| Violent Crime Victimization |
| Q: |
Do the number of suicide and homicide victims vary by race? |
| A: |
Between 1990 and 2009, suicide was more prevalent than homicide for non-Hispanic white juveniles, while the reverse was true for Hispanic juveniles and non-Hispanic black juveniles. |
Number of suicide and homicide victims by age and race/ethnicity, 1990-2009
| |
White, non-Hispanic |
Black, non-Hispanic |
Hispanic |
| Victim Age |
Suicide |
Homicide |
Suicide |
Homicide |
Suicide |
Homicide |
|
| 10 |
97 |
240 |
43 |
180 |
20 |
72 |
| 11 |
222 |
254 |
82 |
226 |
46 |
102 |
| 12 |
496 |
347 |
132 |
283 |
84 |
132 |
| 13 |
1,084 |
427 |
177 |
555 |
161 |
257 |
| 14 |
1,877 |
597 |
272 |
1,147 |
307 |
588 |
| 15 |
2,881 |
807 |
355 |
2,256 |
434 |
1,084 |
| 16 |
4,130 |
1,202 |
464 |
3,663 |
599 |
1,734 |
| 17 |
4,901 |
1,607 |
666 |
5,573 |
791 |
2,434 |
| 18 |
5,878 |
2,272 |
908 |
7,669 |
949 |
3,074 |
| 19 |
6,854 |
2,542 |
1,058 |
8,506 |
1,090 |
3,288 |
| 20 |
6,752 |
2,620 |
1,129 |
8,504 |
1,176 |
3,309 |
| 21 |
7,906 |
2,699 |
1,258 |
8,591 |
1,134 |
3,272 |
| 22 |
7,557 |
2,663 |
1,191 |
8,238 |
1,154 |
3,138 |
| 23 |
7,716 |
2,570 |
1,212 |
7,965 |
1,173 |
3,003 |
| 24 |
7,702 |
2,544 |
1,184 |
7,593 |
1,110 |
2,831 |
|
[ Graph version ]
[ Excel file ]
- At each age between 12 and 24, suicide was more common than murder for non-Hispanic whites between 1990 and 2009, in sharp contrast to patterns for Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks.
- For every 10 white homicide victims ages 7-17 there were 25 suicide victims (a ratio of 10 to 25); the corresponding ratio was 10 to 2 for black juveniles and 10 to 4 for Hispanic juveniles.
- Between 1990 and 2009, the juvenile suicide rate for white non-Hispanic youth (i.e., suicides per million persons ages 7–17 in this race/ethnicity group) was 27.0.
- The suicide rates were substantially lower for Hispanic (16.9), black non-Hispanic (15.8), and Asian non-Hispanic (15.1) juveniles ages 7-17.
- In contrast, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles (63.0) was more than double the white non-Hispanic rate and more than triple the rates for the other racial/ethnic groups.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02703.asp?qaDate=2009.
Released on March 05, 2012.
Data source: Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. (2012). WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [interactive database system]. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
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