
Prevalance of Opioid Use Disorder
Background
Opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence is the estimated percentage of South Carolinians currently living with OUD (diagnosed and undiagnosed). Prevalence serves as the denominator for understanding the other measures in the cascade of care (diagnosed, treated, retained in treatment). For example, we can calculate the number of people receiving an OUD diagnosis out of the estimated number of people living with OUD, or the prevalence.
Select map to display
Percent of SC Medicaid enrollees aged 18-64
Percent of uninsured SC individuals aged 18-64
Background
Opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence is the estimated percentage of South Carolinians currently living with OUD (diagnosed and undiagnosed). Prevalence serves as the denominator for understanding the other measures in the cascade of care (diagnosed, treated, retained in treatment). For example, we can calculate the number of people receiving an OUD diagnosis out of the estimated number of people living with OUD, or the prevalence.
How This Dashboard Estimates Prevalence of Opioid Use Disorder
Small Area Estimation (SAE) is a statistical modeling technique used to calculate reliable prevalence rates for small geographic regions, like SC counties, where local sample sizes are small. This technique uses data sources from states healthcare insurance claims, nationally representative survey responses, and population characteristics from the United States Census Bureau.
Story Behind the Data
Our modeling techniques estimate that the percentage of South Carolinians currently living with OUD (diagnosed and undiagnosed) was 3.41% for uninsured people and 3.84% for Medicaid enrollees in 2024.