Philadelphia · Drugs & public health
What changed, how much, and over which years.
Explore recorded drug offences and available overdose deaths. Each measure keeps its own definition and geography.
On the ground
Independent street reporting
Kensington Watch Philadelphia 29:06 Video still · Nick Shirley · Frame at 29:30 ↗
In Kensington, Shirley’s chapters show conditions on the sidewalk, a street dose he describes as a three-dollar fix, and people who say several stays in treatment have not kept them from coming back.
Watch this city 29:06 ↗Published
Two ways to understand a place. These are the reporter’s observations and interviews at particular locations. The charts below track separately recorded police offences and available deaths across their stated geographies; they do not measure everything seen in the film.
Explore the dataOverdose deaths are Philadelphia, from state death records. They are not police incidents and they are not limited to Kensington.
01 / Police data
Select a measure to inspect its trend. Missing years stay blank; partial years stay separate.
City of Philadelphia
Last updated Reviewed dataset
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8,054 |
| 2017 | 9,711 |
| 2018 | 9,428 |
| 2019 | 10,384 |
| 2020 | 6,447 |
| 2021 | 3,845 |
| 2022 | 2,928 |
| 2023 | 2,623 |
| 2024 | 2,943 |
| 2025 | 2,453 |
02 / Public health
Deaths are a separate measure. Police counts do not measure overdose deaths or drug use.
Philadelphia
Last updated Reviewed dataset
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 840 |
| 2017 | 1,213 |
| 2018 | 1,117 |
| 2019 | 1,154 |
| 2020 | 1,217 |
| 2021 | 1,278 |
| 2022 | 1,417 |
| 2023 | 1,315 |
03 / Behind the numbers
Last updated 2026-10-01 · accepted source review.
Open source ↗ · Last updated 2026-10-01 (reviewed)
City of Philadelphia · City of Philadelphia License. Terms: https://metadata.phila.gov/#help/help-faqs/what-are-the-terms-of-use/
Open source ↗ · Last updated 2026-10-01 (reviewed)
Philadelphia · Pennsylvania open data. Attribute the Pennsylvania Department of Health.