U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

March 2004

Access OJJDP publications online at ojjdp.ncjrs.org

About This Series

The Surgeon General’s report on

youth violence, released in January

2001, notes that youth violence is a

serious public health issue that affects millions of children and their

families. A shared commitment to

ending youth violence has led to a

strong partnership between the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and

Control. The partnership is dedicated,

in part, to promoting the Blueprints for

Violence Prevention initiative, which

identifies and disseminates information nationwide about violence prevention and intervention programs

that have been found effective.

The Youth Violence Research Bulletin

Series is the most recent endeavor in

the OJJDP–CDC partnership. The

series presents the latest research

findings on critical topics related to

youth violence, including gangs, firearms, suicide prevention, and the impact of violence on youth. The Bulletins discuss research in a way that

makes it relevant to both the public

health and juvenile justice fields and

are written in a style that is accessible to all readers, including practitioners, service providers, parents, and

policymakers. By focusing on the issue of youth violence and emphasizing the public health benefits of reducing violence among youth and

within families, OJJDP and CDC

hope to help all children have the

opportunity to lead safe and productive lives.

J. Robert Flores, OJJDP Administrator

About This Series

The Surgeon General’s report on

youth violence, released in January

2001, notes that youth violence is a

serious public health issue that affects millions of children and their

families. A shared commitment to

ending youth violence has led to a

strong partnership between the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and

Control. The partnership is dedicated,

in part, to promoting the Blueprints for

Violence Prevention initiative, which

identifies and disseminates information nationwide about violence prevention and intervention programs

that have been found effective.

The Youth Violence Research Bulletin

Series is the most recent endeavor in

the OJJDP–CDC partnership. The

series presents the latest research

findings on critical topics related to

youth violence, including gangs, firearms, suicide prevention, and the impact of violence on youth. The Bulletins discuss research in a way that

makes it relevant to both the public

health and juvenile justice fields and

are written in a style that is accessible to all readers, including practitioners, service providers, parents, and

policymakers. By focusing on the issue of youth violence and emphasizing the public health benefits of reducing violence among youth and

within families, OJJDP and CDC

hope to help all children have the

opportunity to lead safe and productive lives.

Access OJJDP publications online at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp

Juvenile Suicides, 1981–1998

Howard N. Snyder and Monica H. Swahn

Between 1981 and 1998, 20,775 juveniles

ages 7–17 committed suicide in the United

States—nearly as many as were homicide

or cancer victims. Males were the victims

in 78% of these juvenile suicides. Over the

same period, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles was far higher than

for any other race.

Statistics on juvenile suicides, and juvenile deaths in general, come from the

National Vital Statistics System (NVSS),

compiled by the National Center for

Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NVSS

summarizes information from death certificates filed in state vital statistics offices

and includes cause-of-death information

reported by attending physicians, medical examiners, or coroners. Analyses

of these data for the period 1981–98

uncovered the following:

◆ The number of youth ages 13–14 who

committed suicide in the U.S. equaled

the number who were murdered.

◆ Of the juveniles who committed suicide, 66% of the males and 62% of the

females were 17 years old.

◆ Sixty-two percent of juvenile suicides

were committed with a firearm, 24%

resulted from suffocation (primarily

hanging), and 10% were caused by

poisoning.

◆ While more than half of both boys (65%)

and girls (51%) committed suicide with

a firearm, girls were far more likely

than boys to use poison (25% versus

6%, respectively).

◆ Firearms were used more often in

the suicides of white (63%) and black

(64%) juveniles than in the suicides of

American Indian (45%) and Asian (46%)

juveniles.1

◆ A white juvenile between ages 7 and

17 was nearly 1.5 times more likely to

commit suicide than to be murdered,

while black youth were almost 7 times

more likely to be murdered than to

commit suicide.

◆ The states with the highest rates of

juvenile suicide were Alaska, Montana,

Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico, in

that order.

◆ In contrast to murder trends, the

suicide rate for juveniles ages 7–17

increased from the early to the late

1980s and then remained relatively

constant for most of the 1990s.

◆ The suicide rate for white juveniles

ages 7–17 averaged nearly twice the

rates for black youth and Asian youth.

However, the suicide rate for American

Indian juveniles was almost twice the

rate for white youth.

