NJ Substance Abuse Statistics and Municipal Profiles

Key Takeaways

• Approximately 654,000 New Jersey residents aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder, according to SAMHSA sub-state NSDUH estimates (2022-2023).
• Heroin/opioids and alcohol were the two most common primary substances reported in NJ treatment admissions in 2022 (SAMHSA TEDS, 2023).
• NJ’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services funded approximately 51,000 treatment admissions in fiscal year 2022 (NJ DMHAS, 2023).
• Alcohol remains the most prevalent substance of concern statewide, with approximately 430,000 NJ adults meeting criteria for alcohol use disorder (SAMHSA NSDUH sub-state estimates, 2022-2023).
• Southern NJ counties including Atlantic, Camden, and Cumberland report the highest per-capita rates of drug-related hospitalizations (NJ Hospital Discharge Data, 2022).

Statistics updated quarterly. Last reviewed March 28, 2026.

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New Jersey faces substance use challenges that reflect both national trends and state-specific factors. The state’s dense population, proximity to major drug distribution corridors, and history of pharmaceutical marketing exposure have combined to create an addiction landscape that varies significantly from county to county and municipality to municipality. This page presents the most current state-level data, treatment admission figures, and municipal-level profiles available from NJ-specific sources.

The Scope of Substance Abuse in New Jersey

Overall Prevalence Estimates

According to SAMHSA’s sub-state NSDUH estimates for 2022-2023, approximately 654,000 New Jersey residents aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder. This represents roughly 7.5% of the state’s population in that age range, slightly below the national average of approximately 7.7%.

Among these individuals:

• Approximately 430,000 met criteria for alcohol use disorder (SAMHSA NSDUH sub-state estimates, 2022-2023).
• Approximately 310,000 met criteria for an illicit drug use disorder.
• A substantial proportion met criteria for both, as alcohol and drug use disorders frequently co-occur.

These are survey-based estimates subject to the limitations of self-report. Actual prevalence is likely higher because the NSDUH does not capture individuals who are homeless, incarcerated, or in residential institutions, populations with disproportionately high rates of substance use disorder (SAMHSA methodology notes, 2024).

Substances of Concern in NJ

New Jersey’s substance use profile differs somewhat from the national average. Based on treatment admission data, NJ Department of Health reporting, and medical examiner data, the primary substances of concern include:

• Opioids (including fentanyl and heroin): The dominant driver of overdose deaths and a major source of treatment admissions. Fentanyl has largely replaced heroin in NJ’s illicit opioid supply (NJ Department of Health, 2023).
• Alcohol: The most prevalent substance use disorder overall and a leading cause of chronic health consequences. Alcohol-related liver disease hospitalizations in NJ increased 18% between 2018 and 2022 (NJ Hospital Discharge Data, 2023).
• Cocaine: Cocaine remains significant in NJ’s drug landscape, frequently appearing in polysubstance overdose deaths alongside fentanyl. Cocaine was involved in approximately 30% of NJ drug-related deaths in 2022 (NJ OCSME, 2023).
• Marijuana: While NJ legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021, marijuana use disorder remains clinically significant. SAMHSA estimates approximately 170,000 NJ residents had a past-year marijuana use disorder in 2022-2023 (NSDUH sub-state estimates).
• Benzodiazepines: Both prescription and illicitly manufactured benzodiazepines contribute to overdose deaths, particularly in combination with opioids (NJ OCSME, 2023).

NJ Treatment Admission Data

Admissions by Substance

SAMHSA’s Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) tracks substance use treatment admissions nationally and by state. For New Jersey in 2022:

• Heroin/opioids accounted for approximately 39% of treatment admissions, the largest single substance category (SAMHSA TEDS, 2023).
• Alcohol accounted for approximately 31% of admissions.
• Marijuana accounted for approximately 12% of admissions (often involving criminal-justice referrals).
• Cocaine/crack accounted for approximately 9% of admissions.
• Other stimulants (methamphetamine) accounted for approximately 3% of admissions, notably lower than in southern and western states.

The NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) funded approximately 51,000 treatment admissions in fiscal year 2022 through its network of licensed providers. This includes state-funded admissions for individuals without insurance or with Medicaid, as well as block grant-funded services (NJ DMHAS Annual Report, 2023).

Admissions by Demographics

NJ treatment admission demographics from TEDS (2022) show:

• Age: The largest share of admissions (38%) were among adults aged 25-34. Adults aged 35-44 accounted for 25%. Adults aged 45-54 accounted for 18%. Adolescents and young adults under 25 accounted for 10%.
• Gender: Men represented approximately 65% of treatment admissions; women represented 35%, consistent with national patterns (SAMHSA TEDS, 2023).
• Race/ethnicity: White non-Hispanic individuals accounted for approximately 55% of admissions. Black non-Hispanic individuals accounted for 20%. Hispanic/Latino individuals accounted for 19%. These proportions should be interpreted in context: Black residents are overrepresented relative to their share of NJ’s population (15%), while Hispanic residents are underrepresented relative to their share (21%) (NJ DMHAS, 2023; US Census Bureau, 2023).
• Referral source: Self-referral was the most common pathway (33%), followed by criminal justice referral (23%) and healthcare provider referral (15%) (SAMHSA TEDS, 2023).

