Suicide Death Rates Spiked Over Decade, Especially Among People of Color

As the US government prepares to launch the new federally mandated crisis number 988 next month, a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis reveals that the national suicide death rate increased 12 percent from 2010 to 2020, with rates rising fastest among people of color and younger individuals.

The KFF analysis utilizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database. CDC WONDER is an integrated information and communication system for public health, allowing users to access statistical research, reference materials, reports, and guidelines on various health-related topics published by CDC.

For this analysis, KFF used CDC WONDER to examine trends in suicide rates over time and by race and ethnicity, sex, age, and state.

The analysis found that at least 480,622 people died by suicide from 2010 to 2020, but some research suggests that a subset of suicides may be misclassified as drug overdose deaths since it can be difficult to determine whether a drug overdose is intentional or not. Deaths from drug overdoses increased by 31 percent from 2019 to 2020, but the suicide death rates reported during those two years are similar.

The number of suicide deaths peaked in 2018 at 48,344 but decreased slightly in 2019 and 2020. The number of suicide deaths by firearms remained similar to suicide by other means every year from 2010 to 2019, but this trend changed in 2020. Rates of suicide by firearms remained stable in 2020, accounting for more than half of the 45,979 suicides that year, but suicides by other means dropped by 8 percent.

Suicide death numbers and rates varied for different populations across the decade, but overall, people of color, younger people, those living in rural areas, and men were impacted the most. People of color experienced both the highest suicide death numbers and the fastest increase in suicide death rates over the study period.

As of 2020, American Indian or Alaska Native people had the highest suicide death rate at 23.9 per 100,000 individuals. This was significantly higher than the rate for White people, which was 16.8 per 100,000 people. Suicide death rates for Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander people in 2020 were all less than half the rate for White people.

Between 2010 and 2020, suicide death rates climbed rapidly for people of color, with the highest increase among Black Americans. Black people experienced a 43 percent increase, from 5.4 to 7.7 per 100,000 individuals; American Indian or Alaska Native people had a 41 percent increase, from 16.9 to 23.9 per 100,000; and Hispanic people had a 27 percent increase, from 5.9 to 7.5 per 100,000.

Younger people experienced similar suicide death rate increases from 2010 to 2020, with some sources indicating that Black youth were hit especially hard. According to the KFF analysis, American adolescents ages 12 to 17 saw a 62 percent increase, from 3.9 to 6.3 per 100,000. Young adults aged 18 to 25 experienced a 33 percent increase, from 12 to 17 per 100,000.

To help address these trends, the federal government mandated the launch of 988 — the new, shorter number callers can use starting in July to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. According to the KFF analysis, 988 is expected to help improve the delivery of mental health crisis care, but it is unclear how well it will address the needs of populations with the most significant mental health burdens, like youth and people of color.