About This Series

The Surgeon General’s report on

youth violence, released in January

2001, notes that youth violence is a

serious public health issue that affects millions of children and their

families. A shared commitment to

ending youth violence has led to a

strong partnership between the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and

Control. The partnership is dedicated,

in part, to promoting the Blueprints for

Violence Prevention initiative, which

identifies and disseminates information nationwide about violence prevention and intervention programs

that have been found effective.

The Youth Violence Research Bulletin

Series is the most recent endeavor in

the OJJDP–CDC partnership. The

series presents the latest research

findings on critical topics related to

youth violence, including gangs, firearms, suicide prevention, and the impact of violence on youth. The Bulletins discuss research in a way that

makes it relevant to both the public

health and juvenile justice fields and

are written in a style that is accessible to all readers, including practitioners, service providers, parents, and

policymakers. By focusing on the issue of youth violence and emphasizing the public health benefits of reducing violence among youth and

within families, OJJDP and CDC

hope to help all children have the

opportunity to lead safe and productive lives.

1 In this Bulletin, the term “American Indian” is used

for CDC’s racial category American Indian/Alaskan

Native, and the term “Asian” is used for the racial

category Asian/Pacific Islander.
2

◆ Although suicide rates were higher for

white youth than for black youth, the

suicide rate for black males increased

240% between 1981 and 1994, while the

rate for white males increased 40%.

Suicide was the fourth

leading cause of death for

juveniles older than age 6

A total of 20,775 youth ages 7–17 committed suicide in the U.S. between 1981 and

1998, making it the fourth leading cause 

of death for persons in this age group.2 In

these years, 4% of all individuals who committed suicide were younger than age 18. 

Unintentional injuries were the leading

cause of death for youth ages 7–17 between

1981 and 1998. Of these 123,700 deaths,

65% were the result of motor vehicle crashes, 10% were drownings, 5% were firearms

related, and 5% were caused by fire or

burns. The second leading cause of death

for juveniles ages 7–17 was homicide

(27,000). Less common than homicide but

more common than suicide were deaths

resulting from malignant neoplasms (i.e.,

cancer) (24,000).

Victims, 1981–98

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Victim age

Suicide

Homicide

The number of juveniles who committed suicide between 1981 and

1998 increased substantially with age, a trend paralleled by the number

of murders

◆ One likely limitation of the juvenile suicide data is that counts may be underreported due

to errors in classifying the cause of death as something other than suicide and possible

reluctance of medical examiners to classify the cause of death, particularly for persons

under age 10, as suicide.

◆ Over this period, the number of persons ages 13–14 murdered in the U.S. equaled the 

number who committed suicide.

◆ The number of 17-year-olds who committed suicide between 1981 and 1998 was 11 times

the number of 12-year-olds who committed suicide.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. [See Data source

notes on page 7 for detail.]

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Victims ages 7–17

Suicide

Homicide

From 1983 to 1987, the number of juveniles ages 7–17 who committed

suicide in the U.S. was equal to or greater than the number who were

murdered

◆ Suicides of juveniles ages 7–17 increased from the early to the late 1980s and then

remained relatively constant for most of the 1990s, in contrast to juvenile murder trends.

The number of suicides peaked in 1994 and the number of murders peaked a year earlier.

Between 1981 and 1994, suicides increased 44%, whereas homicides increased 82%.

◆ After 1994, the annual number of murders of juveniles ages 7–17 fell sharply, whereas 

suicides in this group declined only marginally. As a result, there were 28% more suicides

and 9% more homicides of juveniles in 1998 than there were in 1981.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. [See Data source

notes on page 7 for detail.]

2 It is possible that coroners or medical examiners 

underreport juvenile suicides, particularly those 

of young juveniles.

Two sources of data on

homicide victims

There are two sources of national

data on homicide victims: the National Center for Health Statistics’

(NCHS’s) National Vital Statistics

System reported by coroners or

medical examiners and the Federal

Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Supplementary Homicide Reports reported by law enforcement agencies. The

NCHS data indicate that 27,000 youth

ages 7–17 were victims of homicide

in the U.S. between 1981 and 1998.

The estimate using the FBI data is

24,600 (91% of the NCHS estimate).

