From 1999 through 2016, suicide rates increased across the United States, with statewide increases in every state except Nevada, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The period also saw a rise in suicides across different age groups, genders, racial categories, and ethnic identities.
Suicide rates rose by over 30 percent for half of all states, with the highest increase (57 percent) in North Dakota. Montana had the highest rate from 2014 to 2016, at 29.2 suicides per 100,000 residents. Though Nevada’s rate has dropped slightly since 1999, it is still higher than the national average.
The number of suicides in the U.S. in 2016 was double the number of homicides recorded for that year, making it the 10th leading cause of death—and the second most common cause of death for people ages 15 to 34.
Guns were the most frequent method of suicide. Until March’s Congressional spending bill was passed, the CDC had been prohibited from studying gun violence since 1993 by the Dickey Amendment.
