Cocaine Addiction Statistics in the United States

Cocaine is a potent stimulant that has long been a source of recreational pleasure and societal concern. Its addictive properties, coupled with its widespread availability, have fueled a growing epidemic in the United States.

Genetic predisposition, psychological vulnerabilities, and exposure to peer pressure can all contribute to the development of cocaine use disorder. 

Cocaine overdose can be fatal, often due to cardiac arrest or respiratory failure Cocaine use also leads to a variety of health issues, including stroke, heart attack, and liver damage. 

Keep reading to learn about how common cocaine addiction is in the United States and the effects it causes.

Key Takeaways:

• Cocaine was the second most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. after marijuana in 2022, with about 42.2 million people having tried it at least once in their lives and nearly 5.2 million using it in the past year.
• About 2.2 million people in the U.S. regularly used cocaine in 2022 and 1.5 million met the criteria for cocaine use disorder (CUD).
• Data from the Monitoring the Future Survey 2020 showed lifetime cocaine use among 8th graders at 1.6%, 10th graders at 1.6%, and 12th graders at 4.1%.
• Cocaine use rates among ethnic groups in 2017 were as follows: Caucasian Americans (2.0%), Hispanic Americans (1.7%), African Americans (1.5%), Native American/Alaska Natives (1.2%), and Asian Americans (0.7%).
• The top states for cocaine use among adults included Colorado (3.06%), Vermont (2.99%), and the District of Columbia (2.79%) in 2021-2022.

General Insights

Here are some general insights into cocaine abuse in the U.S.:

• In 2022, cocaine ranked as the second most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, following marijuana. Approximately 42.2 million people in the U.S. had tried cocaine at least once in their lives in 2022. In the same year, nearly 5.2 million people were estimated to have used cocaine within the past year. 
• According to Statista, in 2022, about 1.1% of high school students reported having used cocaine at some point in their lives. 17.7% of high school students indicated that obtaining cocaine is “fairly easy” or “very easy.”
• According to data from the 2006 to 2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the prevalence of past-year cocaine use among females in 2018-2019 (1.52%) was significantly higher than in 2010-2011 (1.07%). For males, the prevalence in 2018-2019 (2.81%) was also higher than in 2010-2011 (2.42%) but lower than in 2006-2007 (3.46%).

• According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than 41 million people aged 18 and older reported having used cocaine at some point in their lives in 2019, with 5.4 million people reporting cocaine use within the past year.
• According to a 2022 paper published in Substance Use and Rehabilitation, about 2.2 million people regularly use cocaine in the United States (compared to 600,000 methamphetamine users), with 1.5 million meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for cocaine use disorder (CUD).
• Among individuals aged 12 or older, the percentage of people with a cocaine use disorder in the past year decreased from 0.6% (or 1.5 million people) in 2002 to 0.4% (or 1.0 million people) in 2019, according to the SAMHSA.
• According to a 2021 study published in Addiction Behaviors, the annual average estimated prevalence of past-year cocaine use among adults was highest at 2.51% in 2006-2007, dropped to 1.72% in 2010-2011, and then rose to 2.14% in 2018-2019. The annual average estimated prevalence of past-year cocaine use disorder was highest at 0.71% in 2006-2007 and fell to 0.37% in 2018-2019.
• In 2017, the SAMHSA reported the following cocaine use rates among different ethnic groups:

Cocaine Addiction Among U.S. Teens Statistics

Here are some statistics on cocaine misuse among American teens:

• A Statista survey shows the percentage of U.S. students in grades 8, 10, and 12 who had ever used cocaine has steadily declined since 1999. Back then, about 7.2% of students reported lifetime cocaine use, while by 2021, only 1.4% of students said the same. 
• The perceived availability of cocaine among 12th graders has also declined. In 2012, around 17% of 12th graders said cocaine was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain, compared to nearly 55% who reported it was easy to get in 1990, according to Statista.
• Here is data on adolescent cocaine use as reported by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Survey results in 2020: 

Cocaine Addiction Statistics in the U.S. By State

Here is how cocaine addiction in the U.S. varies by state: 

• The 2014-2015 NSDUH identified the states with the highest cocaine use among young adults aged 18-25 as follows: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
• According to Statista, the top 10 states with the highest percentage of U.S. adults who used cocaine in the past year in 2021 and 2022 are: 

The Effects of Cocaine Addiction in the U.S.

Statistics on the effects of cocaine addiction in the U.S. include:

• In 2017, emergency departments reported 70,237 drug overdose deaths, reflecting a 9.6% increase from 2016. Among these, deaths involving cocaine saw a 32.9% increase compared to the previous year, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 
• The age-adjusted rates of drug overdose deaths involving cocaine in the United States from 2009 to 2018 are as follows:

• The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that drug overdose deaths involving all stimulants including cocaine increased from 12,122 in 2015 to 57,497 in 2022.
• The NIDA also reports that cocaine-related drug overdose deaths steadily increased from 6,784 in 2015 to 15,883 in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, these deaths rose again by 73.5%, reaching 27,569. 
• A 2018 CDC report indicates that in 2015, around 9.2% of U.S. adults aged 35 to 44 and 13.2% of adults aged 45 to 54 were hospitalized for cocaine poisoning.
• According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network’s findings, cocaine use led to over 500,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. in 2021 related to overdose, medical issues, accidents, and violence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Popular Is Cocaine Use in the U.S.?

Cocaine is the second most commonly used illegal recreational drug in the United States, following marijuana, and the U.S. is the largest consumer of cocaine worldwide.

Do People in Cocaine Use Disorder Treatment Relapse?

Yes, about 24% of individuals relapse into weekly cocaine use within a year after treatment. Additionally, 18% of people return for further treatment after a relapse. Relapse rates for cocaine are generally higher among those with more severe addiction issues and those who participate in treatment for shorter durations.

What Are the Most Common Drug Problems in the U.S.?

The top drug problems in the U.S. are opioid addiction, including both heroin and prescription painkillers, methamphetamine abuse, and cocaine use. Click here for more info on heroin abuse statistics in the United States. 

Data Sources

1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/806271/past-year-cocaine-use-us-adults/

2. https://www.statista.com/statistics/611237/cocaine-deaths-us-number/

3. https://www.statista.com/statistics/611637/cocaine-use-during-lifetime-in-the-us/

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32240125/

5. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29393/2019NSDUHFFRPDFWHTML/2019NSDUHFFR1PDFW090120.pdf

6. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates#Fig8

7. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHDetailedTabs2017/NSDUHDetailedTabs2017.pdf

8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27631059/

9. https://monitoringthefuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/mtf-vol2_2020.pdf
10. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db384-tables-508.pdf#page=1