Researchers have speculated on the

reasons for this discrepancy: inconsistent reporting procedures, definitional differences, the incomplete/

voluntary reporting of law enforcement agencies to the FBI, or the

reclassification (or lack thereof) of

deaths after an initial report. In this

Bulletin, all information on the victims

of suicide and homicide come from

the NCHS data. Characteristics of

homicide offenders come from analyses of the FBI data because the

NCHS data do not contain information on perpetrators.
3

District of 

Columbia

District of 

Columbia

Annual suicides per 1 million juveniles 

ages 7–17, 1981–98 (n = number of states)

46 to 69 (n = 11)

36 to 45 (n = 7)

Juveniles ages 7–17, 1981–98 

(n = number of states)

Suicides exceed homicides (n = 32)

Homicides exceed suicides (n = 19)

31 to 35 (n = 10)

26 to 30 (n = 13)

15 to 25 (n = 10)

Juvenile suicide rates varied considerably 

across states

In 32 states, the number of juvenile suicides

exceeded juvenile homicides

1981–98 

1981–98 Suicide/

Suicide Homicide

State Rate* Ratio†

United States 29.3 0.70

Alabama 29.2 0.80

Alaska 68.2 2.05

Arizona 46.7 1.06

Arkansas 37.3 0.99

California 24.1 0.40

Colorado 47.6 1.85

Connecticut 19.2 0.57

Delaware 26.7 1.41

Dist. of Columbia 16.8 0.05

Florida 27.8 0.69

Georgia 28.2 0.72

Hawaii 24.5 1.90

Idaho 61.7 4.68

Illinois 23.4 0.36

Indiana 29.4 1.16

Iowa 34.6 3.33

Kansas 35.9 1.35

1981–98 

1981–98 Suicide/

Suicide Homicide

State Rate* Ratio†

Kentucky 29.2 1.67

Louisiana 33.8 0.57

Maine 37.3 4.03

Maryland 24.5 0.48

Massachusetts 17.7 0.85

Michigan 29.0 0.58

Minnesota 38.0 2.77

Mississippi 28.5 0.72

Missouri 30.2 0.69

Montana 61.9 3.06

Nebraska 34.5 1.94

Nevada 47.1 1.05

New Hampshire 33.1 3.33

New Jersey 15.3 0.60

New Mexico 59.1 1.38

New York 16.0 0.35

North Carolina 30.9 1.02

1981–98 

1981–98 Suicide/

Suicide Homicide

State Rate* Ratio†

North Dakota 48.4 8.64

Ohio 26.7 1.27

Oklahoma 38.7 1.19

Oregon 39.2 1.93

Pennsylvania 26.3 1.04

Rhode Island 19.7 0.91

South Carolina 26.8 0.91

South Dakota 55.7 4.92

Tennessee 30.6 1.04

Texas 33.5 0.73

Utah 52.9 3.13

Vermont 34.6 3.44

Virginia 32.0 1.10

Washington 34.0 1.31

West Virginia 28.5 1.38

Wisconsin 36.3 1.85

Wyoming 61.3 3.88

* 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 

less than 1.0 indicates that the number of homicides is greater than the number of suicides.

◆ Suicide rates were lowest in some highly urban areas (New Jersey, New York, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode

Island) and highest in the relatively rural states (Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico).

◆ The reasons for variations in the numbers of juvenile suicides and homicides among states are beyond the scope of this Bulletin. States with the

largest suicide/homicide ratios tend to have low homicide rates.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source

notes on page 7 for detail.]

Data table
4

Juvenile males were more

likely to commit suicide

than juvenile females

Between 1981 and 1998, boys ages 7–17

were more than three times as likely as

girls of the same age group to commit suicide in the U.S. (16,282 boys versus 4,493

girls). The age profiles of males and females

who committed suicide were very similar:

10% of males and 6% of females were

younger than age 13, whereas 66% of males

and 62% of females were 17 years old.

For every 1 million youth ages 7–17, 29

juveniles committed suicide in the U.S.

annually between 1981 and 1998. The

annual suicide rate for youth ages 7–17

peaked in 1988 at 34 per 1 million, with

the rate for males at 50 per 1 million and

the rate for females at 17 per 1 million in

that year. Between 1981 and 1988, the rates

for both males and females increased 49%.

After 1988, the rate for females fell more

sharply than the rate for males; by 1998,

the female rate was 7% higher than its

1981 level, while the rate for males was

still 23% higher than its 1981 level. In 1998,

the suicide rate for males ages 7–17 was

41 per 1 million, compared with the

female rate of 12 per 1 million.

