Firearm homicides and suicides show distinct demographic patterns. The firearm suicide rate increased 27 percent between 2010 and 2021. Related costs consume an estimated 1.4 percent of U.S. GDP annually.
Key Takeaways
- 20,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were homicides.
- 48,283 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020.
- 19,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020 were suicides.
- In 2022, the firearm homicide rate was 5.7 per 100,000 for males.
- In 2022, the firearm homicide rate was 1.1 per 100,000 for females.
- In 2022, the firearm suicide rate was 9.7 per 100,000 for males.
- $56 billion in healthcare costs per year from firearm injuries in the U.S. (2019 estimate).
- 1.4% of U.S. GDP lost annually due to firearm-related costs (modeled estimate).
- Hospitals incurred about $1.8 billion in annual costs related to firearm-related injuries (estimate from hospital discharge data).
- In 2022, the U.S. juvenile gun violence prevention market was estimated at $3.6 billion globally including U.S. share (market research forecast).
- 0.14% of all U.S. deaths in 2020 were firearm-related — the share of U.S. deaths attributable to firearms.
- $56 billion in healthcare costs per year from firearm injuries in the U.S. (2019 estimate) — annual direct healthcare spending burden.
- $8.6 billion annually in costs for firearm-related trauma centers (2021 study estimate) — institutional cost estimate for trauma center capacity/infrastructure.
- $1.8 billion in annual hospital costs related to firearm-related injuries (hospital discharge data estimate) — annual inpatient cost burden for firearm injuries.
- 6.2 per 100,000 U.S. residents died by firearm suicide in 2021 (all ages, all sexes) — national firearm suicide mortality rate.
In 2022, firearms accounted for 1.6% of US deaths, including many suicides and homicides.
Related reading
01 · Category
Public Health Burden12 stats
01
20,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were homicides.
02
48,283 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020.
03
19,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020 were suicides.
04
24,292 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020 were homicides.
05
14,836 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were suicides.
06
3.5 per 100,000 population firearm suicide rate in the U.S. in 2021.
07
1.6% of all U.S. deaths in 2022 were firearm-related.
08
42% of firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were homicides (as a share of firearm-related deaths).
09
In 2020, 7.8 million adults (about 3.2%) had experienced a serious firearm-injury event.
10
In 2022, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in ages 1–44 (all intents combined).
11
In 2022, 6,479 firearm-related deaths occurred among ages 15–24.
12
In 2022, 16,020 firearm-related deaths occurred among ages 25–44.
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
The public health burden of gun violence is clear in that the U.S. recorded 20,393 firearm-related homicide deaths in 2022 and 14,836 firearm-related suicide deaths in 2022, showing that both forms of death contribute substantially to an ongoing national health crisis.
02 · Category
Epidemiology & Trends9 stats
01
In 2022, the firearm homicide rate was 5.7 per 100,000 for males.
02
In 2022, the firearm homicide rate was 1.1 per 100,000 for females.
03
In 2022, the firearm suicide rate was 9.7 per 100,000 for males.
04
In 2022, the firearm suicide rate was 2.1 per 100,000 for females.
05
From 2010 to 2021, the U.S. firearm suicide rate increased by 27%.
06
Between 2019 and 2021, firearm-related death rates for children and adolescents increased by 29%.
07
Between 2020 and 2021, overall firearm homicide deaths increased by 4%.
08
In 2021, the majority (67.5%) of victims of firearm homicide were killed by someone they knew or had some relationship with.
09
In 2019, 4.9 million people in the U.S. reported being threatened with a firearm in the prior 12 months.
Interpretation
Epidemiology & Trends Interpretation
Epidemiology and trends in the United States show that firearm-related mortality is a growing concern, with the firearm suicide rate rising 27% from 2010 to 2021 and firearm-related death rates for children and adolescents increasing 29% from 2019 to 2021.
03 · Category
Economic Impact8 stats
01
$56 billion in healthcare costs per year from firearm injuries in the U.S. (2019 estimate).
02
1.4% of U.S. GDP lost annually due to firearm-related costs (modeled estimate).
03
Hospitals incurred about $1.8 billion in annual costs related to firearm-related injuries (estimate from hospital discharge data).
04
$2.9 billion annual cost attributed to gun violence for the child and adolescent population (estimated).
05
$13.4 billion in annual direct medical costs from gun violence injuries in the U.S. (modeled estimate).
06
A 2021 study estimated $8.6 billion annually in costs for firearm-related trauma centers (institutional cost analysis).
07
Firearm injuries were among the top causes of direct medical spending for trauma in U.S. hospitals, accounting for 2.7% of trauma-related inpatient costs (hospital cost study).
