Gun Death Statistics and Rates in the United States (Homicides, Suicides, and Accidents)

Each year tens of thousands of firearm-related deaths occur in the United States. Below, we will take a closer look at gun death statistics, including homicides, suicides, and accidents.

2017 Gun Deaths

The most recent year that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a complete "National Vital Statistics Report" is 2017.

There were 39,773 firearm-related deaths. 14,542 (36.56%) of the deaths were the result of homicides, 23,854 (59.98%) were suicides, and 486 (1.22%) were the result of accidents. The remaining 891 deaths were not attributed to any of these three causes.

United States Firearm Homicide Victims and Firearm Suicide Victims 1968-2017

According to data from the CDC, gun deaths as a result of suicide generally outnumber gun deaths from homicides year to year. This has continuously been the case from 1981 to 2017.

United States Firearm Homicide Gun Death Rate and Firearm Suicide Gun Death Rate 1968-2017

Since the population in the United States has continuously been on the rise, gun death rates are a better way to compare the prevalence of gun deaths over the years. The chart below shows the gun homicide death rate and gun suicide death rate per 100,000 inhabitants from 1968-2017.

Gun Homicide Death Rates Statistics

When the CDC began tracking gun homicide death rates in 1968, the rate was 4.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. By 1974, the death rate reached 6.9 per 100,000. After getting as low as 5.9 in 1976 and 1977, the homicide by firearm rate again spiked to 6.8 in 1980.

From this point, the firearm homicide rate trended downward for a few years, reaching as low as 5.0 deaths per 100,000 in 1984 and 1985. Firearm homicide deaths rates began rising again soon after, reaching a peak of 7.0 in 1991 and 1993.

Since the early 1990s, firearm homicide death rates have generally been on a downward trend, reaching their lowest point in 2013 and 2014 at 3.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

2016 and 2017 had homicide death rates at 4.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, for the highest firearm homicide death rates since 1997.

Gun Suicide Death Rates Statistics

Firearm suicide death rates rose to peaks of 7.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1986 and 1990. While gun suicide death rates were trending downward, to as low as 5.7 in 2004 and 2006, they have since been steadily on the rise. 2017 saw a firearm suicide rate of 7.3 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Firearm Homicide and Suicide Death Statistics in the United States From 1986-2017

The table below shows the raw data for gun homicide deaths, gun homicide death rates, gun suicide deaths, and gun suicide death rates obtained from the CDC [Sources 1, 2, 3].

Year	Gun Homicides Deaths	Gun Homicide Death Rate Per 100,000	Gun Suicides Deaths	Gun Suicide Death Rate Per 100,000
1968	9,425	4.7	10,911	5.5
1969	10,174	5	11,304	5.6
1970	11,213	5.5	11,772	5.8
1971	12,423	6	12,288	5.9
1972	13,382	6.4	13,348	6.4
1973	13,752	6.5	13,317	6.3
1974	14,737	6.9	14,345	6.7
1975	14,295	6.6	14,873	6.9
1976	12,766	5.9	14,728	6.8
1977	12,874	5.9	16,084	7.3
1978	13,386	6	15,387	6.9
1979	14,491	6.5	15,543	6.9
1980	15,500	6.8	15,396	6.8
1981	15,089	6.6	16,139	7
1982	13,830	6	16,560	7.1
1983	12,040	5.2	16,600	7.1
1984	11,815	5	17,113	7.3
1985	11,836	5	17,363	7.3
1986	13,029	5.4	18,153	7.6
1987	12,657	5.2	18,136	7.5
1988	13,645	5.6	18,169	7.4
1989	14,464	5.9	18,178	7.4
1990	16,218	6.5	18,885	7.6
1991	17,746	7	18,526	7.3
1992	17,488	6.8	18,169	7.1
1993	18,253	7	18,940	7.3
1994	17,527	6.7	18,765	7.1
1995	15,551	5.8	18,503	6.9
1996	14,037	5.2	18,166	6.7
1997	13,252	4.9	17,566	6.4
1998	11,798	4.3	17,424	6.3
1999	10,828	3.9	16,599	5.9
2000	10,801	3.8	16,586	5.9
2001	11,348	4	16,869	5.9
2002	11,829	4.1	17,108	5.9
2003	11,920	4.1	16,907	5.8
2004	11,624	4	16,750	5.7
2005	12,352	4.2	17,002	5.8
2006	12,791	4.3	16,883	5.7
2007	12,632	4.2	17,352	5.8
2008	12,179	4	18,223	6
2009	11,493	3.7	18,735	6.1
2010	11,078	3.6	19,392	6.3
2011	11,068	3.6	19,990	6.4
2012	11,622	3.7	20,666	6.6
2013	11,208	3.5	21,175	6.7
2014	11,008	3.5	21,386	6.7
2015	12,979	4	22,018	6.9
2016	14,415	4.5	22,938	7.1
2017	14,542	4.5	23,854	7.3

United States Gun Homicide Deaths and All Homicide Deaths 1986-2017

The following chart shows gun homicide deaths and all homicide deaths (including gun homicide deaths) from 1986-2017.

Data Source: CDC

Here is a look at the gun homicide death rate per 100,000 inhabitants and all the death rate of all homicides per 100,000 (including gun homicide deaths) in the United States from 1986-2017.

Data Source: CDC

United States Gun Suicide Deaths and All Suicide Deaths 1986-2017

This chart shows gun suicide deaths and all suicide deaths (including gun suicide deaths) in the United States from 1986-2017.

Data Source: CDC

Here is the gun suicide death rate per 100,000 inhabitants and the death rate attributed to all suicides per 100,000 in the United States from 1986-2017.

