Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options
CDC Home

National Suicide Statistics at a Glance

Percentage of Suicides Among Persons Ages 65 Years and Older, by Race/Ethnicity and Mechanism, United States, 2005-2009


NOTE: Mouse-over or click on data points to see details.

Race/Ethnicity: Asian/PI** Mechanism: Other Number of deaths: 77 Percentage of deaths: 13.3% Race/Ethnicity: Asian/PI** Mechanism: Fall Number of deaths: 45 Percentage of deaths: 7.8% Race/Ethnicity: Asian/PI** Mechanism: Poisoning Number of deaths: 59 Percentage of deaths: 10.2% Race/Ethnicity: Asian/PI** Mechanism: Suffocation Number of deaths: 304 Percentage of deaths: 52.4% Race/Ethnicity: Asian/PI** Mechanism: Firearm Number of deaths: 95 Percentage of deaths: 16.4% Race/Ethnicity: AI/AK Native** Mechanism: Other Number of deaths: 1 Percentage of deaths: 1.7% Race/Ethnicity: AI/AK Native** Mechanism: Poisoning Number of deaths: 10 Percentage of deaths: 16.7% Race/Ethnicity: AI/AK Native** Mechanism: Suffocation Number of deaths: 4 Percentage of deaths: 6.7% Race/Ethnicity: AI/AK Native** Mechanism: Firearm Number of deaths: 45 Percentage of deaths: 75.0% Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic Mechanism: Other Number of deaths: 80 Percentage of deaths: 8.7% Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic Mechanism: Fall Number of deaths: 38 Percentage of deaths: 4.1% Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic Mechanism: Poisoning Number of deaths: 84 Percentage of deaths: 9.1% Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic Mechanism: Suffocation Number of deaths: 244 Percentage of deaths: 26.6% Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic Mechanism: Firearm Number of deaths: 473 Percentage of deaths: 51.5% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic Black Mechanism: Other Number of deaths: 69 Percentage of deaths: 9.6% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic Black Mechanism: Fall Number of deaths: 15 Percentage of deaths: 2.1% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic Black Mechanism: Poisoning Number of deaths: 34 Percentage of deaths: 4.7% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic Black Mechanism: Suffocation Number of deaths: 63 Percentage of deaths: 8.8% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic Black Mechanism: Firearm Number of deaths: 538 Percentage of deaths: 74.8% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White Mechanism: Other Number of deaths: 1,090 Percentage of deaths: 4.3% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White Mechanism: Fall Number of deaths: 346 Percentage of deaths: 1.4% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White Mechanism: Poisoning Number of deaths: 2,936 Percentage of deaths: 11.6% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White Mechanism: Suffocation Number of deaths: 2,204 Percentage of deaths: 8.7% Race/Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic White Mechanism: Firearm Number of deaths: 18,801 Percentage of deaths: 74.1%
Mouse-over data points for more information

During 2005-2009, the greatest percentage of suicides occurred by firearm among all race/ethnicity groups for persons ages 65 years and older (Non-Hispanic Whites: 74.1%, Non-Hispanic Blacks: 74.8%, Hispanics: 51.5%, American Indian/Alaskan Natives: 75.0%) except for Asian/Pacific Islanders. For Asian/Pacific Islanders, suffocation accounted for the highest percentage of suicides among those 65 years and older (52.4%).

Footnote: **AI/AI Native: American Indian/ Alaskan Native, PI: Pacific Islander

Back to National Suicide Statistics at a Glance

 
Contact Us:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
    4770 Buford Hwy, NE
    MS F-63
    Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
  • 800-CDC-INFO
    (800-232-4636)
    TTY: (888) 232-6348
    New Hours of Operation:
    8am-8pm ET/
    Monday-Friday
    Closed Holidays
  • cdcinfo@cdc.gov
CDC 24/7 – Saving Lives. Protecting People. Saving Money Through Prevention. Learn More About How CDC Works For You…
USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web PortalDepartment of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: (888) 232-6348 - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
A-Z Index
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. I
  10. J
  11. K
  12. L
  13. M
  14. N
  15. O
  16. P
  17. Q
  18. R
  19. S
  20. T
  21. U
  22. V
  23. W
  24. X
  25. Y
  26. Z
  27. #