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COOK CO., Ill. - The number of opioid overdose deaths and homicides in Cook County declined in 2024, the latest data from the Medical Examiner’s Office showed.
The county agency released the preliminary data last week which also showed its overall caseload (7,202) dropped last year, a continuing trend from the pandemic-era peak (16,041) in 2020. Still, the annual number is higher than pre-pandemic levels when the office handled about 6,200 cases per year.
Opioid overdose deaths down
Cook County recorded 1,026 confirmed opioid overdose deaths in 2024, a preliminary number as the Medical Examiner’s Office said it’s still awaiting results from hundreds of toxicology tests.
The agency said it anticipates another 200 to 300 of its pending cases will be determined to have been opioid-related.
The total is well off the 2022-peak of 2,001 confirmed opioid overdose deaths in Cook County.
The vast majority of the confirmed deaths, about 87%, involved fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid.
While the agency said the decline is "encouraging," opioid overdoses remain the greatest cause of unnatural deaths in Cook County.
About three-quarters of the confirmed opioid cases were male victims and African Americans made up 53% of the deaths. Latinos accounted for just under 14% and white victims were about 31% of cases.
The age group most impacted by opioid deaths was those 50 to 59 years old, as that group made up about 27% of overall deaths. The age range of victims spanned from a 1-year-old boy from Chicago to an 83-year-old man.
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Overall homicides down 9%
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office handled 773 homicide cases in 2024, according to its preliminary data.
That total represents a 9% decrease from 2023 levels and a more than 29% decline from the peak in 2021.
Gun-related homicides were also down in 2024 (673) compared to 2023 (739). Homicides in the city of Chicago were also down last year (603) compared to 2023 (664).
African American victims accounted for 72% of the cases and Latinos constituted for just under 22%.
Male victims accounted for 87% of homicides last year.
In addition, the number of suicides recorded in Cook County also appeared to be down in 2024 with 431 confirmed cases, according to the preliminary data. That’s down from 508 in 2023, a recent high. Male victims continue to make up more than 75% of suicide victims.