Data Sources:
All data for suicide deaths based on figures
either appearing in or calculated based on figures posted at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website and resources
(NCHS, WISQARS or WONDER), in National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
publications, or received directly from NCHS Mortality Branch
personnel. These figures are derived from death records collected at
local and state levels provided to NCHS for national
compilations.
Suicide rates are calculated by dividing the number of suicides among a group by
the population of the group and multiplying the result by 100,000.
This produces the number of suicides per each unit of 100,000 for the
group. The "crude" rates of suicide can be compared directly to other
crude rates.
All listings of 65+ and
"elderly"
refer to those aged 65 years and above; all referrals to
"young,"
unless otherwise noted, imply those aged 15-24 years of
age.
Suicide by Race and Sex:
Nation, Elderly, Young (2005 data)
|
All Ages Combined
(Nation)
|
Elderly (65+
yrs)
|
Youth (15-24
yrs)
|
|
Group
|
Number of
Suicides
|
Rate of
Suicide
|
No. of Elderly
Suicides
|
Elderly Suicide
Rate
|
No. of Youth
Suicides
|
Youth Suicide
Rate
|
Nation |
32,637 |
11.0 |
5,404 |
14.7 |
4,212 |
10.0 |
Men |
25,907 |
17.7 |
4,550 |
29.5 |
3,498 |
16.2 |
Women |
6,730 |
4.5 |
854 |
4.0 |
714 |
3.5 |
Whites |
29,527 |
12.3 |
5,140 |
15.9 |
3,540 |
10.7 |
Nonwhites |
3,110 |
5.5 |
264 |
5.8 |
672 |
7.4 |
Blacks |
1,992 |
5.1 |
152 |
4.8 |
437 |
6.7 |
White Men |
23,478 |
19.7 |
4,361 |
32.1 |
2945 |
17.3 |
White Women |
6,049 |
5.0 |
779 |
4.2 |
595 |
3.7 |
Nonwhite Men |
2,429 |
9.0 |
189 |
10.5 |
553 |
12.0 |
Nonwhite Women |
681 |
2.3 |
75 |
2.7 |
119 |
2.7 |
Black Men |
1,621 |
8.7 |
124 |
10.3 |
382 |
11.5 |
Black Women |
371 |
1.8 |
28 |
1.4 |
55 |
1.7 |
* Note: rates based on less than 20 deaths are
considered unreliable and should be interpreted
cautiously.
Methods of Suicide: Detailed (2005
data)
National
Figures
|
Method
|
Percent of Total (32,637 suicides)
|
Number of
Suicides
|
Firearms |
52.1%
|
17,002
|
Hanging, strangulation, suffocation |
22.2%
|
7,248
|
Poisons |
17.6%
|
5,744
|
All other methods |
8.1%
|
2,643
|
Methods by Gender/Sex
|
Method
|
Men
|
Women
|
|
Men - Percent of
Total
|
Men - Number of Suicides (25,907 total)
|
Women - Percent of
Total
|
Women - Number of Suicides (6,730 total)
|
|
Firearms
|
57.6%
|
14,916
|
31.0%
|
2,086
|
|
Hanging, strangulation, suffocation
|
22.7%
|
5,887
|
20.2%
|
1,361
|
|
Poisons
|
12.0%
|
3,112
|
39.1%
|
2,632
|
|
All other methods
|
7.7%
|
1,992
|
9.7%
|
651
|
Suicide Methods by the Young (15-24
years of age) and Elderly (65
years and above)
|
Method of
Suicide
|
Young
|
Elderly
|
|
Number of Suicides - Young (Total: 4,212)
|
Percent of Total -
Young
|
Number of Suicides - Elderly (Total: 5,404)
|
Percent of Total -
Elderly
|
|
Firearms
|
1,962
|
46.6%
|
3,889
|
72.0%
|
|
Hanging. strangulation, suffocation
|
1,570
|
37.3%
|
533
|
9.9%
|
|
Poisons
|
361
|
8.6%
|
603
|
11.2%
|
|
All other methods
|
319
|
7.6%
|
379
|
7.0%
|
Suicide Rates
for Men, Women, and the Nation, USA, 1933-2005
Suicide
Rates for Whites and Nonwhites, USA, 1933-2005
Suicide
Rates by Gender and Race, USA, 1933-2005
Suicide
Rates for the Young (15-24), Elderly (65+), and the Nation, USA,
1933-2005
Cumulative
Number of USA Suicides and Estimates of Survivors, 1981-2005 (last 25
years)
|
|
