For the first time in its annual survey of rural America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that mortality rates of working-age adults are on the rise because of opioid and heroin overdoses.

Continuing longtime trends, rural areas are still seeing declining populations, the rebound from the Great Recession is slow and poverty remains a persistent problem, according to the USDA’s “Rural America at a Glance,” released in November.

Mortality rates from 2010-2016 increased for all adults in rural areas between the ages of 20 and 54, USDA geographer John Cromartie said. In urban areas, the increase in the death rate was limited to young adults, ages 20 and 29.

Heart disease, cancer and other natural causes of death also increased in the 20- to 54-year-old age group, he says. If that age-specific mortality pattern continues, it will not only decrease the overall population, but also increase the amount of those dependent on the social system, as there will be fewer people working.

Read the full article about opioid and heroin overdoses affecting rural America by Peggy Lowe at Harvest Public Media.