The alarming truth that over half of all suicide deaths in America now involve a firearm opens a chilling window into a national crisis that claims more than 27,000 lives a year and disproportionately impacts veterans, rural communities, and older white men.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were 26,328 suicide deaths by firearm in the United States, accounting for 54.4% of all suicide deaths that year
- Firearm suicides made up 73% of all firearm deaths among children and adolescents aged 1-17 years in 2021
- The age-adjusted firearm suicide rate in the US increased by 37% from 12.1 per 100,000 in 2011 to 16.6 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2021, 89% of suicide decedents who used firearms were male
- White males comprised 68% of all firearm suicide decedents in 2021
- Among males aged 25-34, firearm suicide rate was 27.5 per 100,000 in 2021
- The US firearm suicide rate increased 35% from 2000 to 2020
- Firearm suicides rose 14% during 2020 pandemic year alone
- From 2011-2021, youth firearm suicide rates doubled from 2.5 to 5.0 per 100k
- Wyoming had highest rate 36.5 per 100k in 2021, up from 30.2 in 2011
- Montana firearm suicide rate 32.1 per 100k 2021
- Alaska 30.8 per 100k, highest for females at 10.2 in 2021
- Household firearm ownership correlates r=0.78 with state rates 2021
- States with universal checks had 7% lower firearm suicide rates per RAND meta-analysis
- 85% of firearm suicides use handgun, 15% long guns per NVDRS 2018-2021
Firearm suicides are a lethal and growing crisis in America, hitting record highs.
Demographic Statistics
1In 2021, 89% of suicide decedents who used firearms were male
Verified2White males comprised 68% of all firearm suicide decedents in 2021
Verified3Among males aged 25-34, firearm suicide rate was 27.5 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified4Females aged 45-64 had a firearm suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 in 2020
Directional5Non-Hispanic White individuals had 77% of firearm suicides in 2021
Single source6Males aged 65-74 accounted for 15% of firearm suicides in 2021
Verified7Black females had the lowest firearm suicide rate at 1.9 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified8Veterans represented 13.5% of all US suicides but 18% of firearm suicides in 2020
Verified9Among Asian/Pacific Islander males, rate was 7.2 per 100,000 firearm suicides 2021
Directional10Rural White males had firearm suicide rates 2.5 times urban counterparts in 2021
Single source11Males aged 18-24 had 25.1 firearm suicides per 100,000 in 2021
Verified12Hispanic males firearm suicide rate was 9.8 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified13Females over 75 had 4.2 per 100,000 firearm suicide rate 2021
Verified14American Indian males had 28.4 per 100,000 firearm suicide rate 2021
Directional15Among married individuals, 52% of firearm suicides were married males 2021 NVDRS
Single source16Unemployed decedents had 2x higher odds of firearm suicide in NVDRS 2018-2020
Verified17Males with prior mental health diagnosis 45% in firearm suicides 2021
Verified18White non-Hispanics aged 55-64 had 32.1 per 100,000 rate 2021
Verified19Black males 35-54 had 12.5 per 100,000 firearm suicide rate 2021
Directional20Females in South region 7.1 per 100,000 firearm suicides 2021
Single source21Veterans aged 18-34 had 87% firearm suicides in 2020
Verified22Non-binary individuals rare but 2% of youth firearm suicides 2021
Verified23Males with college education had lower rate 18.9 vs 25.4 no HS diploma 2021
Verified24Hispanic females under 25: 2.1 per 100,000 firearm rate 2021
Directional25Rural males 15-24: 18.3 per 100,000 vs urban 10.2 in 2021
Single source26Elderly White males 85+: 81.2 per 100,000 firearm suicides 2021
VerifiedDemographic Statistics Interpretation
While these stark numbers reveal a tragic public health crisis, they also paint a disturbingly precise portrait of America's most vulnerable to firearm suicide: an older, rural, White male, whose isolation, identity, and access to lethal means form a perfect and fatal storm.