The manner in which juvenile girls committed suicide differed from that of boys.

Girls were more likely to use poison (25%

of girls versus 6% of boys), while boys were

more likely to use a firearm (65% of boys

versus 51% of girls). Similar proportions

of girls and boys committed suicide by

suffocating themselves (26% of boys and

20% of girls).

American Indian youth were

far more likely to commit

suicide than youth of

other races

Of youth ages 7–17 who committed suicide between 1981 and 1998, 17,954 were

white (86%), 1,958 were black (9%), 443

were American Indian (2%), and 415 were

Asian (2%).3 Because white youth were

80% of the juvenile population during this

period, they were overrepresented in juvenile suicides. More specifically, the suicide

rate for white juveniles (31 per 1 million)

averaged nearly twice the rates for black

juveniles and Asian juveniles (both at 18

per 1 million). However, the suicide rate

for American Indian juveniles (57 per 1

million) was almost twice the rate for

white juveniles.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

White males

Black males

White females

Suicides per 1 million juveniles ages 7–17

Between 1981 and 1998, the annual suicide rate for white males ages

7–17 was greater than that for black males

◆ The juvenile suicide rate for black males increased 240% between 1981 and 1994, while

the rate for white males increased 40%. The rates for white males and black males were

more similar in 1994 than at any other point in the period.

◆ In 1998, the juvenile suicide rate for white males was 66% greater than the rate for black

males, while the rate for white females was 88% greater than the rate for black females.

◆ Black female suicide rates for approximately half of the years are based on 20 or fewer

reported suicides, so the line graph for black females is not displayed.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source notes on page 7 for detail.]

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

12 14 15 17 13 16

Age

Suicides per 1 million juveniles in age group, 1981–98

White males

Black males

White females

Black females

After age 12, suicide rates for white juveniles and black juveniles

diverge

◆ Over the 1981–98 period, the annual average suicide rate for 12-year-olds was essentially

equal for white youth and black youth, within gender groups.

◆ In contrast, among 17-year-olds, the average annual suicide rate for white males was more

than 8 times the rate for black females, more than 4 times the rate for white females, and

two-thirds greater than the rate for black males.

◆ Suicide rates for some gender/race groups of youth younger than age 12 are based on 20

or fewer reported suicides, so they are not displayed.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source notes on page 7 for detail.] 3 In five suicides, the race of the victim was unknown.

Data on Hispanic ethnicity of suicide victims were not

available for the period 1981–98.
5

White youth were involved in a decreasing

proportion of juvenile suicides between

1981 (91%) and 1998 (84%). The proportionate growth was mainly in suicides of

black youth, which began at 6% of all juvenile suicides in 1981, peaked at 13% in

1994, and ended the period in 1998 at 10%.

From 1981 to 1998, the proportion of juvenile suicides also increased for Asian youth

(from 1% to 3%) and American Indian youth

(from 2% to 3%).

Suicides involving

black juveniles increased

substantially between 

1981 and 1994

The peak year for juvenile suicides in the

1981–98 period was 1994. Between 1981

and 1994, the number of juvenile suicides

increased 44%. The increase was greater

for males (51%) than females (24%) and

substantially greater for black youth

(230%) than white youth (32%). 

From 1994 to 1998, the juvenile suicide

rate fell 11%, resulting in a 1998 rate that

was still 28% above the 1981 rate. Declines

in the number of suicides occurred in the

following groups: males, females, white

youth, and black youth. For each of these

groups, however, the number of juvenile

suicides in 1998 was still greater than the

number in 1981: for males it was 33%

greater; for females, 15% greater; for white

youth, 18% greater; and for black youth,

126% greater.

White youth and American

Indian youth were at greater

risk of suicide than murder

From 1981 to 1998, white and American

Indian youth ages 7–17 were approximately 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide

than to be murdered. For black youth and

Asian youth, the risk of being murdered

was far greater than the risk of committing

suicide. Black youth were almost 7 times

more likely, and Asian youth 1.5 times more

likely, to be murdered than to commit suicide between 1981 and 1998.

The relative risk of suicide,

as compared with murder,

increased substantially with

age for white juveniles

Between ages 7 and 12, a white youth was

at greater risk of being murdered than of

committing suicide. For example, a 10-yearold white youth was 3 times more likely

to be murdered than to commit suicide.