08
$9.1 billion in total economic costs of firearm-related mortality and morbidity in one multistate analysis (published estimate).
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
The economic impact of gun violence in the U.S. is substantial, with estimates putting annual firearm-related losses at about 1.4% of GDP and direct medical costs in the tens of billions, including $13.4 billion in annual injury medical costs and $56 billion per year in healthcare expenses from firearm injuries.
04 · Category
Public Policy & Programs1 stats
01
In 2022, the U.S. juvenile gun violence prevention market was estimated at $3.6 billion globally including U.S. share (market research forecast).
Interpretation
Public Policy & Programs Interpretation
In 2022, the U.S. juvenile gun violence prevention market was estimated at $3.6 billion globally including U.S. share, showing that public policy and programs are attracting significant investment in preventing violence among young people.
More related reading
05 · Category
Mortality Levels1 stats
01
0.14% of all U.S. deaths in 2020 were firearm-related — the share of U.S. deaths attributable to firearms.
Interpretation
Mortality Levels Interpretation
In the Mortality Levels category, firearm-related deaths accounted for just 0.14% of all U.S. deaths in 2020, showing that while gun violence affects many people, it represents a relatively small share of overall mortality.
06 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
$56 billion in healthcare costs per year from firearm injuries in the U.S. (2019 estimate) — annual direct healthcare spending burden.
02
$8.6 billion annually in costs for firearm-related trauma centers (2021 study estimate) — institutional cost estimate for trauma center capacity/infrastructure.
03
$1.8 billion in annual hospital costs related to firearm-related injuries (hospital discharge data estimate) — annual inpatient cost burden for firearm injuries.
04
$9.1 billion in total economic costs of firearm-related mortality and morbidity in one multistate analysis — published total cost estimate.
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
The cost analysis shows that firearm injuries and related outcomes create a multi-billion-dollar burden every year, with estimates ranging from $56 billion in direct healthcare costs (2019) up to $9.1 billion in total economic costs (morbidity and mortality), underscoring how gun violence drives sustained financial strain across the US healthcare system.
07 · Category
Injury & Risk3 stats
01
6.2 per 100,000 U.S. residents died by firearm suicide in 2021 (all ages, all sexes) — national firearm suicide mortality rate.
02
19.9% of U.S. adults reported knowing someone who was shot or killed by a gun (2019 survey) — prevalence of personal connection exposure.
03
1.3% of U.S. adults reported living in a home with a loaded and unlocked gun (2019–2021 NHANES-style estimates) — prevalence related to firearm accessibility.
Interpretation
Injury & Risk Interpretation
The Injury & Risk data show that firearm suicide claimed 6.2 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021 while exposure to gun violence remains widespread, with 19.9% of adults knowing someone shot or killed and 1.3% living with a loaded and unlocked gun.
08 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
8.2% of firearm injuries involve penetrating head trauma in U.S. trauma center datasets (2020–2021 pooled) — injury distribution share for head penetration.
02
29% of firearm-injury emergency department visits were admitted to inpatient care (hospital utilization share) — admission rate from ED-based analyses.
03
2.7% of trauma-related inpatient costs were attributed to firearm injuries (hospital cost share) — fraction of inpatient trauma costs linked to firearms.
04
14% annual average growth in violence-prevention technology deployments (2018–2023) — market/industry adoption growth rate estimate.
05
$3.6 billion estimated juvenile gun violence prevention market size (2022, global including U.S. share) — forecasted market value.
06
1.0x risk increase for firearm injury for individuals in high-disorder neighborhoods compared with low-disorder neighborhoods (meta-analytic relative risk estimate) — neighborhood disorder association.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across industry trends in the U.S. gun violence space, firearm injury care is both highly consequential and costly, with 29% of emergency department visits leading to inpatient admission and 2.7% of trauma-related inpatient costs tied to firearm injuries, while prevention technology deployments are growing rapidly at an estimated 14% annually from 2018 to 2023.
report visual · Key figures
Gun violence: deaths by intent and change over time
Use firearm-death totals and intent-specific counts to show what’s driving changes across years, supported by homicide and suicide context.
48,283
48,283 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020.
24,292
24,292 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020 were homicides.
19,393
19,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2020 were suicides.
20,393
20,393 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were homicides.
14,836
14,836 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were suicides.
27%
From 2010 to 2021, the U.S. firearm suicide rate increased by 27%.
source-verifiedwisqars.cdc.gov · cdc.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Gun Violence Us Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-us-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Gun Violence Us Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-us-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Gun Violence Us Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-us-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+24 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)