This indicator includes the estimated total lost wages related to opioid use and the associated lost tax revenue for the state. Estimated lost wages are due to absenteeism, reduced productivity, hospitalization, unemployment and labor force exits due to opioid use. This value is the product of the estimated number of individuals with drug use disorder, the average weekly wages for county of residence—as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics—multiplied by 52 to represent annual wages, and a 17% reduction in productivity.
The 17% reduction in productivity is from the following report: https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs44/44731/44731p.pdf

This indicator includes the estimated total lost productivity related to opioid use and the associated lost tax revenue for the state.