While state-level analyses can be problematic given variations in urban and rural area statistics, big picture snapshots can actually tell us a lot about the current state of states. Lucky for us, personal-finance website WalletHub just released a report on the states with the biggest drug problems in 2018 to highlight the states that are winning and losing the war on drugs. The methodology and the results provide insight into some commonalities and differences between the states that are doing well, and those that are not.
Let’s take a loot at the highlights. States with the biggest drug problems include: 1) District of Columbia; 2) Missouri; 3) New Hampshire; 4) Michigan and 5) West Virginia.
What is contributing to DC’s ranking as having the largest drug problem in the U.S.? One thing is that it’s not a state. DC is a district with a population larger than entire states, and it’s all urban. For example, the District of Columbia (68 square miles) has a 2017 estimated population of almost 700,000 people. But the entire state of Wyoming (98,000 square miles) has only an estimated 580,000 people. Interestingly enough, the DC-area also continuously ranks the healthiest city in America.
Blue States have more drug problems than red states.
When using state-level results of the 2016 presidential election, it is found that states that were called for Hillary Clinton have higher rankings on average for drug problems than states that were called for Donald Trump: 28.13 and 22.95, respectively. Although there appear to be more opioid prescriptions per capita in the south, the highest rates of drug usage and overdoses per capita are in the north. This appears to be true for both adults and teens, who were found to both consume and sell more drugs in northern states on average.
New Analysis Finds Blue States Have Worse Opioid Problems Than Do Red States
Let’s take a loot at the highlights. States with the biggest drug problems include: 1) District of Columbia; 2) Missouri; 3) New Hampshire; 4) Michigan and 5) West Virginia.
What is contributing to DC’s ranking as having the largest drug problem in the U.S.? One thing is that it’s not a state. DC is a district with a population larger than entire states, and it’s all urban. For example, the District of Columbia (68 square miles) has a 2017 estimated population of almost 700,000 people. But the entire state of Wyoming (98,000 square miles) has only an estimated 580,000 people. Interestingly enough, the DC-area also continuously ranks the healthiest city in America.
Blue States have more drug problems than red states.
When using state-level results of the 2016 presidential election, it is found that states that were called for Hillary Clinton have higher rankings on average for drug problems than states that were called for Donald Trump: 28.13 and 22.95, respectively. Although there appear to be more opioid prescriptions per capita in the south, the highest rates of drug usage and overdoses per capita are in the north. This appears to be true for both adults and teens, who were found to both consume and sell more drugs in northern states on average.
New Analysis Finds Blue States Have Worse Opioid Problems Than Do Red States
