Opioid Overdose Deaths Remain Steady in Cook County While Homicides Go Down
Medical Examiner’s Office Releases Preliminary 2023 Data
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is releasing preliminary statistics for cases it handled in 2023. The Office’s caseload continued to surpass pre-COVID levels, with 7,738 cases falling under the Office’s jurisdiction last year. This is a drop from a peak caseload of 16,047 in 2020. Before the pandemic began, the Office saw approximately 6,200 deaths in an average year. Much of the increase in caseload is attributed to opioid overdose deaths.
The County is on pace to match 2022’s record for opioid overdose deaths. While the Office still awaits the results of hundreds of toxicology tests, it has already confirmed 1,540 opioid overdose deaths for 2023. The vast majority of those deaths – 90% – involved fentanyl. The MEO anticipates that more than 400 of its pending cases will be due to opioid toxicity, putting the final number for 2023 near 2022 totals.
Of the opioid toxicity cases confirmed thus far, approximately 80% are male. African Americans make up 56% of the deaths, Latinos account for just under 15% and whites constitute 27%. The age group most impacted is 50- to 59-year-olds, accounting for 27% of the overdose deaths. The year’s youngest opioid overdose death in Cook County was an 8-month-old boy from Chicago. The oldest was a 93-year-old woman from Arlington Heights.
Year | Opioid Overdose Deaths |
2023 | 1,540* |
2022 | 2,001 |
2021 | 1,938 |
2020 | 1,847 |
2019 | 1,295 |
2018 | 1,170 |
2017 | 1,167 |
2016 | 1,081 |
2015 | 647 |
*Preliminary data
The Office also handled a total of 828 homicides in 2023, 651 in the City of Chicago. Overall homicides fell by more than 24% in Cook County from their peak in 2021, and by 14% from 2022. The other County municipalities with the highest number of homicides included Harvey with 13, Chicago Heights and Dolton with 12 each and Riverdale with 11. African Americans were the victims of 76% of homicides and Latinos accounted for just under 18% of homicide deaths. Males accounted for 84% of homicide deaths.
The number of homicide victims under the age of 18 was 92; 15 were under the age of 10.
Year | All Homicides | Gun-Related Homicide | Chicago Homicides |
2023 | 828* | 729* | 651* |
2022 | 962 | 826 | 755 |
2021 | 1,094 | 1,007 | 839 |
2020 | 986 | 881 | 803 |
2019 | 675 | 588 | 533 |
2018 | 724 | 598 | 605 |
*Preliminary data
Overall suicide rates in Cook County have remained consistent. Males continue to make up more than 3/4 of suicide deaths.
| Year | Total Suicides | Black | Latino | White | Asian | Other | Male/Female |
| 2023 | 494* | 20% | 16% | 59% | 4% | < 1% | 78%/22% |
| 2022 | 499 | 20% | 16% | 60% | 4% | 0% | 77%/23% |
| 2021 | 506 | 19% | 14% | 59% | 5.5% | 2.5% | 77%/23% |
| 2020 | 453 | 22% | 13% | 58% | 5% | < 2% | 79%/21% |
| 2019 | 479 | 12% | 16% | 66% | 6% | < 1% | 76%/24% |
*Preliminary data
To access additional data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, please visit the case archive.