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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2025
CONTACT
Natalia Derevyanny
(312) 718-4125
natalia.derevyanny@cookcountyil.gov
Opioid Overdose Deaths, Homicides, Suicides and Overall Medical Examiner Caseload Drop in Cook County
Medical Examiner’s Office Releases Preliminary 2024 Data
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) has released preliminary statistics for cases handled in 2024. While the Office’s caseload continued to surpass pre-COVID levels, with 7,202 cases falling under its jurisdiction last year, caseloads continued to drop from the pandemic-era peak of 16,041 in 2020. Before the pandemic, the Office saw approximately 6,200 deaths in an average year.
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Year
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Overall Caseload
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2024
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7,202
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2023
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7,738
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2022
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10,441
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2021
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12,612
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2020
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16,041
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2019
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6,274
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Opioid overdose deaths in the County continued to decline from their peak in 2022. While the Office still awaits the results of hundreds of toxicology tests, it has confirmed 1,026 opioid overdose deaths for 2024. The vast majority of those deaths – 87% – involved fentanyl. The MEO anticipates that 200 - 300 of its pending cases will be due to opioid toxicity, which would place the final total for 2024 well below 2022 and 2023 totals. While this decline is encouraging, opioid overdoses remain the greatest cause of unnatural deaths in Cook County.
Of the opioid toxicity cases confirmed thus far, approximately 76% are male. African Americans make up 53% of the deaths, Latinos account for just under 14% and whites constitute 31%. The age group most impacted continues to be 50- to 59-year-olds, accounting for 27% of overdose deaths. The year’s youngest opioid overdose death in Cook County was a 1-year-old boy from Chicago and the oldest was an 83-year-old man from Chicago.
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Year
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Opioid Overdose Deaths
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2024
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1,026*
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2023
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1,822
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2022
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2,001
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2021
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1,938
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2020
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1,847
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2019
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1,295
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2018
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1,170
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2017
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1,167
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2016
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1,081
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2015
|
647
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*Preliminary data
The Office also handled 773 homicides in 2024, including 603 in the City of Chicago. Overall homicides fell by more than 9% in Cook County from 2023 levels and by more than 29% from their peak in 2021. The other County municipalities with the highest number of homicides in 2024 included Cicero with 10 and Dolton, Harvey and Maywood with nine each. African Americans were the victims of 72% of homicides and Latinos accounted for just under 22% of homicide deaths. Males accounted for 87% of homicide deaths.
The number of homicide victims under the age of 18 was 68; 12 were under the age of 10.
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Year
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All Homicides
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Gun-Related Homicide
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Chicago Homicides
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2024
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773*
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673*
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603*
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2023
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850
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739
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664
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2022
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962
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826
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755
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2021
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1,094
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1,007
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839
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2020
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986
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881
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803
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2019
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675
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588
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533
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2018
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724
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598
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605
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*Preliminary data
Overall suicide rates in Cook County dropped by nearly 15% in 2024 compared to the previous three years. Males continue to make up more than 75% of suicide deaths.
|
Year
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Total Suicides
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Black
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Latino
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White
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Asian
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Other
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Male/Female
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2024
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431*
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17%
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16%
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61%
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5%
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< 1%
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80%/20%
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2023
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508
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20%
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16%
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59%
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4%
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< 1%
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78%/22%
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2022
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499
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20%
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16%
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60%
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4%
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0%
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77%/23%
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2021
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506
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19%
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14%
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59%
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5.5%
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2.5%
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77%/23%
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2020
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453
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22%
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13%
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58%
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5%
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< 2%
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79%/21%
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2019
|
479
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12%
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16%
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66%
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6%
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< 1%
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76%/24%
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*Preliminary data
To access additional data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, please visit the case archive.
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