Data Source: CDC

Accidental Firearm Deaths and Accidental Firearm Death Rates in the United States 1999-2017

The CDC began tracking accidental firearm deaths in 1999.

Fortunately, accidental firearm deaths have been on a steady downward trend since then.

This chart shows accidental firearm death rates per 100,000 inhabitants from 1999-2017.

All Raw Data

This table shows all the raw data gathered for this research report from the CDC.

Year	Gun Homicides Deaths	Gun Homicide Death Rate	Gun Suicides Deaths	Gun Suicide Death Rate	Accidental Gun Deaths	Accidental Gun Death Rate	All Homicide Deaths	All Homicide Death Rate	All Suicide Deaths	All Suicide Death Rate
1968	9,425	4.7	10,911	5.5			14,686	7.4	21,372	10.7
1969	10,174	5	11,304	5.6			15,477	7.7	22,364	11.1
1970	11,213	5.5	11,772	5.8			16,848	8.3	23,480	11.5
1971	12,423	6	12,288	5.9			18,787	9.1	24,092	11.7
1972	13,382	6.4	13,348	6.4			19,638	9.4	25,004	12
1973	13,752	6.5	13,317	6.3			20,465	9.7	25,118	11.9
1974	14,737	6.9	14,345	6.7			21,465	10.1	25,683	12
1975	14,295	6.6	14,873	6.9			21,310	9.9	27,063	12.6
1976	12,766	5.9	14,728	6.8			19,554	9	26,832	12.3
1977	12,874	5.9	16,084	7.3			19,968	9.1	28,681	13
1978	13,386	6	15,387	6.9			20,432	9.2	27,294	12.3
1979	14,491	6.5	15,543	6.9			22,202	9.9	27,206	12.1
1980	15,500	6.8	15,396	6.8			23,967	10.6	26,869	11.9
1981	15,089	6.6	16,139	7			23,361	10.2	27,596	12
1982	13,830	6	16,560	7.1			22,073	9.5	28,242	12.2
1983	12,040	5.2	16,600	7.1			19,922	8.5	28,295	12.1
1984	11,815	5	17,113	7.3			19,510	8.3	29,268	12.4
1985	11,836	5	17,363	7.3			19,628	8.2	29,453	12.4
1986	13,029	5.4	18,153	7.6			21,462	8.9	30,904	12.9
1987	12,657	5.2	18,136	7.5			20,812	8.6	30,796	12.7
1988	13,645	5.6	18,169	7.4			21,784	8.9	30,407	12.4
1989	14,464	5.9	18,178	7.4			22,578	9.1	30,232	12.2
1990	16,218	6.5	18,885	7.6			24,614	9.9	30,906	12.4
1991	17,746	7	18,526	7.3			26,254	10.4	30,810	12.2
1992	17,488	6.8	18,169	7.1			25,144	9.8	30,484	11.9
1993	18,253	7	18,940	7.3			25,653	9.9	31,102	12
1994	17,527	6.7	18,765	7.1			24,547	9.3	31,142	11.8
1995	15,551	5.8	18,503	6.9			22,552	8.5	31,284	11.7
1996	14,037	5.2	18,166	6.7			20,634	7.7	30,903	11.5
1997	13,252	4.9	17,566	6.4			19,491	7.1	30,535	11.2
1998	11,798	4.3	17,424	6.3			17,893	6.5	30,575	11.1
1999	10,828	3.9	16,599	5.9	824	0.3	16,889	6.1	29,199	10.5
2000	10,801	3.8	16,586	5.9	776	0.3	16,765	6	29,350	10.4
2001	11,348	4	16,869	5.9	802	0.3	20,308	7.1	30,622	10.7
2002	11,829	4.1	17,108	5.9	762	0.3	17,638	6.1	31,655	11
2003	11,920	4.1	16,907	5.8	730	0.3	17,732	6.1	31,484	10.9
2004	11,624	4	16,750	5.7	649	0.2	17,357	5.9	32,439	11.1
2005	12,352	4.2	17,002	5.8	789	0.3	18,124	6.1	32,637	11
2006	12,791	4.3	16,883	5.7	642	0.2	18,573	6.2	33,300	11.2
2007	12,632	4.2	17,352	5.8	613	0.2	18,361	6.1	34,598	11.5
2008	12,179	4	18,223	6	592	0.2	17,826	5.9	36,035	11.8
2009	11,493	3.7	18,735	6.1	554	0.2	16,799	5.5	36,909	12
2010	11,078	3.6	19,392	6.3	606	0.2	16,259	5.3	38,364	12.4
2011	11,068	3.6	19,990	6.4	591	0.2	16,238	5.2	39,518	12.7
2012	11,622	3.7	20,666	6.6	548	0.2	16,688	5.3	40,600	12.9
2013	11,208	3.5	21,175	6.7	505	0.2	16,121	5.1	41,149	13
2014	11,008	3.5	21,386	6.7	461	0.1	15,872	5	42,826	13.4
2015	12,979	4	22,018	6.9	489	0.2	17,793	5.5	44,193	13.7
2016	14,415	4.5	22,938	7.1	495	0.2	19,362	6	44,965	13.9
2017	14,542	4.5	23,854	7.3	486	0.1	19,510	6	47,173	14.5

Data Source

All data was gathered from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html
• https://wonder.cdc.gov/mortSQL.html

Referencing This Research

Feel free to use any images, charts, or the data we compiled for your work. However, we ask that you please reference this page if you are benefiting from any of the work we have done in compiling or presenting the data.