30 New Jersey Towns With The Most Heroin Abuse; Latest 2016 Data Released

In New Jersey, heroin is a problem everywhere.

For many New Jersey counties, heroin abuse remains a major factor in a steep increase in drug abuse cases in recent years - particularly in Ocean County, where the number of overdoses doubled from 2012 to 2013.

Each year, Patch takes a look at the 30 communities that have the highest number of heroin treatment cases statewide from the most recent year available (see list below).

State statistics show how, in 2015, the drug not only infested New Jersey’s urban areas, but the more unlikely places where suburban stories of abuse have developed into a sad, profound narrative: Brick, Toms River, Lacey, Lower Township, Millville, Berkeley Township and Woodbridge.

Read more: New Jersey Deaths From Ultra-Potent Fentanyl Drug Are Skyrocketing: Officials

The statistics were recently released from the Division of Addiction Services in the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and they're based on the number of people seeking treatment for heroin abuse.

Some communities have had decreases in recent years. Jersey City, for instance, dropped from 1,127 in 2013 to 668 in 2014. But the majority of communities, such as Berkeley Township, Lower Township and Millville, saw their heroin treatment cases go up, showing that the heroin scourge is not confined to the urban communities anymore.

Indeed, Toms River had a stunning 51 percent increase from 2014 to 2015. And Jersey City saw its numbers go up during the same period, from 668 to 716.

Here is the list - scroll to view the towns:

Patch file photo