Hydrocodone is among the most dispensed prescription opioid pain relievers, and misuse can ripple across households and communities. Explore how common prescription opioid misuse is, how hydrocodone fits into U.S. opioid spending and prescribing trends, and which FDA boxed warnings underscore addiction and misuse risks. The page also links routes to misuse—like pills obtained from friends or relatives—to outcomes such as opioid use disorder.
Key Takeaways
- 2.7% of all adults in the U.S. reported misuse of prescription pain relievers in the past year (contains hydrocodone among common prescription opioids).
- 10.1 million U.S. residents aged 12+ misused prescription pain relievers in the past year (includes hydrocodone as a prescription opioid pain reliever).
- The 2014 FDA FDA-approved labeling includes a boxed warning for serious risks including addiction and misuse (regulatory safety requirement for opioid products).
- 54% of adults who misused prescription opioids in the past year obtained them from a friend or relative for free or from a prescription in the home (context for hydrocodone misuse).
- Hydrocodone-containing products comprised $6.0 billion of U.S. opioid analgesic expenditures in 2013 (Medicare Part D spending context).
- Hydrocodone accounted for about 40% of opioid analgesic spending in certain payer cohorts in 2014 (share estimate reported by claim analysis).
- Around 80% of patients with substance use disorders start with misuse of prescription drugs rather than heroin (pathway relevant to misuse of opioids like hydrocodone).
- 2017–2019: 14.6% reduction in opioid prescribing in the U.S. among patients with chronic pain (opioid prescribing trend relevant to hydrocodone-containing products).
- From 2010 to 2017, opioid analgesic prescribing per 100 persons fell by 13.7% in the U.S. (includes hydrocodone).
- In 2022, 3.1 million Americans (12+ years old) reported using prescription pain relievers nonmedically for the first time in the past year.
- The FDA required a boxed warning for opioid analgesics about addiction and misuse risks; this class-level risk information applies to hydrocodone-containing opioid products.
- In 2018, an estimated 2.7 million people in the U.S. used opioids for nonmedical reasons for the first time, which includes nonmedical use of prescription opioids such as hydrocodone.
- In 2022, 14.0 million people aged 12+ reported current (past-year) misuse of prescription drugs; opioid misuse includes prescription opioid drugs such as hydrocodone.
- Hydrocodone was included among the most commonly dispensed opioid analgesics in the U.S. in 2021, with hydrocodone-containing products remaining a leading opioid prescribing category in retail settings.
- In 2017, the U.S. retail market included hydrocodone-containing products among the top opioid analgesics by volume, reflecting continued supply availability for hydrocodone exposure.
About 2.7% of US adults misused prescription pain relievers last year, with hydrocodone among them.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
Around 80% of patients with substance use disorders start with misuse of prescription drugs rather than heroin (pathway relevant to misuse of opioids like hydrocodone).[1]
02
2017–2019: 14.6% reduction in opioid prescribing in the U.S. among patients with chronic pain (opioid prescribing trend relevant to hydrocodone-containing products).[2]
03
From 2010 to 2017, opioid analgesic prescribing per 100 persons fell by 13.7% in the U.S. (includes hydrocodone).[3]
04
In 2018, the CDC reported that U.S. opioid prescribing rates decreased for most opioid types, including hydrocodone (CDC prescription surveillance trend).[3]
05
The CDC guideline in 2016 recommends not initiating opioid therapy for pain in certain contexts where benefits do not outweigh risks (guideline policy).[3]
06
20.7% of opioid prescriptions in 2017 were high dose (≥50 MME/day) (risk exposure context for hydrocodone).[2]
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show a clear tightening in hydrocodone and overall opioid use, with U.S. opioid prescribing for chronic pain dropping 14.6% from 2017 to 2019 and opioid analgesic prescribing per 100 people falling 13.7% from 2010 to 2017, alongside a 20.7% share of high dose prescriptions in 2017 that underscores why regulators and clinicians have kept pushing risk-reduction.
