Although the number of drug overdose deaths in Florida has dropped, the Pensacola area continues to lead the state in drug overdose deaths — and by a wide margin.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office last week released figures from the state’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The report showed a 3% drop in the number of drug related deaths in Florida.

But the Pensacola medical district, which includes the counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton, continues to have the highest overdose death rate in the state.

Escambia County’s rate of 75 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents is more than double the state average of 34.9. Okaloosa County has a rate of 54 per 100,000 residents, while Walton County sits at 36 and Santa Rosa County at 34.1.

The Florida Panhandle counties accounted for 458 total drug overdose deaths, representing 6.1% of Florida’s total of 7,556.

Last year, the News Journal reported the Panhandle was also the state’s worst area for opioid-related deaths, with 350 people dying with opioids in their system between January and June of 2022. Of those, 217 were related to fentanyl.

By the end of 2022, those numbers had risen to 624 and 398, respectively.