In 2021, there were around 28 suicides per 100,000 white males in the United States, while there were 43 suicides per 100,000 males among American Indians or Alaska Natives. This statistic illustrates the male suicide rate in the United States from 2019 to 2021, by race and ethnicity.

In 2021, around 77 percent of suicides among males in the United States were among white males. This statistic depicts the distribution of suicide deaths in the United States in 2021, by race/ethnicity and gender.

Among men in the United States, those aged 75 years and older have the highest death rate from suicide among all age groups. In 2022, the suicide death rate among men aged 75 years and older was 43.9 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the death rate from suicide among men aged 25 to 44 years was 29.6 per 100,000. Suicide is a significant problem in the United States, with rates increasing over the past decade. Suicide among men In the United States, the suicide rate among men is almost four times higher than that of women. In 2022, the rate of suicide among U.S. men was 23 per 100,000 population, the highest rate recorded over the past 70 years. Firearms account for the vast majority of suicide deaths among men, accounting for around 60 percent of male suicides in 2021. The reasons why U.S. men have higher rates of suicide than women are complex and not fully understood, but may have to do with the more violent means by which men carry out suicide and the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. Suicide among women Although the suicide rate among women in the U.S. is significantly lower than that of men, the rate of suicide among women has increased over the past couple of decades. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest death rates due to suicide, followed by women 25 to 44 years old. Interestingly, the share of women reporting serious thoughts of suicide in the past year is higher than that of men, with around 5.5 percent of U.S. women reporting such thoughts in 2023. Similarly to men, firearms account for most suicide deaths among women, however suffocation and poisoning account for a significant share of suicides among women. In 2021, around 35 percent of suicides among women were carried out by firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for around 28 percent of suicide deaths.

Download data on suicides in Massachusetts by demographics and year. This page also includes reporting on military & veteran suicide, and suicides during COVID-19.

Age-adjusted suicide rates (per 100,000 per year) inside and outside of Wayne county as well as relative risk of suicide in Wayne county relative to all other counties among non-ethnic white males and females aged 10 and older in Michigan, 1990–2007.

Age-adjusted rate of suicide deaths for Santa Clara County residents. The data are provided for the total county population and by sex and race/ethnicity. Data trends are presented from 2007 to 2016. Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department, VRBIS, 2007-2016. Data as of 05/26/2017; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, notes and sourceYear (String): Year of death Category (String): Lists the category representing the data: Santa Clara County is for total population, sex: Male and Female, race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only) and Asian/Pacific Islander subgroups: Asian Indian, Chinese. Filipino, Korean and Vietnamese.Age adjusted rate per 100,000 people (Numeric): The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10) are used for coding causes of death. Age-adjusted rate is calculated using 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Suicide rate is number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 people in the same time period.

In 2019, 316 people of Asian or Pacific Islander origin died by suicide using a firearm in the United States. In that same year, 20,090 White people died by suicide involving a firearm in the United States.

The suicide rate among females in the United States is highest for those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among girls aged 10 to 14 and elderly women 75 and over. Although the suicide rate among women remains over three times lower than that of men, rates of suicide among women have gradually increased over the past couple decades. Suicide among women in the United States In 2021, there were around six suicide deaths per 100,000 women in the United States. In comparison, the rate of suicide among women in the year 2000 was about four per 100,000. Suicide rates among women are by far the highest among American Indians or Alaska Natives and lowest among Hispanic and Black or African American women. Although firearms are involved in the highest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, they account for a much smaller share among women. In 2020, the firearm suicide rate among women was 1.8 per 100,000 population, while the rates of suicide for suffocation and poisoning were 1.7 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively. Suicidal ideation among women Although not everyone who experiences suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, will attempt suicide, suicidal thoughts are a risk factor for suicide. In 2022, just over five percent of women in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Suicidal thoughts are more common among women than men even though men have much higher rates of death from suicide than women. This is because men are more likely to use more lethal methods of suicide such as firearms. Women who suffer from substance use disorder are significantly more likely to have serious thoughts of suicide than women without substance use disorder.