Geographic Data
1Wyoming had highest rate 36.5 per 100k in 2021, up from 30.2 in 2011
Verified2Montana firearm suicide rate 32.1 per 100k 2021
Verified3Alaska 30.8 per 100k, highest for females at 10.2 in 2021
Verified4New Mexico 25.4 per 100k firearm suicides 2021
Directional5Idaho 28.7 per 100k, rural heavy influence 2021
Single source6West Virginia 27.9 per 100k 2021
Verified7Oklahoma 24.6 per 100k firearm suicides 2021
Verified8Kentucky 23.8 per 100k 2021
Verified9South Dakota 26.2 per 100k 2021
Directional10North Dakota 25.1 per 100k 2021
Single source11Louisiana 22.4 per 100k 2021
Verified12Arkansas 23.1 per 100k 2021
Verified13Tennessee 21.7 per 100k firearm suicides 2021
Verified14Alabama 21.3 per 100k 2021
Directional15Nevada 20.9 per 100k 2021
Single source16Colorado 19.8 per 100k 2021
Verified17Utah 22.5 per 100k 2021
Verified18Arizona 20.2 per 100k 2021
Verified19Oregon 19.5 per 100k 2021
Directional20Washington DC lowest at 2.1 per 100k firearm suicides 2021
Single source21California 8.4 per 100k 2021, lowest among large states
Verified22New York 4.2 per 100k 2021
Verified23Massachusetts 3.9 per 100k 2021
Verified24New Jersey 4.6 per 100k 2021
Directional25Southern states averaged 22.5 per 100k vs Northeast 6.8 in 2021
Single source26Rural counties 2x urban rates, 20.1 vs 9.5 per 100k 2021
Verified2790% of US counties with highest rates in West/South 2021
VerifiedGeographic Data Interpretation
The grim map of American despair is written in bullets, with the vast, lonely West and South bearing the heaviest script, while tightly packed coastal cities and restrictive states pen a far quieter, though not silent, footnote.
Incidence Rates
1In 2021, there were 26,328 suicide deaths by firearm in the United States, accounting for 54.4% of all suicide deaths that year
Verified2Firearm suicides made up 73% of all firearm deaths among children and adolescents aged 1-17 years in 2021
Verified3The age-adjusted firearm suicide rate in the US increased by 37% from 12.1 per 100,000 in 2011 to 16.6 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified4In 2020, males accounted for 87.9% of all firearm suicide deaths in the US, totaling 24,292 deaths
Directional5Firearms were the most common method of suicide among US veterans, involved in 13,052 veteran suicides in 2020 (69.8%)
Single source6Among adults aged 25-44, the firearm suicide rate was 18.2 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified7In rural areas, firearm suicides comprised 68% of all suicides in 2021, compared to 49% in urban areas
Verified8The firearm suicide rate for non-Hispanic White males was 29.3 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified9Firearm suicides increased by 42.6% from 2019 to 2020 in US youth aged 10-24
Directional10In 2022 preliminary data, firearm suicides totaled over 27,000, a record high
Single source11Firearms accounted for 55% of suicides among men aged 45-64 in 2021
Verified12The overall US suicide rate by firearm was 14.3 per 100,000 in 2020
Verified13Among American Indian/Alaska Native populations, firearm suicides were 20.5 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified14Firearm-related suicides outnumbered homicides by firearms 2.6 to 1 in 2021
Directional15In 2019, 39% of suicide decedents tested positive for alcohol at time of death, higher in firearm cases
Single source16Firearm suicides in the US reached 24,090 in 2018, per CDC WONDER
Verified17Among those aged 85+, firearm suicide rate was 40.1 per 100,000 males in 2021
Verified18Firearms used in 50.3% of all US suicides from 2015-2019 average
Verified19In 2021, 14 states had firearm suicide rates above 20 per 100,000
Directional20Youth firearm suicides rose 53.5% from 2011 to 2021
Single source21Males aged 75-84 had the highest firearm suicide rate at 42.4 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified22Firearm suicides accounted for 60% of all gun deaths in 2021
Verified23In 2020, firearm suicide rate for White males was 28.7 per 100,000
Verified24Among females, firearm suicides were 5.4 per 100,000 in 2021
Directional25Firearms involved in 70% of rural suicides in 2018-2020 data
Single source26Total firearm suicides 2015-2019 averaged 22,937 annually
Verified27Black males had firearm suicide rate of 10.2 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified28Firearm suicides peaked at 16.0 per 100,000 age-adjusted in 2021
Verified2948% of suicides by firearm occurred in the home in NVDRS states 2018-2019
Directional30Males 85+ had 102.8 firearm suicides per 100,000 in 2020
Single sourceIncidence Rates Interpretation
The grim mathematics of these statistics scream a truth we too often whisper: in America, a firearm is not merely an instrument of violence but, with chilling and increasing frequency, the chosen tool for a final, despairing act against oneself, painting a public health crisis in the starkest of terms.
