WalletHub has released its 2025 list of the states with the biggest drug problems nationwide, looking at which places have the worst issues with drug abuse.
More specifically, the study examines factors like drug addiction, law enforcement and health issues to rank each of the country’s 50 states (plus Washington, D.C.).
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“Drug problems can start from multiple sources, like taking illegal substances with friends or getting hooked on a prescription that was originally given for a legitimate medical issue,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo writes. “As states fight drug addiction, they need to consider all angles and make sure they are not just addressing things from a law enforcement perspective but also providing the resources necessary to help people with addictions get clean.”
The breakdown of factors used in this study is as follows:
- Drug Use & Addiction (50%)
- Share of teenagers who used illicit drugs in the past month
- Share of teenagers who tried marijuana before age 13
- Share of teenagers offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property in the past year
- Share of adults who used illicit drugs in the past month
- Share of children who lived with anyone who had a problem with alcohol or drugs
- Number of opioid pain reliever prescriptions per 100 people
- Number of clandestine drug laboratories or dumpsites
- Overdose deaths per capita
- Overdose deaths growth
- Law Enforcement (25%)
- Drug arrests per capita
- Drug arrests on college campuses per 1,000 students
- Maternity drug policy
- States with employee drug testing laws
- Drug Health Issues & Rehab (25%)
- Share of adults who couldn’t get treatment for illicit drug use in the past year
- Substance abuse treatment facilities per 100,000 people using illicit drugs
- Admissions to substance abuse treatment services per 100,000 people using illicit drugs
- Drug treatment programs availability for pregnant women
- Share of Medicaid beneficiaries treated for substance abuse disorders
- Narcotics Anonymous & Alcoholics Anonymous meetings accessibility
- Substance abuse & behavioral disorder counselors per capita
Overall, the top state in the country for drug problems turned out to be New Mexico, followed close behind by West Virginia (No. 2) and Nevada (No. 3).
“New Mexico has the biggest drug problem in the U.S., especially when it comes to teenagers. The state has the highest percentage of teens using illicit drugs and the highest share of teenagers who report having tried marijuana before age 13. New Mexico has the third-highest share of adults who use illicit drugs, as well.
New Mexico also lags behind other states when it comes to putting policies in place to discourage drug use or help people overcome it. For example, the state does not have employee drug testing laws, and it has the second-highest share of adults with drug problems who didn’t get treatment. It also has the fifth-highest share of children who lived with anyone who had a problem with alcohol or drugs.
Most importantly, New Mexico has a large number of drug overdose deaths per capita, highlighting the severity of the drug crisis in the state."
WalletHub, "Drug Use by State"
But what about Florida?
The study revealed that the Sunshine State was near the bottom of the ranking, coming in at No. 47.
Florida ranked low across all three key metrics, earning a 30.79% — just a few points above Hawaii, which saw the least drug problems overall, the data shows.
Meanwhile, the full ranking is as follows:
| Rank | State | Score | Addiction Rank | Enforcement Rank | Health & Rehab Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 68.08% | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 63.21% | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 3 | Nevada | 59.50% | 4 | 37 | 1 |
| 4 | Alaska | 56.22% | 2 | 44 | 5 |
| 5 | DC | 55.93% | 7 | 31 | 3 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 55.45% | 8 | 30 | 2 |
| 7 | Missouri | 54.79% | 20 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Colorado | 53.78% | 15 | 8 | 15 |
| 9 | Louisiana | 53.67% | 10 | 22 | 10 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 53.34% | 26 | 2 | 27 |
| 11 | Michigan | 51.91% | 16 | 18 | 12 |
| 12 | Oregon | 51.67% | 3 | 47 | 8 |
| 13 | Wyoming | 51.10% | 36 | 1 | 29 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 47.61% | 22 | 21 | 13 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 47.52% | 13 | 6 | 51 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 47.08% | 11 | 24 | 35 |
| 17 | Vermont | 46.67% | 9 | 43 | 17 |
| 18 | Washington | 46.60% | 5 | 48 | 23 |
| 19 | Arizona | 46.41% | 14 | 36 | 19 |
| 20 | Indiana | 46.23% | 25 | 13 | 41 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 44.19% | 19 | 45 | 9 |
| 22 | Montana | 43.96% | 24 | 27 | 18 |
| 23 | Maine | 43.62% | 12 | 41 | 26 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | 43.29% | 27 | 20 | 30 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | 42.99% | 30 | 5 | 48 |
| 26 | New York | 42.65% | 29 | 16 | 32 |
| 27 | Delaware | 42.59% | 17 | 39 | 21 |
| 28 | Georgia | 41.73% | 34 | 32 | 6 |
| 29 | Illinois | 41.35% | 32 | 17 | 40 |
| 30 | Kansas | 41.30% | 33 | 28 | 16 |
| 31 | Ohio | 41.00% | 18 | 33 | 43 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | 40.40% | 44 | 11 | 37 |
| 33 | Texas | 40.04% | 49 | 12 | 14 |
| 34 | North Dakota | 39.41% | 50 | 4 | 39 |
| 35 | Alabama | 38.85% | 21 | 51 | 11 |
| 36 | South Dakota | 38.62% | 48 | 9 | 25 |
| 37 | South Carolina | 37.88% | 23 | 50 | 22 |
| 38 | California | 37.78% | 31 | 34 | 28 |
| 39 | New Jersey | 37.30% | 46 | 19 | 31 |
| 40 | Virginia | 37.27% | 43 | 15 | 44 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 36.95% | 37 | 14 | 50 |
| 42 | Idaho | 36.02% | 39 | 25 | 36 |
| 43 | Iowa | 35.50% | 45 | 29 | 24 |
| 44 | North Carolina | 35.00% | 35 | 26 | 47 |
| 45 | Maryland | 32.90% | 28 | 46 | 46 |
| 46 | Minnesota | 32.87% | 42 | 38 | 33 |
| 47 | Florida | 30.79% | 41 | 40 | 42 |
| 48 | Connecticut | 30.29% | 38 | 42 | 45 |
| 49 | Nebraska | 29.85% | 51 | 23 | 34 |
| 50 | Utah | 29.75% | 47 | 35 | 38 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 26.99% | 40 | 49 | 49 |