In 2026, King County overdose deaths fell about a quarter everywhere except subsidized and supportive housing

What this chart asks

Did overdose deaths fall in 2026 for people in subsidized and supportive housing as they did for others?

Why it is shown this way

• One bar per living situation, measured from zero, shows which groups fell and which did not.
• The all-deaths bar gives the countywide change for reference.

Chart annotations

These markers provide relevant context for interpreting the chart. Their timing or position does not, by itself, establish causation.

No change

Threshold: 0

Why this is marked: Marks the line between rising and falling.

Data and accessibility

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Dataset king-county-overdose-deaths-by-place, analysis change-2026-vs-2025

Sources

This chart draws on the sources of the dataset versions it visualizes.

King County overdose deaths by where people lived, 2019-2026

1. Public Health - Seattle & King County / King County Medical Examiner's Office Overdose death counts by year, presumed living situation and region (place of death)

   Retrieved November 6, 2026. Public government data. Counts are public government statistics; FactHub redistributes the aggregated counts it read.

   Reliability: Government. The county Medical Examiner investigates every suspected overdose death in King County; investigators record each person's presumed living situation. The county runs and funds much of the housing in the 'housing service site' category.

2. Public Health - Seattle & King County, Methods Report: Documentation and Analysis of Fatal Overdose Data Definitions of the living-situation categories and their limits

   Retrieved November 6, 2026. Public government document. Linked, not redistributed.

   Reliability: Government. The county health department's own description of how the dashboard's categories are assigned, including its warning that some categories may be inconsistently applied.

3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2007-2025 Housing Inventory Count by CoC Permanent supportive housing and other permanent housing beds for Seattle/King County (WA-500)

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Public domain.

   Reliability: Government. A one-night inventory of beds reported each year by the local homelessness system to HUD; it counts beds, not occupants, and excludes most income-restricted and recovery housing.

4. CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts (VSRR) 12-month-ending overdose death counts for the United States and Washington (December of each year)

   Retrieved November 6, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Public domain.

   Reliability: Government. Counts from death certificates by state of residence; recent months are provisional and adjusted for reporting delays.

5. CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional County-Level Drug Overdose Death Counts 12-month-ending overdose deaths of King County residents

   Retrieved November 6, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Public domain.

   Reliability: Government. Provisional death-certificate counts by county of residence; used here only as a cross-check of the Medical Examiner's place-of-death counts.

Limitations

• 2026 runs through November 5 and includes probable overdoses awaiting toxicology.
• 31 deaths in 2026 have no living situation recorded yet; the dataset's sensitivity analysis shows the pattern holds if they are assigned to any one group.
• The housing category combines permanent supportive, income-restricted and recovery housing.