Teen Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm Death
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Headline

Males are significantly more likely than females to die violently. (Figure 2) In 2005, males ages 15 to 19 were four times more likely to commit suicide, six and a half times more likely to be victims of homicide, and nine times more likely to be involved in a firearm-related death than were females of the same age.

Importance

Homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death among teens ages 15 to 19, after unintentional injury.¹ Firearms were the instrument of death in over 80 percent of teen homicides and about half of teen suicides in 2005.² While almost one in four youth firearm injuries results in death, non-firearm injuries result in death in only one out of every 760 cases.³

Although many murderers of teens below age 18 are teens themselves, two-thirds are age eighteen or older.⁴ Gang violence has been associated with many teen murders; in 2002 nearly three-quarters of homicides of teens were attributed to gang violence.⁵ While school-related homicides have received substantial attention, in the first half of the 1999-2000 school year they accounted for less than one percent of all child homicides.⁶

Mood disorders such as depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorders are major risk factors for suicide among children and adolescents.⁷ One study found that over 90 percent of children and adolescents who committed suicide had some sort of mental disorder.⁸ Stressful life events and low levels of communication with parents may also be significant risk factors.⁹ While female teens are about twice as likely to attempt suicide, males are much more likely to actually commit suicide.¹⁰

Trends

Between 1970 and 1993, the homicide rate for teens ages 15 to 19 more than doubled, from 8.1 per 100,000 to 20.7 per 100,000.¹¹ The rate declined dramatically during the 1990s, and has stayed between 9 and 10 deaths per 100,000 since 2000; in 2005, the homicide rate was 9.9 deaths per 100,000. Trends in firearm-related deaths have followed a very similar pattern for teens ages 15 to 19, with rates dramatically decreasing duirng the 1990s, from 24.5 per 100,000 in 1995 to 13.1 per 100,000 in 2000. As with homicide rates, the firearm related death rate has fluctuated slightly since 2000, and was at 12.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2005. (Figure 1)

The teen suicide rate increased from 5.9 per 100,000 to 11.1 per 100,000 between 1970 and 1994,¹² before declining to 7.3 per 100,000 in 2003. Between 2004 and 2005, the suicide rate for teens ages 15 to 19 increased slightly, to 8.2 and 7.7 deaths per 100,000, respectively. (Figure 1)

Differences by Gender

Males ages 15 to 19 are about four times more likely than females to die from suicide (12.1 compared with 3.0 per 100,000, respectively) and six and a half times more likely to die from homicide (16.8 compared with 2.5 per 100,000, respectively). Males of this age are also nine times more likely to die from a firearm-related incident. In 2005, 22 per 100,000 males died by firearms, as compared with 2.4 per 100,000 females. (Figure 2)

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Differences by Race and Ethnicity

In 2005, the homicide rate for black male teens was 59.9 per 100,000, 17 times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white males (3.5 per 100,000). Rates for other groups were 27.7 per 100,000 for Hispanic males, 13.1 per 100,000 for American Indian males, and 7.7 per 100,000 for Asian and Pacific Islander males. (Figure 3)

Among females, black and Native American teens have the highest homicide rate at 6.3 and 6.1* per 100,000, respectively, followed by 2.9 per 100,000 for Hispanic females, 1.5 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic white females, 1.3* per 100,000 for Asian females. (Table 1)

Among males, suicide rates in 2005 were highest among American Indians (24.1 per 100,000) and non-Hispanic whites (14.0 per 100,000), followed by Hispanics at 9.5 per 100,000, blacks at 7.2 per 100,000, and Asians at 4.8 per 100,000. (Figure 4) Among females, Native Americans again had the highest rate of suicide at 14.9 per 100,000, followed by non-Hispanic whites at 3.3 per 100,000, Asians at 3.1* per 100,000, Hispanics at 2.4 per 100,000, and blacks at 1.4 per 100,000. (Table 1)

Firearm deaths, which are responsible for a majority of teen homicides and suicides but also include accidental deaths, were highest in 2005 among blacks (61.4 per 100,000 males and 5.0 per 100,000 females) and lowest among non-Hispanic whites (10.5 per 100,000 males and 1.9 per 100,000 females). Hispanics were in between (29.4 per 100,000 males and 2.1 per 100,000 females). (Figure 5) Estimates for Asian and Native Americans were not available.

*Note: These estimates should be used with caution, as they are based on 20 or fewer deaths and may be unstable.

