Source: NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), 2022 treatment admissions data.

Naloxone Data: Understanding the Decline

Camden County EMS administered naloxone (Narcan) 1,326 times in 2024, down from 1,683 administrations in 2023. At first glance, this decline mirrors the drop in overdose deaths — but the relationship is nuanced.

Expanded community-level naloxone distribution means that many overdoses are now reversed by bystanders, family members, or community members before EMS arrives — meaning those reversals never show up in EMS data. The Naloxone365 program makes free Narcan available at more than 650 New Jersey pharmacies without a prescription (for those 14 and older).

The decline in EMS Narcan use is likely a sign of increased community preparedness — not a sign of reduced need. Naloxone should be accessible in every Camden County home where someone is at risk.

What These Numbers Mean for Treatment Access

Data tells part of the story. Behind every statistic is a person who needed help. Camden County's 37% improvement proves that the right interventions — expanded naloxone access, medication-assisted treatment, local harm reduction networks — work. The 206 deaths remaining in 2024 prove that the work is not finished.

If you or someone you love is struggling with substance use in Camden County or anywhere in South Jersey, professional treatment is available. Hope Harbor Addiction Center is located at 1590 Kings Hwy North in Cherry Hill — in the heart of Camden County — and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Explore related resources:
Addiction treatment in Camden County, NJ
How to get free Narcan in New Jersey
Fentanyl addiction treatment in Cherry Hill, NJ
New Jersey statewide overdose statistics