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Juveniles as Victims
Violent Crime Victimization
Q: In which States do youth suicide victims outnumber youth homicide victims?
A: Between 1999 and 2020, youth suicide victims outnumbered youth homicide victims in 38 states.

Youth (ages 10-17) suicide rates by State, 1999-2020

State Suicide rate* Suicide/Homicide ratio
United States 3.6 1.3
Alabama 3.3 0.9
Alaska 12.3 3.9
Arizona 4.9 1.6
Arkansas 4.8 1.7
California 2.2 0.7
Colorado 7.1 3.7
Connecticut 2.3 1.6
Delaware 3.3 1.2
District of Columbia 2.0 0.1
Florida 2.8 1.0
Georgia 3.2 1.0
Hawaii 3.3 NA
Idaho 7.3 11.2
Illinois 3.0 0.6
Indiana 3.9 1.3
Iowa 4.8 4.2
Kansas 5.0 2.6
Kentucky 3.8 1.9
Louisiana 3.8 0.6
Maine 4.1 6.3
Maryland 2.8 0.6
Massachusetts 2.2 1.6
Michigan 4.2 1.4
Minnesota 4.7 3.5
Mississippi 3.4 0.8
Missouri 4.6 1.1
Montana 8.6 6.4
Nebraska 5.0 2.6
Nevada 4.7 1.5
New Hampshire 3.7 NA
New Jersey 1.8 1.0
New Mexico 8.4 2.3
New York 2.1 0.9
North Carolina 3.3 1.2
North Dakota 8.1 8.5
Ohio 3.9 1.5
Oklahoma 5.5 2.0
Oregon 4.6 4.4
Pennsylvania 3.5 1.3
Rhode Island 2.3 1.5
South Carolina 3.8 1.2
South Dakota 11.5 10.1
Tennessee 3.7 1.1
Texas 3.8 1.5
Utah 6.7 7.5
Vermont 4.4 6.2
Virginia 3.6 1.5
Washington 4.3 2.6
West Virginia 4.1 2.5
Wisconsin 4.5 2.2
Wyoming 9.4 4.8

Notes: *The suicide rate is the average annual number of suicides of youth ages 10–17 divided by the average annual population of youth ages 10–17 (per 100,000). The suicide/homicide ratio is the total number of suicides of youth ages 10–17 divided by the total number of homicides of youth ages 10–17. A ratio of more than 1.0 indicates that the number of suicides was greater than the number of homicides.

NA: Too few homicides to calculate a ratio.

[ Map version ]  [ CSV file ]

  • Youth ages 10-17 in Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Utah were about 7 to 11 times more likely to be the victim of a suicide than to be a victim of homicide between 1999 and 2020; youth in the District of Columbia were about 11 times more likely to be a victim of homicide than to be a victim of suicide over the same time period.
  • Suicide rates varied largely by state between 1999 and 2020. The suicide rate was highest in Alaska and South Dakota (12.3 and 11.5 suicides per 100,000 persons ages 10-17, respectively) and lowest in New Jersey (1.8 suicides per 100,000 persons ages 10-17). The U.S. youth suicide rate was 3.6 in 2020.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02704.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on April 18, 2022.

Data source: Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [Retrieved March 4, 2022]. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html

 

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