Related Indicators

Violent Victimization of Youth, Suicidal Teens, Students Carrying Weapons, Physical Fighting by Youth

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State and Local Estimates

2004 state rates for combined accident, homicide, and suicide (though not separately) are available from the KIDS COUNT 2007 Databook Online.

Data for homicides by age group for all states and select counties are available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Number (though not rate) of homicides and suicides for ages 15-19 and other 5-year age groups are available by state for 1999-2005.

International Estimates

Estimates of homicide rates among youth ages 10-29 for selected countries and global suicide rates for youth ages 15-24 are available from the World Report on Violence and Health, (Tables 2.1 and 7.2).

for selected European countries and the U.S. Estimates of male homicide and suicide for 1995 and earlier are available for selected European countries and the U.S. at Social Indicators/Index of Tables/Tables 3.45 and 3.46.

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National Goals

Through its Healthy People 2010 initiative, the federal government has set a national goal to reduce homicides and firearm-related deaths. Both of these goals are for the general population with no special targets for reducing teen death rates.

Additionally, the Healthy People 2010 program has set a goal for the reduction of teen suicide attempts. The measurable goal is to reduce the percentage of youth who report suicide attempts requiring medical attention from a twelve-month average of 2.6 percent in 1999 to 1.0 percent by 2010.

Additional information is available about:
Homicide, Goal 15-32
Firearm-Related Deaths, Goal 15-3
Suicide, Goal 18-2

What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

None available at this time.

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Research References

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). (2007). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited March 12, 2008].

²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). (2007). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited November 12, 2008].

³Fingerhut, D. and Kaufer Christoffel, K. (2002) "Firearm-Related Death and Injury among Children and Adolescents." The Future of Children, Vol 12-Number 2. Summer/Fall 2002. Pages 25-38.

⁴Finkerhor, D. and Ormrod, R. (2001) Homicides of Children and Youth Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. p. 4, 7.

⁵Ibid, p. 5.

⁶DeVoe, J.F., Peter, K., Kaufman, P., Miller, A., Noonan, M., Snyder, T.D., and Baum, K. (2006). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005 (NCES 2006-001/NCJ 210697). U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 7.

⁷Surgeon General. (1999) "Children and Mental Health," Chapter 3 in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S.GPO.

⁸Shaffer, D., & Craft, L., (1999). Methods of adolescent suicide prevention. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60 (Suppl. 2), 70-74.

⁹Surgeon General. (1999) "Children and Mental Health," Chapter 3 in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S.GPO. See also National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. "Youth Suicide."

¹⁰Ibid.

¹¹Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.4A.

¹²Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.5.

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Definition

Homicide, suicide, and firearm-related deaths are determined by physicians, medical examiners, and coroners reports on death certificates. Deaths are classified using ICD 10 codes.

Data Source

Data for 2005: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Accessed March 7, 2008.

Data for 2004 total and gender: National Center for Health Statistics. (2006). Health, United States, 2006 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Tables 45, 46, and 47. Hyattsville, Maryland.

2004 data for race and ethnicity: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Accessed November 7, 2007.

Data for 2003 total and gender: National Center for Health Statistics. (2005). Health, United States, 2005 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Tables 45, 46, and 47. (Updated March 2006). Hyattsville, Maryland.

2003 data for race and ethnicity: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited April 10, 2006].

2002 data for firearms and Asian and Native Americans: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited December 10, 2004].

All other 2002 data: Anderson, Robert N. and Smith, Betty L. Deaths: Leading causes for 2002. National vital statistics reports; vol 53 no 17. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2005.

2001 data for firearm related deaths: National Center for Health Statistics. Health United States 2003 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2003: Table 47.

2001 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson, R. N., Smith, B. L. Deaths: Leading causes for 2001. National vital statistics reports; vol 52 no 9. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2003. Tables 1 and 2.

2000 data for firearm related deaths: Minino AM, Arias E, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Smith BL. Deaths: Final Data for 2000. National vital statistics reports; vol 50 no 15 Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Tables 9 and 20.

2000 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson, R. (2002). Deaths: Leading causes for 2000. (vol 50 no 16). Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 1 and 2.

1999 data for firearm related deaths: National Center for Health Statistics. (2002) Health United States, 2002 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Table 48.

1999 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson, R. (2001). Deaths: Leading causes for 1999 (vol 49 no 11). Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 1 and 2.

Data for Total, Male and Female 1970-1998: National Center for Health Statistics. (2002) Health United States, 2002 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Tables 46, 47, and 48.

Race data from: 1970-1998: Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.4A and 3.5.

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Raw Data Source

National Vital Statistics System

Approximate Date of Next Update

November 2008

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