A new KFF analysis finds that firearms are involved in the majority of all homicides and suicides in the U.S., playing a role in 79% of homicides and 55% of suicide deaths in 2022, the most recent data available.
The analysis, based on data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also shows that firearm deaths increased sharply over the decade, from 33,563 deaths in 2012 to 48,204 deaths in 2022. Looked at another way, the firearm-related death toll rose from 92 deaths per day in 2012 to 132 deaths per day in 2022, a period marked by increasing public concern about gun violence in the U.S.
Firearms surpassed motor vehicle accidents to become the leading cause of death for young adults (ages 18 to 25) in 2015, and the leading cause of death among children and adolescents (1-17) in 2020. Over half of adults report a gun-related incident personally or among family, according to KFF polling, and one-fifth report the death of a family member due to a firearm.
The new analysis finds overall gun deaths rates rose by 35% from 2012 to 2022, with a sharper rise in firearm homicide rates compared to firearm suicide rates (69% vs. 31%, respectively). While firearm-related homicides have spiked more in recent years, suicides still accounted for a majority (56%) of all firearm deaths in 2022. Cumulatively this translates to nearly 100,000 more firearm suicides compared to homicides over the 2012 to 2022 period (258,062 vs. 164,139).
Other key takeaways include:
- Males were six times more likely to die from firearms than females in 2022.
- In young adults, firearm suicides make up 40% of all firearm deaths and that share steadily climbs with age, up to 91% among older adults (65+). The pattern for homicides is the opposite, with a higher rate in young adults that declines with age. Young adults had the highest overall firearm death rate compared to all other age groups in 2022.
- Firearm deaths have sharply increased among Black and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) people, while remaining relatively steady among White people. Further, while about 80% of firearm deaths among White people are due to suicides, about 80% of firearm deaths among Black people are due to homicides in 2022.
- Firearm death rates vary widely across states, with a nearly tenfold difference in rates between states with the lowest and highest rate (from 3.1 deaths per 100,000 in Rhode Island to 29.6 in Mississippi in 2022).
- The type of firearm death (suicide, homicide, or other) also varies by state, with firearm suicides making up over 80% of all firearm deaths in Utah and New Hampshire, while homicides account for the largest share of deaths in District of Columbia and Maryland.
The full analysis, as well as other data and analyses related to gun violence in the U.S., is available at kff.org.