Methods of suicide/self-inflicted injuries for Santa Clara County residents. The methods of injury for suicide deaths are provided for the total county population and by race/ethnicity. Data for emergency department utilization and hospital discharges are summarized only for total county population. Data are presented for pooled years combined. Missing data are not included in the analysis. Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department, VRBIS, 2007-2016. Data as of 05/26/2017; Office of Statewide Planning and Development, 2007-2014 Emergency Department Data; Office of Statewide Planning and Development, 2007-2014 Patient Discharge Data.METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, notes and sourceYear (String): Year of eventData element (String): Lists data represents deaths, hospital discharges or emergency department visitsCategory (String): Lists the category representing the data. Suicide death data are presented as: Santa Clara County is for total population, sex: Male and Female, and race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only). Suicide attempt/ideation data are presented as: Santa Clara County is for total population.Means of injury (String): Methods are categorized as: Poisoning, Suffocation, Firearms, Fall, Cut/pierce, Fire/flame and other.Percentage (Numeric): Percentage

In contrast to the model-minority myth, which conceptualizes Asian American youth as more educationally successful, respectful of teachers, hardworking, and cooperative that other ethnic minority youth (Chang and Sue, 2003), research has demonstrated that Asian American youth are at an increased risk for depression and suicide than their White or Black counterparts (Sen, 2004). Specifically, Asian American females aged 15-24 have the highest rate of completed suicides (14.1%) compared to other racial and ethnic groups (e.g., White 9.3%, Black 3.3%, and Hispanic 7.4%). Asian males of the same age group have the second highest rate of suicide deaths (12.7%) compared to other racial/ethnic group males (e.g., White 17.5%, Black 6.7%, and Hispanic 10%) (CDC 2008). In addition to these specific mental health problems, these youth face additional culturally-specific concerns, including racial discrimination (Lee et al., 2009). Despite such needs, Asian Americans underutilize traditional mental health services (Abe-Kim et al., 2007). Compared to youth (aged 18 or younger) from other racial or ethnic groups, Asian American youth are less likely than White, Black, or Hispanic children to actually receive mental health care (Ku and Matani, 2000). Additionally, research has demonstrated that Asian American youth also tend to underutilize mental health services in school settings (Amaral, Geierstanger, Soleimanpour, and Brindis, 2011; Anyon, Ong, and Whitaker, 2014; Walker, Kerns, Lyon, Bruns, and Cosgrove, 2010), despite the delivery of mental health services in schools seemingly overcoming certain structural barriers to seeking and obtaining mental health services, including transportation, insurance coverage, and cost (Cauce et al., 2002). Using exploratory focus groups, this qualitative study sought to explore perceptions of barriers to seeking school-based mental health services among first- and second-generation Asian youth of immigrant origin (33 participants in 7 focus groups). The specific research questions were: What are the sources of stress that may contribute to mental health concerns among Asian and Asian American youth, and what are their perceptions of barriers to mental health service use?

The leading causes of death among the white population of the United States are cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer accounted for a combined **** percent of all deaths among this population in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death among white people. Disparities in causes of death In the United States, there exist disparities in the leading causes of death based on race and ethnicity. For example, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis is the ***** leading cause of death among the white population and the ****** among the Hispanic population, but is not among the ten leading causes for Black people. On the other hand, homicide is the ******* leading cause of death among the Black population, but is not among the 10 leading causes for whites or Hispanics. However, cardiovascular diseases and cancer by far account for the highest share of deaths for every race and ethnicity. Diseases of despair The American Indian and Alaska Native population in the United States has the highest rates of death from suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol. Together, these three behavior-related conditions are often referred to as diseases of despair. Asians have by far the lowest rates of death due to drug overdose and alcohol, as well as slightly lower rates of suicide.

Age-adjusted rate of emergency department visits due to suicide attempts/ideation for Santa Clara County residents. The data are provided for the total county population and by sex and race/ethnicity. The data trends are presented from 2007 to 2014. Source: Office of Statewide Planning and Development,2007-2014 Emergency Department Data; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, notes and sourceYear (Numeric): Year of emergency department visitCategory (String): Lists the category representing the data: Santa Clara County is for total population, sex: Male and Female, and race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only).Age adjusted rate per 100,000 people (Numeric): The Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-9) are used for coding emergency department visit data. Age-adjusted rate is calculated using 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rate of emergency department visits due to suicide attempt/ideation is number of related emergency department visits in a year per 100,000 people in the same time period. Data are not presented if the number of emergency department visits is 15 or less.