However, between ages 13 and 17, the

threat of suicide increased, so that by age

17, a white youth’s death was 56% more

likely to be a suicide than a murder. Similarly, when American Indian youth passed

their 12th birthday, their risk of committing suicide became greater than their risk

of being murdered.

Victims, 1981–98

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Black males

Suicide

Homicide

Victims, 1981–98

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Age

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Age

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Suicide

Homicide

White males

Victims, 1981–98

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Black females

Suicide

Homicide

Victims, 1981–98

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Age

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Age

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

White females

Suicide

Homicide

Between 1981 and 1998, white juveniles ages 13–17 were more likely to kill themselves than to be killed 

by others

◆ Between 1981 and 1998, more white male juveniles ages 7–17 committed suicide (14,080) than were murdered (8,785), while black male juveniles

were far more likely to be murdered (11,017) than to commit suicide (1,561).

◆ The number of white female juveniles ages 7–17 who were murdered between 1981 and 1998 (3,708) was slightly less than the number who

committed suicide (3,874), while more than 6 times as many black female juveniles ages 7–17 were murdered (2,554) as committed suicide (397).

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. [See Data source notes on page 7 for detail.]
6

Most of the growth in juvenile suicides between 1981 and 1994 was

firearm related, especially for males and black youth

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Suicide victims ages 7–17

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Firearm

Nonfirearm

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Suicide victims ages 7–17

Males

Firearm

Nonfirearm

Year

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Suicide victims ages 7–17

Year

Nonfirearm

Firearm Females

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Year

Nonfirearm

Firearm

White youth

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Suicide victims ages 7–17 Suicide victims ages 7–17

Year

Nonfirearm

Firearm

Black youth

◆ Although percentages of both firearm- and nonfirearm-related suicides increased between

1981 and 1994, the growth in juvenile suicides was tied to a greater increase in suicides

involving firearms (57%) than in suicides involving other methods (23%).

◆ Over the same period, this general pattern of increases was found in the suicides of male

juveniles (66% firearm related versus 23% nonfirearm related), white juveniles (41% versus

16%), and, especially, black juveniles (300% versus 106%). Firearm-related and nonfirearmrelated suicides of females increased equally (24% each).

◆ The overall effect of the 28% decline in firearm-related suicides between 1994 and 1998 

was muted by a 27% increase in nonfirearm-related juvenile suicides over the same period.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source notes on page 7 for detail.]

At each age from 7 through 17, however,

Asian youth and black youth were more

likely to be murdered than to commit

suicide. For example, at age 17, Asian

youth were nearly 1.5 times and black

youth nearly 8 times more likely to be

murdered than to commit suicide between 1981 and 1998.

Most juvenile suicides

involved firearms

From 1981 through 1998, 62% of juvenile

suicides were committed with a firearm,

compared with 59% of adult suicides.

(For comparison, 76% of murdered juveniles ages 7–17 were killed with a firearm.)

Another 24% of juvenile suicides were by

suffocation (primarily hanging) and 10%

by poisoning.

Over the 1981–98 period, the suicides of

white youth and black youth were more

likely to involve firearms than were those

of American Indian youth or Asian youth.

Within each race, males were more likely

to use firearms than were females.

Percentage of juvenile suicides involving

firearms, 1981–98:

Race Total Male Female

All 62% 65% 51%

White 63 65 52

Black 64 67 52

American

Indian 45 52 23

Asian 46 52 31

Use of firearms in homicides

and suicides varied by

gender and race

Firearms were less common in juvenile suicides than in murders committed by juveniles between 1981 and 1998. The NCHS

data show that 62% of juveniles who committed suicide used a firearm, while the

Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s)

Supplementary Homicide Reports indicate

that firearms were used by 71% of juveniles who committed homicide. This pattern varied by gender and race. 

Among juvenile males, the proportion

who used firearms to commit murder

(73%) was greater than the proportion

who used them to commit suicide (65%).

The reverse was true for juvenile females.

Over the 1981–98 period, a firearm was

used by 51% of juvenile females who committed suicide, but by just 38% of juvenile

females who committed murder.
7

White juveniles were equally likely to use a

firearm to commit suicide (63%) as to commit murder (62%), as were American Indian

juveniles, although they did so at much

lower levels (45% in suicides and 47% in

murders). In contrast, firearm use was

less prevalent in suicides than in murders

among both black juveniles (64% versus

77%) and Asian juveniles (46% versus 71%).

