19 Facts About Suicides and Suicide Statistics

Suicide is ranked number 11 in the leading cause of death of Americans. Here are 19 facts about suicides and suicide statistics.

Suicide peak time

Suicide statistics # 1: Most suicides occur in spring time. Second suicide peak season is winter months.

Suicide in US

Suicide statistics # 2: There are nearly one million suicide attempts in the United States each year
Suicide statistics # 3: Suicide is ranked number 11 in the leading cause of death of Americans. According to research by Centers for Decease Control and Prevention in 2007

Number of suicide deaths: 34,598
Deaths per 100,000 population: 11.5
Cause of suicide death rank: 11

Suicide statistics # 4: Florida has the highest rate of suicide deaths over all states, followed closely by Texas.
Suicide statistics # 5: Rhode Island and North Dakota have the lowest number of suicide deaths.
Suicide statistics # 6: A suicide occurs approximately every 17 minutes in the United States.
Suicide statistics # 7: In the United States, there are more instances of suicide in the western states than in eastern states.

Suicide facts by sex and age

Suicide statistics # 8: When a male attempts suicide, they are at least four times as likely to succeed as females.
Suicide statistics # 9: Suicide is ranked number 8 in the leading cause of death of American males.
Suicide statistics # 10: Women attempt suicide as much as three times more often than men.
Suicide statistics # 11: Around 60% of men who commit suicide use a firearm.
Suicide statistics # 12: Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents ages 15 through 24.
Suicide statistics # 13: From six to ten thousand elderly people commit suicide each year. Most of them use a firearm.

Suicide by race: whites, Indians and blacks

Suicide statistics # 14: The highest number of suicides committed by whites followed closely by American Indian and Native Alaskan men.
Suicide statistics # 15: Black females have the lowest suicide rate among any other group.

The way suicide was committed

Suicide statistics # 16: Nearly six people out of every 100,000 will attempt suicide with a firearm.
Number of deaths: 17,352
Deaths per 100,000 population: 5.8
Suicide statistics # 17: Hanging accounts for about 1/5 of all suicides.
Suicide statistics # 18: Every three suicides out of 100,000 are suffocation suicides
Suicide statistics # 19: Every two suicides are poisoning suicides