Connecticut DPH data shows Litchfield County's overdose death rate fell over 54% since 2020. See the year-by-year numbers and what's driving them.
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Western Connecticut's Litchfield County — home to New Milford — has a drug overdose story that runs somewhat counter to assumptions: rates have fallen substantially since their 2020 peak, per the Connecticut Department of Public Health's own county-level tracking. Here is what the current data actually shows.
Key Takeaways on Litchfield County Overdose Data
- Litchfield County's age-adjusted drug overdose death rate fell from 43.7 per 100,000 in 2020 to 20.1 per 100,000 in 2024 — a decline of more than 54% over four years, per Connecticut DPH's Injury and Violence Surveillance Unit.
- Connecticut recorded 989 confirmed drug overdose deaths statewide in 2024, down 26.1% from 1,338 in 2023 — the third consecutive annual decline, per the state's Fatal Unintentional and Undetermined Intent Drug Overdose Report.
- Fentanyl was involved in 76.6% of Connecticut's 2024 overdose deaths (758 of 989), though that percentage has been trending down from a peak of 85.3% in 2022.
- Cocaine involvement in Connecticut overdose deaths has been climbing steadily — from 38.3% of deaths in 2019 to 59.7% in 2024 — a shift relevant to Western CT given cocaine's growing role alongside opioids.
- Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer increasingly mixed into the illicit drug supply, was involved in 34.7% of Connecticut's 2024 overdose deaths, the highest annual share recorded since it first emerged in the state's data in 2019.
Litchfield County's Overdose Death Rate, Year by Year
Connecticut DPH tracks age-adjusted overdose death rates by county of injury. Litchfield County's rate was 43.7 per 100,000 population in 2020, fell to 29.3 in 2021, rose slightly to 31.7 in 2022, dropped to 27.3 in 2023, and fell further to 20.1 in 2024 — the lowest point in this five-year window. That puts Litchfield below several neighboring counties in 2024: New Haven (32.3), New London (34.5), and Windham (21.1) all posted higher 2024 rates, while Fairfield (16.1) and Tolland (14.5) were lower. Litchfield's decline from 2020 to 2024 (down more than half) is larger, in percentage terms, than the statewide pattern of general decline over the same period.
What's Driving Connecticut's Statewide Trends
Connecticut's overdose deaths have fallen for three straight years — 1,338 in 2023 to 989 in 2024, a 26.1% drop, continuing a decline that started after 2021. Fentanyl remains the dominant substance (76.6% of 2024 deaths), but its share has eased from a peak of 85.3% in 2022. Two trends worth watching regionally: cocaine involvement has nearly doubled as a share of overdose deaths since 2019 (38.3% to 59.7% in 2024), and xylazine — a veterinary sedative with no approved human use and no reversal agent like naloxone — was involved in over a third of 2024 deaths, the highest share on record for the state.
Alcohol-Involved Trends in Western Connecticut
Connecticut DPH's monthly overdose report tracks illicit and prescription drug-involved deaths specifically and does not break out alcohol-only deaths in the same dataset; alcohol-use data for Litchfield County at the local level is more limited in public reporting than the drug-overdose figures above. What is well established is that alcohol use disorder remains one of the most common reasons Western Connecticut residents seek treatment through alcohol rehab programs regionally, and that co-occurring alcohol and drug use — particularly alcohol alongside cocaine or benzodiazepines — complicates both withdrawal management and overdose risk. Anyone drawing conclusions about local alcohol-specific mortality trends in Litchfield County should treat that as a data gap rather than an assumed number.
Why Litchfield's Decline May Differ From Its Neighbors
The gap between Litchfield's 20.1 per 100,000 rate and New Haven's 32.3 or New London's 34.5 in 2024 is notable given all three counties sit within the same state seeing an overall downward trend. Rural and semi-rural counties like Litchfield often see less dense fentanyl supply penetration than the state's urban corridors along I-95 and I-91, which can translate into lower per-capita overdose rates even where treatment-access challenges (covered in the companion piece on Western CT treatment availability) remain real.
What This Means for New Milford and Surrounding Communities
A falling county-level death rate is genuinely good news, but it doesn't mean the underlying need for treatment has disappeared — cocaine and xylazine trends suggest the drug supply is shifting, not shrinking — a pattern that shows up clinically in rising cocaine treatment needs alongside opioid cases. Medically supervised withdrawal management and medication-assisted treatment remain relevant regardless of which substance is involved. Lantana Recovery's New Milford, CT location serves Litchfield County directly.
FAQ: Litchfield County Overdose Trends
Has Litchfield County's overdose death rate gone up or down recently?
Is fentanyl still the main driver of overdose deaths in Connecticut?
What new substances are showing up in Connecticut overdose deaths?
How does Litchfield County compare to other Connecticut counties?
Bottom Line
Litchfield County's overdose death rate has fallen faster than several neighboring Connecticut counties since its 2020 peak, tracking a broader statewide decline. But the drug supply itself is shifting — toward more cocaine and xylazine involvement — which means the specific treatment needs in Western Connecticut are changing even as the death toll trends down.
Sources
- Connecticut Department of Public Health — Fatal Unintentional and Undetermined Intent Drug Overdose Report, Connecticut (data through Dec. 2025, published Jan. 2026)https://portal.ct.gov/dph/-/media/dph/injury-and-violence-prevention/opioid-overdose-data/monthly-death-reports/2019-december-2025_drug-overdose-deaths-monthly-report_connecticut_1-22-2026_final.pdf
Reviewed by
Warren PhillipsCo-Founder, LMSW · Editorial Reviewer
Warren Phillips is a Co-Founder of Lantana Recovery and a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) specializing in substance abuse and mental health treatment. He previously worked in various capacities at Turnbridge Addiction Treatment and Clearpoint Recovery Center before co-founding Lantana Recovery. Warren's clinical approach draws on a strengths-based perspective, Twelve Step philosophies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. He brings both personal and professional experience to his work — as a person in long-term recovery from alcohol and illicit substances, he has used that experience to help shape Lantana's treatment programming. Warren grew up in Memphis, TN and St. Louis, MO, attended college in Mississippi, and lived in California and Connecticut before relocating to Charleston. He now lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife, Angela, and their two young children, Hall and Sam.
Written by the Lantana Recovery Editorial Team and reviewed for clinical accuracy before publication.
