The opioid crisis remains a pressing issue in Philadelphia, which continues to have one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths among large U.S. cities and counties.1 Like much of the country, Philadelphia has seen a recent decline in overdose deaths—from 1,413 in 2022 to an estimated 1,100 in 2024. This decrease has been driven by a drop in the rates for White residents, although the rates for Black residents have continued to rise. Despite the overall decline in deaths, polling of Philadelphians suggests that opioid use disorder (OUD) has had a growing impact on residents in recent years.

Since The Pew Charitable Trusts first surveyed Philadelphians in 2019 about the impact that the opioid crisis has had on their lives and their communities, residents’ perceptions have evolved—and negative impacts have become more pronounced. The direct repercussions of the opioid crisis are broadly shared across demographic groups throughout the city, according to Pew’s 2025 Philadelphia Resident Survey.

Among the key findings this year:

  • Nearly half of Philadelphians (44%) personally know someone with OUD,2 up from 31% in 2019.
  • 1 in 3 Philadelphians personally know someone who has died from an overdose.
  • An increasing number of residents (51%) recognize OUD as a chronic health condition rather than believing that the disorder is something that people bring on themselves, up from 39% in 2019.
  • Most Philadelphians (71%) would prioritize providing treatment and health services to people who use drugs rather than arresting them (27%).

The 2025 Philadelphia Resident Survey—conducted Jan. 2 through March 10, 2025, for Pew by SSRS, an independent research company based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania—used address-based sampling, as individuals were originally contacted by mail. The poll focused on multiple issues, including public safety, views of Mayor Cherelle Parker, perceptions of government responsiveness, immigration, and personal finance. SSRS collected data from 2,289 adults—1,776 filled out the questionnaire online, 402 on paper, and 111 over the phone. The margin of error for results involving all respondents is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points, and the analysis includes weighted percentages among all valid respondents.