In the United States, roughly 44,000 to 48,000 people die from firearm injuries each year. The CDC’s most recent full-year data puts the count at more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in 2022, with a rate of about 13 deaths per 100,000 people. That number encompasses every type of gun death: suicides, homicides, accidental shootings, and police-involved incidents.
Suicide Accounts for the Majority
The single largest category of gun deaths in America is suicide, not homicide. In 2021, there were 26,320 firearm suicides compared to 20,966 firearm homicides. That means roughly 56% of all gun deaths that year were self-inflicted. Firearms are now used in about 55% of all suicides in the country, up from 53% the year before.
This ratio surprises many people because media coverage tends to focus on shootings between individuals. But gun suicide has been the majority of firearm deaths for decades. The gap between suicide and homicide narrowed somewhat in 2020 and 2021 as homicide rates surged, yet suicide still remained the larger share.
Homicide Rates Vary Dramatically by Race
Firearm homicide does not affect all communities equally. The overall firearm homicide rate in 2022 was about 5.9 per 100,000 people, but the rate for Black Americans was 27.5 per 100,000, roughly 14 times the rate for white Americans (2.0) and nearly 5 times the rate for Hispanic Americans (5.5). American Indian and Alaska Native communities also face disproportionate risk, with a rate of 9.3 per 100,000 in 2022, a figure that has climbed steeply from 6.4 in 2019. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans had the lowest rate at 1.1 per 100,000.
These disparities reflect longstanding patterns of concentrated poverty, neighborhood disinvestment, and unequal access to resources rather than any inherent characteristic of any group. They also mean that national averages can obscure how concentrated the burden of gun homicide really is.
Children and Teens
Firearms have been the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 17 since 2020. In 2022, 2,526 children and teens in that age range were killed by guns, an average of nearly 7 per day. The gun death rate for this group has increased 106% since 2013. Among 15- to 17-year-olds specifically, firearms accounted for nearly a third of all deaths.
Gun suicide rates among young people have risen especially fast in communities of color. From 2014 to 2023, the gun suicide rate among Black youth ages 10 to 19 tripled, a 245% increase. Among Hispanic and Latino young people in the same age range, it nearly doubled.
Mass Shootings in Context
Mass shootings receive the most intense public attention, but they represent a small fraction of the total. Public mass shootings, the kind that occur in schools, churches, or public spaces, account for less than 0.5% of all homicides. The vast majority of gun deaths happen one or two at a time, in homes and on streets, drawing little national coverage.
Where You Live Matters
Firearm death rates vary enormously from state to state. Mississippi has the highest rate, 122% above the national average. Louisiana (93% higher), Washington D.C. (88% higher), Wyoming (82% higher), and Alabama (77% higher) round out the top of the list. At the other end, Massachusetts sits 76% below the national average, followed by Hawaii (67% lower), New Jersey (65% lower), New York (63% lower), and Rhode Island (60% lower).
The states with the highest rates include a mix of those driven primarily by suicide (like Wyoming, which is rural with high gun ownership) and those driven more by homicide (like Louisiana and Mississippi). This geographic spread reinforces that gun violence is not a single problem with a single profile. Rural states often have high suicide rates, while urban centers within certain states drive homicide numbers. Both contribute to the national total, and both require different interventions.
How the Numbers Have Changed Over Time
Firearm deaths in the U.S. rose sharply starting in 2020. Homicide and suicide by gun both increased that year and continued climbing into 2021. The 2022 total of more than 48,000 deaths represents one of the highest annual counts on record. Some preliminary indicators suggest a modest decline in homicides beginning in 2023, though suicide numbers have remained stubbornly high.
For context, the annual firearm death toll is comparable to motor vehicle fatalities, which were 44,447 in the same CDC reporting period. Two decades ago, car crashes killed far more Americans than guns did. The convergence of these two numbers reflects both improvements in vehicle safety and a sustained rise in gun deaths.