02 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
54% of adults who misused prescription opioids in the past year obtained them from a friend or relative for free or from a prescription in the home (context for hydrocodone misuse).[1]
02
Hydrocodone-containing products comprised $6.0 billion of U.S. opioid analgesic expenditures in 2013 (Medicare Part D spending context).[2]
03
Hydrocodone accounted for about 40% of opioid analgesic spending in certain payer cohorts in 2014 (share estimate reported by claim analysis).[1]
04
In the U.S., 7 in 10 adults who misused prescription opioids reported nonmedical use (supports risk environment around hydrocodone products).[4]
05
Prescription pain reliever misuse prevalence was 9.1% among adults in the U.S. in 2016 (includes common opioids such as hydrocodone).[4]
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Hydrocodone drives a large share of the U.S. opioid analgesic market, with products accounting for $6.0 billion in 2013 expenditures and about 40% of opioid analgesic spending in 2014 payer cohorts, reflecting how major market scale can fuel widespread misuse alongside broader nonmedical use rates.
03 · Category
Regulatory & Safety3 stats
01
The FDA required a boxed warning for opioid analgesics about addiction and misuse risks; this class-level risk information applies to hydrocodone-containing opioid products.[5]
02
In 2018, an estimated 2.7 million people in the U.S. used opioids for nonmedical reasons for the first time, which includes nonmedical use of prescription opioids such as hydrocodone.[6]
03
In 2022, 14.0 million people aged 12+ reported current (past-year) misuse of prescription drugs; opioid misuse includes prescription opioid drugs such as hydrocodone.[4]
Interpretation
Regulatory & Safety Interpretation
In the Regulatory and Safety context, the FDA’s boxed warning on addiction and misuse aligns with the scale of misuse, including 2.7 million people in 2018 using opioids nonmedically for the first time and 14.0 million people aged 12 and older reporting prescription drug misuse in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Public Health Burden2 stats
01
2.7% of all adults in the U.S. reported misuse of prescription pain relievers in the past year (contains hydrocodone among common prescription opioids).[4]
02
10.1 million U.S. residents aged 12+ misused prescription pain relievers in the past year (includes hydrocodone as a prescription opioid pain reliever).[4]
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
From a public health burden standpoint, about 2.7% of U.S. adults and roughly 10.1 million people aged 12 and older reported misusing prescription pain relievers in the past year, underscoring how widespread hydrocodone related misuse remains.
05 · Category
Market & Supply2 stats
01
Hydrocodone was included among the most commonly dispensed opioid analgesics in the U.S. in 2021, with hydrocodone-containing products remaining a leading opioid prescribing category in retail settings.[7]
02
In 2017, the U.S. retail market included hydrocodone-containing products among the top opioid analgesics by volume, reflecting continued supply availability for hydrocodone exposure.[8]
Interpretation
Market & Supply Interpretation
In the US market and supply landscape, hydrocodone-containing opioid analgesics remained among the most commonly dispensed options in 2021 and were also top by volume in 2017, indicating sustained high demand across multiple years.
06 · Category
Overview4 stats
01
In 2022, 6.8 million people aged 12+ met criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the past year, capturing disorders that may involve prescription opioids like hydrocodone.[4]
02
In 2017, an estimated 2.0 million people aged 12+ in the U.S. had opioid use disorder (OUD), which includes OUD related to nonmedical use of prescription opioids such as hydrocodone.[6]
03
The 2014 FDA FDA-approved labeling includes a boxed warning for serious risks including addiction and misuse (regulatory safety requirement for opioid products).[9]
04
In 2022, 3.1 million Americans (12+ years old) reported using prescription pain relievers nonmedically for the first time in the past year.[4]
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the opioid and prescription pain reliever landscape, millions are affected and at risk, with 6.8 million Americans aged 12+ meeting opioid use disorder criteria in 2022 and 3.1 million reporting nonmedical first time use of prescription pain relievers that same year, underscoring the industry-wide public health stakes and continued need for careful hydrocodone risk management.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Hydrocodone Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hydrocodone-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Hydrocodone Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hydrocodone-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Hydrocodone Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hydrocodone-statistics.
Sources & references
9 sources cited across this report