Bacon's Rebellion

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Opioid Epidemic Costs Virginians $3.5 Billion a Year

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by

James A. Bacon
in , , ,

Over and above the lives it has destroyed, the opioid epidemic cost Virginia’s economy about $3.5 billion in 2020, according to data published by the Virginia Department of Health. The major costs calculated include lost labor, health care and crime.

Mapping the costs by locality, the database shows per-capita costs ranging from $132 in Falls Church and $152 in Highland County to $971 in Petersburg and $954 in Richmond.  One trend that stands out is how the highest cost of crime is concentrated in the Richmond region and counties to the southwest, and to a lesser degree in the state’s Tidewater region. The maps below show the breakdown by locality and cost category. –JAB

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2 responses to “Opioid Epidemic Costs Virginians $3.5 Billion a Year”

  1. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    That’s just the Sackler’s share…

  2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    There is no question that opioid use exacts a heavy toll on families and society in general. That toll is both a financial and emotional one.

    That being said, this report and the resulting $3.5 billion number need to viewed with a heavy dose of skepticism. The analysis was developed by the Center for Society and Health at VCU. It relies on a model developed by the Altarum Institute and on assumptions for the model derived from national data.

    To address your observation regarding the concentration of the crime impact: The analysis uses number of the population incarcerated as a proxy for crime and there are numerous state prisons concentrated in those heavily shaded areas.

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