Trends in juvenile suicides

and murders were largely

tied to firearms

There are similarities in the trends of juvenile suicides and homicides by juveniles

between 1981 and 1998. Between 1981 and

1994, the number of juvenile suicides increased 44%, with firearm-related suicides

accounting for 80% of this growth. As a

result, the proportion of juvenile suicides

involving firearms increased from 64% in

1981 to 69% in 1994. Similarly, the number

of juvenile offenders who committed murder with a firearm tripled between 1981

and 1994, while the number of juveniles

who committed murder by other means

remained constant. As a result, the proportion of juvenile offenders who committed

murder with a firearm increased from 59%

in 1981 to 81% in 1994.

Between 1994 and 1998, the number of

juvenile suicides declined 11%, while the

number of murders by juveniles fell 40%.

The decline in the overall number of murders by juveniles was directly related to a

decline in firearm-related homicides. The

number of juvenile suicides by firearm

also declined substantially (down 28%)

during this period; however, reducing the

overall impact of this decline was a 27%

increase in the number of juvenile suicides

that did not involve firearms.

Data source notes

Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1981–1998

[machine-readable data files]. Washington,

DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal

Bureau of Investigation.

National Center for Health Statistics. Vital

Statistics Mortality Data, Underlying Cause

of Death, 1981–1998 [machine-readable

data files]. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, National Center

for Health Statistics.

National Center for Health Statistics.

National Vital Statistics System for numbers of deaths, U.S. Bureau of the Census

Among youth ages 7–17, the proportion of firearm-related suicides

peaked in 1994, as did the proportion of firearm-related homicides 

and the proportion of homicide offenders who used a firearm

Percent with firearm

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Percent with firearm

Year

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Percent with firearm

Year

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Percent with firearm

Year

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Percent with firearm

Year

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100% White youth ages 7–17 Black youth ages 7–17 

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Suicides Homicide victims Homicide offenders

Females ages 7–17

Ages 7–17

Males ages 7–17

◆ Between 1981 and 1994, the proportion of firearm-related suicides increased from 64% to

69%. The increase in this proportion was seen for males (65% to 72%), whereas the proportion for females was 58% in both 1981 and 1994. The proportion of firearm-related suicides

involving white juveniles increased from 64% to 69%, whereas the proportion for black juveniles grew from 64% to 78%.

◆ In 1994, 69% of juvenile suicides, 85% of homicides involving juvenile victims, and 81% of

homicides committed by juveniles involved a firearm.

◆ Each of these proportions fell by 1998. The firearm proportion of juvenile suicides (56%) fell 

to its lowest level in the 1981–98 period. The proportions of juvenile murderers who used

a firearm (69%) and juvenile murder victims killed with a firearm (75%) had fallen to their

lowest levels in 10 years, but were still above their levels of the early 1980s.

◆ The increase that occurred between 1981 and 1994 in firearm-related juvenile suicides and

homicides and in juvenile homicide offenders who used firearms was greatest for black youth.

Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data from

the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source notes on this page for detail.]
for population estimates [compiled using

Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and

Reporting System (WISQARS), an interactive data system available online at

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars]. Atlanta, GA:

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Office of Statistics

and Programming.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. Estimates of

the Population of States by Age, Sex, Race,

and Hispanic Origin: 1980–1999 [machinereadable data files, available online at

eire.census.gov/popest/archives/1990.

php]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department

of Commerce, Economics and Statistics

Administration, U.S. Bureau of the Census.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

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Acknowledgments

This Bulletin was written by Howard N.

Snyder, Ph.D., Director of Systems

Research, National Center for Juvenile Justice, and Monica H. Swahn,

Ph.D., Senior Service Fellow, Division

of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors gratefully

acknowledge the assistance provided

by Steve James of CDC. This work

was partially funded by OJJDP’s

National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project.

This Bulletin was prepared under cooperative

agreement number 1999–JN–FX–K002 from the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view or opinions expressed in this

document are those of the authors and do not

necessarily represent the official position or

policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of

Justice.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention is a component of the Office of

Justice Programs, which also includes the

Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of

Justice Statistics, the National Institute of

Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

*NCJ~196978*