More people die from suicide than from homicide in the United States.
Overall, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all Americans, and is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24. Although the age-adjusted suicide rate has remained constant since the 1940s, suicide rates have shifted for some groups during the period between 1980 and 1995. For example, suicide rates have increased among persons between the ages of 10 and 19, among young black males, and among elderly males. Suicide rates for middle-aged adults declined during this period, but, for the first time since the 1930s, increased among Americans over the age of 60. Suicide among black youths, once uncommon, has increased sharply in recent years.