Juvenile (ages 7-17) suicide rates by State, 1981-2007

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Violent Crime Victimization

Q:	In which States do juvenile suicide victims outnumber juvenile homicide victims?
A:	Between 1981 and 2007, juvenile suicide victims outnumbered juvenile homicide victims in 32 states.

Juvenile (ages 7-17) suicide rates by State, 1981-2007

Notes: The suicide rate is the average annual number of suicides of youth ages 7–17 divided by the average annual population of youth ages 7–17 (in millions). The suicide/homicide ratio is the total number of suicides of youth ages 7–17 divided by the total number of homicides of youth ages 7–17. A ratio of more than 1.0 indicates that the number of suicides was greater than the number of homicides.

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Juveniles (ages 7-17) in North Dakota were more than eight times as likely to be a victim of suicide than to be a victim of homicide between 1981 and 2007; juveniles in the District of Columbia were 18 times as 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 1981 and 2007. The suicide rate was highest in Alaska (77.1 suicides per million persons ages 7-17) and lowest in New Jersey (13.4 suicides per million persons ages 7-17).

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02704.asp?qaDate=2007. Released on December 21, 2010.

Data source: Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. (2010). WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [interactive database system]. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html