Risk and Prevention Factors
1Household firearm ownership correlates r=0.78 with state rates 2021
Verified2States with universal checks had 7% lower firearm suicide rates per RAND meta-analysis
Verified385% of firearm suicides use handgun, 15% long guns per NVDRS 2018-2021
Verified4Prior suicide attempt increases risk 30x for firearm suicide completion
Directional544% of firearm suicide decedents had documented mental illness history NVDRS
Single source6Secure storage laws associated with 8% reduction in youth suicides
Verified7Alcohol intoxication in 40% of firearm suicides, BAC>0.08 in 25%
Verified8Veterans with PTSD 4x higher firearm suicide risk
Verified9Impulsivity key: 50% decided within 10 min per survivor studies
Directional10Gun ownership >50% in home triples suicide risk per Harvard study
Single source11Waiting periods reduce firearm suicides by 11% per study
Verified12Depression untreated increases odds 20x for firearm method choice
Verified13Rural isolation correlates with 2.5x higher rates due to access
Verified1490% of attempts with firearms lethal vs 5% pills, lethality factor
Directional15Family history of suicide doubles risk, firearm access amplifies
Single source16Economic downturns boost rates 15% with high gun ownership
Verified17Background checks for mental health reduce by 3-11% per RAND
Verified18Loaded/unlocked guns in 70% of home firearm suicides NVDRS
Verified19Opioid crisis areas saw 25% higher firearm suicides 2015-2020
Directional20Suicide contagion via media increases copycat firearm use 12%
Single sourceRisk and Prevention Factors Interpretation
If the data could speak, it would sadly whisper that America's romance with unsecured firearms has turned our homes into loaded statistics, where a moment's despair meets a permanent solution because we've made the means both lethally efficient and recklessly convenient.
Temporal Trends
1The US firearm suicide rate increased 35% from 2000 to 2020
Verified2Firearm suicides rose 14% during 2020 pandemic year alone
Verified3From 2011-2021, youth firearm suicide rates doubled from 2.5 to 5.0 per 100k
Verified4Firearm share of suicides grew from 50% in 2015 to 54% in 2021
Directional5Rural firearm suicide rates up 48% from 1999-2020
Single source6Veteran firearm suicides declined 3.5% from 2019-2020 but still high
Verified7From 1990-2020, overall suicide rate up 30%, but firearm up 38%
Verified8Post-2010, firearm suicides increased annually by 3.2% average
Verified9During COVID-19 2020-2021, firearm suicides up 15% in 10-19 age group
Directional10Firearm suicide peak month is December, up 20% vs September low, 2015-2020
Single source11From 2005-2015, male firearm suicide rate stable then surged 25% 2015-2021
Verified12NVDRS shows 22% increase in firearm suicides 2019-2020 across 32 states
Verified13Long-term 1981-2021, firearm suicide rate from 11.7 to 16.0 per 100k
Verified14Among females, firearm suicide rate up 25% from 2011-2021
Directional15Black firearm suicide rates increased 35% 2011-2021
Single source16Firearm suicides declined 5% in 1990s due to lead removal, then rose
Verified172022 saw continued rise, provisional 27,500 firearm suicides
Verified18Seasonal peak in spring-summer for youth firearm suicides 2010-2020
Verified19Post-2008 recession, firearm suicides up 28% by 2018
Directional20Elderly male rates stable high 40+ per 100k over decades
Single source21Hispanic firearm suicide rates doubled 2000-2020
Verified22Midwest saw 40% increase 2010-2021 in firearm suicides
Verified23During lockdowns 2020, home firearm suicides up 30% NVDRS
Verified24Overall gun death rates up, but suicides drove 60% of increase 2010-2021
Directional25Firearm suicide rate for ages 10-14 tripled 2007-2021
Single source26From 2015-2020, annual increase 4.5% in firearm suicides
VerifiedTemporal Trends Interpretation
While the national conversation often fixates on the flashier statistics of firearm homicide, the cold, relentless climb of firearm suicide—a 35% overall increase since 2000, with youth rates doubling and a tragic, seasonal peak in what should be the most festive month—quietly paints a far more consistent and devastating portrait of American despair.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2KFFkff.orgVisit source
- Reference 3WEBAPPAwebappa.cdc.govVisit source
- Reference 4VAva.govVisit source
- Reference 5RURALHEALTHruralhealth.usask.caVisit source
- Reference 6WONDERwonder.cdc.govVisit source
- Reference 7JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.comVisit source
- Reference 8PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 9EVERYTOWNRESEARCHeverytownresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 10GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 11SHEPPARDPRATTsheppardpratt.orgVisit source
- Reference 12SAMHSAsamhsa.govVisit source
- Reference 13THETREVORPROJECTthetrevorproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 14RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 15HSPHhsph.harvard.eduVisit source
- Reference 16NIMHnimh.nih.govVisit source