New Hampshire Overdose Death Rate 3rd-Highest In U.S.: Feds

New Hampshire has the third-highest opioid overdose death rate in the country, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Granite State's rate is 39 deaths per 100,000 people. The national average is 20 deaths per 100,000. West Virginia (52 deaths) and Ohio (39 deaths) are the only other states with higher rates.

"Deaths from drug overdose are an increasing public health burden in the United States," researchers wrote in the National Vital Statistics System report, which found there were about 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016 — a 21 percent increase from 2015. The report also found overdose deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl have doubled.

All New England states except Vermont have opioid overdose deaths rates significantly higher than the national average.

President Trump earlier this year declared opioid abuse a national public health emergency. He cited programs like "Safe Station" Nashua and Manchester, which connects opioid addicts with recovery help. The program has help nearly 4,000 individuals, according to officials.

Related:

Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States 2016: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Trump: Opioid Overdoses A 'Public Health Emergency'

Opioid Crisis: 'Safe Station' Helps 3,600+ In NH

Lead photo: This Wednesday June 7, 2017 photo shows hypodermic needles that were recovered from the Merrimack River in 2016, at the Clean River Facility facility in Methuen, Massachusetts. Syringes left by drug users amid the heroin crisis are turning up everywhere. They hide in weeds along hiking trails and in playground grass, get washed into rivers and onto beaches, and lie scattered about in baseball dugouts and on sidewalks and streets. There are reports of children finding them and getting poked. (Credit: Charles Krupa/Associated Press)