ANN ARBOR, MI - Statistics tell a grim story about suicide among young people in the United States.

2015 saw the highest rate of suicide among teenage girls in 40 years, while the rate among boys has increased 31 percent since 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency reported the rate of girls dying by suicide between 2007 and 2015 more than doubled, from 2.4 per 100,000, to 5.1 per 100,000. The rate among boys ages 15 to 19 rose from 10.8 per 100,000 to 14.2 per 100,000 during that time.

Michigan ranks in the middle when comparing state suicide rates among 15- to 24-year-olds, with a rate of 13.9 per 100,000 people in 2015, the CDC data shows. More sparsely populated states have higher rates, including Alaska (51.6), Wyoming (34.4) and South Dakota (32.2).

Yet Michigan's suicide rate among young people has increased from 9.5 per 100,000 in 2009, and it has remained above the national average every year since.

How many teens are dying? Here are the actual number of deaths by suicide for 15- to 24-year-olds in several Michigan counties, based on available data from the county medical examiners:

Jackson County - 2015: 4; 2016: 2 (ages 10 to 29)

Kalamazoo County - 2015: 8; 2016: 10

Kent County - 2015: 8; 2016: 9 (ages 1 to 19)

Livingston County - 2015: 2; 2016: 5

Muskegon County - 2015: 7; 2016: 2

Washtenaw County - 2015: 2; 2016: 17

The 17 suicides in Washtenaw County in 2016 is the highest number of suicides on record for that age group in the Washtenaw County medical examiner's records dating back to 2004.

In Washtenaw County, a total of 64 people between the ages of 15 and 24 died by suicide between 2009 and May 2017. The numbers include those who died in the county regardless of whether they were county residents.

MLive is looking at the reasons behind the increasing rate of suicides this week in a series of reports. The series discusses the stigma around suicide and mental health issues, shows what is being done to fight the trend and tells how you can help someone who may be suicidal.

More CDC statistics on suicide can be found here.

Related:

Dying for success: Anxiety driving teen suicide rate to record high

In Washtenaw County alone, 17 people ages 15 to 24 died by suicide in 2016, the highest number since the county's medical examiner began keeping track in 2009. What is causing them to take their lives?