CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - The number of Wyoming residents who died by suicide in 2016 has been about the same as numbers in previous years, which suicide prevention advocates say suggests awareness campaigns and prevention methods are working.

According to the state Department of Health, 131 people have died by suicide in Wyoming through mid-December of this year. Officials say that number is comparable with those from the same time period in the past few years.

According to 2014 data from the Centers for Disease Control, for every 100,000 Wyoming residents, about 21 will kill themselves. The national average for that year was 13.

The suicide rate in the country has steadily increased by 24 percent, from 10 to 13 suicides per 100,000 people between 1999 and 2014.

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