This map illustrates a key point in the previous post. The localities marked in blue show increases in opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2017, and the localities shaded red experienced a decrease. While the opioid epidemic has intensified in Virginia overall, the increase (in raw numbers) has been concentrated in Virginia’s metropolitan areas. The rural pockets of “despair” have seen the problem stabilize or even recede — except, strangely enough, in the far-flung exurbs of Washington.
I’m still trying to figure out the free Datawrapper software, and I can’t get the colors in the table to match up with those on the map. And I can’t figure out how to adjust the color for poor Richmond County (the dark blue spot on the Northern Neck), which somehow got tagged with the same color as the City of Richmond. Hopefully, I’ll get better at displaying data with future maps.