Municipal and County-Level Profiles

NJ Substance Use Municipality Profiles

The NJ DMHAS produces Substance Use Municipality Profiles that compile local-level data for communities across the state. These profiles aggregate data from treatment admissions, emergency department visits, overdose deaths, and naloxone administrations to create a composite picture of substance use impact at the municipal level.

Key findings from recent municipal profiles include:

• Newark: The state’s largest city reports high absolute numbers of treatment admissions and overdose deaths, though per-capita rates are comparable to or lower than some smaller municipalities. Heroin/opioids and cocaine are the primary substances of concern (NJ DMHAS Municipal Profiles, 2023).
• Camden: One of the highest per-capita overdose death rates in the state. The city has a significant concentration of treatment providers but continues to face challenges related to poverty, housing instability, and drug supply contamination (NJ DMHAS, 2023).
• Atlantic City: High overdose death rates relative to population size, with a substance use landscape shaped by the city’s transient population and economic instability (NJ OCSME county data, 2023).
• Paterson: Significant heroin/fentanyl market presence. The city is a known distribution point in the northeast drug supply chain, which affects both local use patterns and treatment demand (DEA New Jersey Division, 2023).

Urban vs. Suburban vs. Rural Patterns

NJ’s substance use patterns show meaningful variation across community types:

Urban centers (Newark, Camden, Trenton, Paterson) tend to have higher rates of injection drug use, polysubstance use, and opioid-related emergencies. They also tend to have greater concentrations of treatment providers, though demand still outpaces supply (NJ DMHAS, 2023).

Suburban communities in NJ account for the largest absolute number of overdose deaths due to the state’s predominantly suburban population distribution. Suburbs in Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties have seen substantial increases in opioid-related deaths over the past decade, often connected to the prescription-to-heroin-to-fentanyl pipeline (NJ OCSME, 2023).

Rural and semi-rural areas in southern NJ (Salem, Cumberland, Cape May counties) report some of the highest per-capita overdose rates but have fewer treatment providers. These communities face significant geographic barriers to accessing services, particularly medication-assisted treatment (NJ Department of Health, 2022).

Does NJ Have a Drug Problem?

Honest Assessment of NJ’s Challenges

This question, frequently searched online, deserves a direct and honest answer based on available data.

Yes, New Jersey has a significant substance use challenge. The state’s overdose death rate exceeds the national average, according to CDC WONDER data (2023). Approximately 654,000 residents meet criteria for a substance use disorder in any given year, per SAMHSA estimates (2022-2023). The infiltration of fentanyl into the drug supply has made the consequences of opioid use far more lethal than in previous decades.

However, framing NJ as uniquely problematic is misleading. Substance use disorders affect every US state. NJ’s overdose death rate, while above average, is substantially lower than the hardest-hit states like West Virginia, Tennessee, and Louisiana, according to CDC WONDER (2023). Several other northeastern states, including Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland, report comparable or higher rates.

What NJ Is Doing About It

New Jersey has invested substantially in its treatment and prevention infrastructure:

• Treatment capacity: NJ licenses over 400 substance use treatment facilities, ranging from outpatient counseling to long-term residential programs (SAMHSA treatment locator data, 2024).
• Medicaid coverage: NJ’s Medicaid program covers all FDA-approved MAT medications and a range of treatment modalities, including residential care (NJ Division of Medical Assistance, 2023).
• Drug courts: NJ operates one of the country’s most established drug court systems, with programs in all 21 counties (NJ Administrative Office of the Courts, 2023).
• Naloxone access: Broad standing-order naloxone access, with over 700,000 doses distributed statewide between 2019 and 2023 (NJ Department of Human Services, 2024).
• Opioid settlement funds: NJ has received substantial funding from pharmaceutical litigation settlements, which is being directed toward treatment expansion, prevention, and harm reduction (NJ Attorney General’s Office, 2023).

Where This Data Comes From

Key Data Sources

Understanding NJ substance abuse statistics requires familiarity with the primary data sources:

• SAMHSA NSDUH: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides annual prevalence estimates from household interviews. Sub-state estimates are available for NJ and its regions.
• SAMHSA TEDS: The Treatment Episode Data Set records admissions to publicly funded treatment programs.
• NJ OCSME: The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner provides confirmed drug-related death data with toxicology results.
• NJ CARES Dashboard: Aggregates suspected overdose deaths, EMS naloxone events, and emergency department data for near-real-time surveillance.
• CDC WONDER: The Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research system provides national and state-level mortality data, including drug overdose deaths.

Limitations and Caveats

All substance use data comes with important limitations:

• Underreporting: Survey-based data (NSDUH) relies on self-report and excludes certain populations (homeless, incarcerated, institutionalized).
• Toxicology lag: Medical examiner data requires completed toxicology, which can take months. Suspected death counts are faster but preliminary.
• Treatment data gaps: TEDS captures publicly funded admissions, not private treatment. The full scope of treatment utilization in NJ is larger than what TEDS records.
• Municipal data variability: Small population sizes in some NJ municipalities make per-capita rates volatile from year to year. Multi-year averages provide more stable estimates.

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This page is part of the Addiction Statistics, Research, and Recovery Data guide on NJ Addiction Centers.

Related resources:

• New Jersey Overdose Deaths: Trends, Data, and Dashboard
• Drug Addiction Statistics by State, Race, and Gender
• Opioid Addiction and the NJ Overdose Crisis