Chester County overdose deaths drop in 2025: ‘One day we hope to see zero’

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Fifty-five people died in Chester County from accidental overdoses in 2025, which represents the lowest death figure since 2015.

“While our community continues to face the profound effects of substance use and overdose, the County’s partnership with community organizations is clearly making a difference,” the Chester County Board of Commissioners said in a joint statement Monday morning.

Overdose fatalities jumped from 74 deaths in 2015 to 144 deaths in 2017, according to county data. The most frequently used substances include alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl.

Since 2017, the number of accidental overdoses has steadily declined. There were 69 such deaths in 2024. In October, officials signaled that preliminary data revealed another notable drop in 2025.

“One life lost to overdose is one too many and one day we hope to see zero overdose fatalities in Chester County,” said Jamie Johnson, director of the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, in Monday’s release. “Our core message to those suffering from substance use disorder is that recovery works, treatment is available, and people do recover.”

Johnson predicted overdose fatalities would continue to drop in 2026.