Suicide Statistics
SAVE retrieves national statistics from the Produced by: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. The latest data available is for 2021. Any 2022 data listed is preliminary.
- Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S
- In 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide
- In 2021, 1.7 M Americans attempted suicide
- On average 132 suicide deaths every day
Suicide Rates in the United States
A 3.6% rate increase was seen from 2020 to 2021 ( a 3.4% decrease was observed from 2019 to 2020). Make a selection below to see the data for your state. The national average is represented in gray.
| State | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.5 | 16.3 | 15.6 | 15.8 |
| Alaska | 24.5 | 28.4 | 27.3 | 30.4 |
| Arizona | 19.2 | 18.6 | 18.3 | 19.4 |
| Arkansas | 18.4 | 18.0 | 19.3 | 20.6 |
| California | 10.9 | 10.7 | 10.0 | 10.1 |
| Colorado | 21.8 | 22.1 | 21.7 | 22.7 |
| Connecticut | 10.5 | 11.4 | 9.2 | 10.0 |
| Delaware | 11.5 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 13.8 |
| District of Columbia | 7.3 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| Florida | 15.2 | 14.5 | 13.2 | 14.0 |
| Georgia | 14.5 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 |
| Hawaii | 11.7 | 15.7 | 12.5 | 13.5 |
| Idaho | 23.9 | 20.3 | 23.0 | 20.6 |
| Illinois | 11.3 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 11.1 |
| Indiana | 16.0 | 14.2 | 15.0 | 16.4 |
| Iowa | 15.5 | 16.7 | 17.9 | 17.5 |
| Kansas | 19.2 | 18.1 | 18.2 | 19.4 |
| Kentucky | 17.4 | 16.5 | 17.7 | 17.8 |
| Louisiana | 15.1 | 15.0 | 13.8 | 14.9 |
| Maine | 18.4 | 19.4 | 16.2 | 19.5 |
| Maryland | 10.2 | 10.3 | 9.1 | 9.7 |
| Massachusetts | 10.0 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 8.0 |
| Michigan | 15.1 | 14.3 | 13.8 | 14.3 |
| Minnesota | 13.1 | 14.5 | 13.0 | 13.9 |
| Mississippi | 13.7 | 14.5 | 14.0 | 16.2 |
| Missouri | 19.5 | 18.2 | 18.2 | 18.7 |
| Montana | 24.9 | 26.1 | 25.9 | 32.2 |
| Nebraska | 13.4 | 16.0 | 14.7 | 15.1 |
| Nevada | 20.9 | 19.7 | 18.5 | 21.5 |
| New Hampshire | 19.3 | 17.3 | 16.3 | 15.1 |
| New Jersey | 8.3 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| New Mexico | 25.0 | 24.0 | 24.1 | 24.9 |
| New York | 8.3 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 7.9 |
| North Carolina | 13.7 | 12.5 | 13.4 | 13.2 |
| North Dakota | 18.8 | 18.5 | 17.8 | 20.7 |
| Ohio | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.7 | 14.7 |
| Oklahoma | 20.0 | 20.5 | 22.0 | 22.1 |
| Oregon | 19.0 | 20.3 | 18.3 | 19.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 14.9 | 14.1 | 12.4 | 13.9 |
| Rhode Island | 9.6 | 10.8 | 8.1 | 10.2 |
| South Carolina | 15.5 | 16.2 | 16.6 | 15.2 |
| South Dakota | 19.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 23.4 |
| Tennessee | 16.6 | 17.2 | 17.1 | 17.0 |
| Texas | 13.7 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 14.2 |
| Utah | 22.2 | 21.3 | 20.7 | 20.1 |
| Vermont | 18.7 | 16.0 | 17.3 | 20.4 |
| Virginia | 14.0 | 12.8 | 13.4 | 13.2 |
| Washington | 15.9 | 15.9 | 15.2 | 15.2 |
| West Virginia | 21.1 | 18.5 | 19.4 | 20.7 |
| Wisconsin | 14.8 | 14.0 | 14.4 | 15.1 |
| Wyoming | 24.7 | 29.5 | 31.0 | 32.7 |
| National | 14.2 | 13.9 | 13.4 | 14.0 |
Sex Disparities
The suicide rate among males was approximately four times higher than the rate among females. Males make up 50% of the U.S. population, but about 80% of suicide deaths in the U.S.
SAVE recognizes the following data is not inclusive of all genders. Data was retrieved from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities
Suicide rates climbed significantly among American Indian, Black, and Hispanic people in 2021, underscoring disparities in the nationwide rise in suicides. These differences can be influenced by a variety of social, economic, cultural, and systemic factors.
| Race | Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic American Indian / Alaska Native | 27.95 |
| Non-Hispanic White | 17.4 |
| Non-Hispanic HI Native / Pacific Islander | 12.57 |
| Non-Hispanic More than One Race | 9.76 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 8.69 |
| Hispanic White | 8.5 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 6.75 |
| Hispanic More than One Race | 4.2 |
| Hispanic Asian | 4.07 |
| Hispanic Black | 3.1 |
| Hispanic American Indian / Alaska Native | 1.98 |
| Unknown White | 0 |
Data retrieved from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.
| Age | Rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 10–14 | 2.79 |
| 15–19 | 10.87 |
| 20–24 | 19.44 |
| 25–29 | 19.75 |
| 30–34 | 19.22 |
| 35–39 | 18.48 |
| 40–44 | 17.73 |
| 45–49 | 17.97 |
| 50–54 | 18.4 |
| 55–59 | 17.74 |
| 60–64 | 16.2 |
| 65–69 | 14.92 |
| 70–74 | 15.72 |
| 75–79 | 18.5 |
| 80–84 | 21.23 |
| 85+ | 22.39 |
Suicide Rates by Age Range
In 2021, suicide rates were higher among adults ages 25-34 years and 75-84 years with a rate highest among 85 years or older.
Data retrieved from National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.
Method of Suicide
In 2021, firearms accounted for more than half of all suicide deaths.
| Suicide Methods | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Firearm | 26,328 | 55% |
| Suffocation | 12,431 | 26% |
| Drug Poisoning | 4,375 | 9% |
| Non-Drug Poisoning | 1,193 | 2% |
| Fall | 1,184 | 2% |
| Cut/Pierce | 965 | 2% |
| *Other | 1705 | 4% |
Other includes the following methods: Drowning (includes water transport), Fire/Flame, Transport – other land, Other specified and classifiable, Other specified / NEC, and Unspecified per the WISQARS Data.
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