African American males in the United States are much more likely to die from homicide than white males. In 2016, the death rate by homicide for African American males was 38 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of just 5.2 per 100,000 population for white males. African American males are twice as likely to die from firearm-related injuries than white males, with handguns involved in the largest share of homicides in the U.S.

Homicide as a leading cause of death

While the leading causes of death for black and white residents in the U.S. are similar in many ways, there are two distinct differences. Homicide is not in the leading 10 causes of death among whites, but it is the seventh leading cause of death for blacks, accounting for around three percent of all deaths in this group. However, suicide is the ninth leading cause of death among whites, while it is not included in the 10 leading causes of death for blacks.

Death rates

Overall, the death rate in the United States is higher among non-Hispanic whites than any other ethnicity. Furthermore, males across all ethnicities in the U.S. have higher death rates than females. The two leading causes of death for every ethnicity in the U.S. are cancer and heart disease.

Between 2012 and 2020, the number of self-inflicted deaths among White prisoners in public prisons in England and Wales went up from 49 to 57.

In 2022, around 85.5 percent of transgender people assigned female at birth had considered suicide, compared to 77.2 percent of transgender people assigned male at birth. Approximately 42.7 percent of transgender people assigned female at birth had attempted suicide, compared to 37.2 percent of transgender people assigned male at birth.

Considered suicide in the past 12 months (high school only) by sex, race/ethnicity, and grade, California Healthy Kids Survey, 2015-16METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, sourceYear (String): Year of surveyCategory (String): Lists the category representing the data: Santa Clara County is for total surveyed population, sex: Male and Female, race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only) and grade level (9th, 11th, or non-traditional).Percent (Numeric): Percentage of high school students who considered suicide in the past 12 months

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Age-adjusted rate of patient discharges after being hospitalized due to suicide attempts/ideation for Santa Clara County residents. The data are provided for the total county population and by sex and race/ethnicity. The data trends are presented from 2007 to 2014. Source: Office of Statewide Planning and Development, 2007-2014 Patient Discharge Data; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, notes and sourceYear (Numeric): Year of hospital dischargeCategory (String): Lists the category representing the data: Santa Clara County is for total population, sex: Male and Female, and race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only).Age adjusted rate per 100,000 people (String): The Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-9) are used for coding patient discharge data. Age-adjusted rate is calculated using 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rate of hospitalization due to suicide attempt/ideation is number of related hospital discharges in a year per 100,000 people in the same time period. Data are not presented if the number of hospital discharges is 15 or less.

The life expectancy for men aged 65 years in the U.S. has gradually increased since the 1960s. Now men in the United States aged 65 can expect to live 17 more years on average. Women aged 65 years can expect to live around 19.7 more years on average.

Life expectancy in the U.S.

As of 2021, the average life expectancy at birth in the United States was 76.33 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. had steadily increased for many years but has recently dropped slightly. Women consistently have a higher life expectancy than men but have also seen a slight decrease. As of 2019, a woman in the U.S. could be expected to live up to 79.3 years.

Leading causes of death

The leading causes of death in the United States include heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. However, heart disease and cancer account for around 38 percent of all deaths. Although heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for both men and women, there are slight variations in the leading causes of death. For example, unintentional injury and suicide account for a larger portion of deaths among men than they do among women.

As of 2022, the third leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in the United States was intentional self-harm or suicide, contributing around 17 percent of deaths among age group. The leading cause of death at that time was unintentional injuries, contributing to around 37.4 percent of deaths, while 21.8 percent of all deaths in this age group were due to assault or homicide. Cancer and heart disease, the overall leading causes of death in the United States, are also among the leading causes of death among U.S. teenagers. Adolescent suicide in the United States In 2021, around 22 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Female students were around twice as likely to report seriously considering suicide compared to male students. In 2022, Montana had the highest rate of suicides among U.S. teenagers with around 39 deaths per 100,000 teenagers, followed by South Dakota with a rate of 33 per 100,000. The states with the lowest death rates among adolescents are New York and New Jersey. Mental health treatment Suicidal thoughts are a clear symptom of mental health issues. Mental health issues are not rare among children and adolescents, and treatment for such issues has become increasingly accepted and accessible. In 2021, around 15 percent of boys and girls aged 5 to 17 years had received some form of mental health treatment in the past year. At that time, around 35 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 years in the United States who were receiving specialty mental health services were doing so because they had thought about killing themselves or had already tried to kill themselves.