A new CDC Vital Signs report released today highlights the role that conditions in counties, such as insurance coverage, broadband internet access, and household income, can play in lowering suicide risk. Compared to counties with the lowest levels of these factors, suicide rates were:
- 26% lower in counties with the highest health insurance coverage
- 44% lower in counties where most homes have broadband internet access
- 13% lower in counties with the most household income
These findings reinforce other studies that show that the conditions where people are born, grow, live, work, and age can play an important role in shaping suicide prevention efforts.
Suicide rates have increased during the last 20 years and remain high. Tragically, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, and provisional data indicate a similar number of people died by suicide in 2023.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34, and other groups continue to have high rates: American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons (27.1 per 100,000), males (23.0 per 100,000), rural residents (20.0 per 100,000), and people aged 45-64 (19 per 100,000).
“Every suicide death is tragic, leaving behind devastated families, friends and communities,” said Dr. Debra Houry, CDC’s chief medical officer. “Every day, CDC invests in research and data that help reduce the risk of suicide. What we learn, we put into action by designing programs that can save lives and reduce suffering. Today’s report adds to our ever-growing knowledge base of suicide risk factors and will contribute to how we shape future suicide prevention efforts. My hope is that our scientific work and programs to prevent suicides will lead to fewer loved ones being left behind.”
This latest Vital Signs also explores the association of these three factors with suicide rates overall, and what these relationships look like in groups most affected by suicide– all to help inform suicide prevention programs in communities across the country.
Preventing suicide requires multiple interventions. This Vital Signs report stresses the importance of a comprehensive approach to prevent suicide in the first place and support people at increased risk. Improving conditions in communities can include strengthening household financial security so people can afford food, housing, and medical expenses; fostering healthy connections through community engagement that builds social networks; and increasing healthcare provider availability and rapid and remote access to telehealth, mental health services, and crisis intervention, especially in underserved areas.
