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Updated Sept. 10, 2024 | Print
26%
Suicide rates were 26% lower in counties with the most health insurance coverage compared to counties with the least coverage.†
44%
Suicide rates were 44% lower in counties where the most homes had internet access compared to counties where the fewest homes had internet.†
1/2
The suicide rate for American Indian/Alaska Native people in counties with the highest income was half the rate of the lowest income counties.†

We can prevent suicides and reduce suicide risk

One person dies by suicide an average of every 11 minutes. Over 49,000 people lost their lives to suicide in 2022. Every year, millions of Americans think about, plan, or attempt suicide. Males, rural residents, and people from some racial/ethnic groups, particularly American Indian/Alaska Native people, are among the groups more greatly affected by suicide.

Where you are born, grow, work, live, and age shapes your health in many ways, including your risk for suicide. Communities can use proven actions to lower risk and prevent suicides. There is no one cause for suicide, and there is no single solution. Preventing suicide requires multiple actions.

Community factors may help protect from suicide

New CDC research shows that community factors are associated with lower suicide rates. Data show that higher levels of health insurance, home internet, and income in counties may play a role in reducing the risk of suicide.

Challenges
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Reducing suicide risk requires multiple solutions.

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What Can Be Done
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Improve healthcare access, healthy community connections, and economic stability.

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Challenges
shield icon

Reducing suicide risk requires multiple solutions.

blue shape
What Can Be Done
scales icon

Improve healthcare access, healthy community connections, and economic stability.

blue shape

Health insurance coverage

Health insurance coverage helps people access health care. This includes preventive mental and physical care and crisis intervention for people thinking about suicide.

Internet access

People with broadband internet at home can find job opportunities, access healthcare services with telehealth appointments, and stay connected to family and friends. Strong and healthy social connections between individuals and their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members can protect against suicide by reducing isolation and promoting coping strategies.

Income level

Financial strain may increase an individual’s risk for suicide. Higher household income allows families more access to stable housing, health care, healthy food, and other basic needs.

CDC’s Investment in Suicide Prevention

Every suicide is tragic and has lasting impacts on families, friends, and communities. Suicide and suicide attempts have serious emotional, physical, and economic effects on people and their communities. CDC’s approach to suicide prevention is to understand and promote the factors that promote resilience and reduce factors that increase the risk of suicide.

CDC invests in suicide prevention through our funded programs in tribes, states, and communities.

For example, Vermont used CDC funds to implement data-driven, community-based approaches to suicide prevention, with a focus on reaching rural populations. They

  1. Implemented several wide-ranging actions to prevent suicide in rural populations across the state, including organizing and hosting trainings to increase mental health providers’ abilities to provide safe suicide care via telemental health.
  2. Launched a public health campaign to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with suicide.
  3. Developed peer support networks among populations at higher risk of suicide, including among farmers, first responders, and suicide loss survivors.

This is just one example. CDC funds 28 programs around the country to carry out comprehensive suicide prevention programs. These programs focus on populations that are most affected by suicide and use proven actions from CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action. CDC supports rapid response at the community level, such as investigating unexpected increases in suicides in a particular place or over a certain period of time. CDC deploys expert teams to states, tribes, and communities that request extra assistance with local emergencies, like suicide clusters.

CDC co-led development of the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and accompanying Federal Action Plan [8 MB, 52 pages] with SAMHSA. To advance the goals and objectives within the National Strategy, CDC is focusing on the call to action Care, Connect, Collaborate to prevent suicide.

Read the full MMWR
ASL video: English

We can prevent suicides and reduce suicide risk

One person dies by suicide an average of every 11 minutes. Over 49,000 people lost their lives to suicide in 2022. Every year, millions of Americans think about, plan, or attempt suicide. Males, rural residents, and people from some racial/ethnic groups, particularly American Indian/Alaska Native people, are among the groups more greatly affected by suicide.

Where you are born, grow, work, live, and age shapes your health in many ways, including your risk for suicide. Communities can use proven actions to lower risk and prevent suicides. There is no one cause for suicide, and there is no single solution. Preventing suicide requires multiple actions.

Community factors may help protect from suicide

New CDC research shows that community factors are associated with lower suicide rates. Data show that higher levels of health insurance, home internet, and income in counties may play a role in reducing the risk of suicide.

Health insurance coverage

Health insurance coverage helps people access health care. This includes preventive mental and physical care and crisis intervention for people thinking about suicide.

Internet access

People with broadband internet at home can find job opportunities, access healthcare services with telehealth appointments, and stay connected to family and friends. Strong and healthy social connections between individuals and their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members can protect against suicide by reducing isolation and promoting coping strategies.

Income level

Financial strain may increase an individual’s risk for suicide. Higher household income allows families more access to stable housing, health care, healthy food, and other basic needs.

CDC’s Investment in Suicide Prevention

Every suicide is tragic and has lasting impacts on families, friends, and communities. Suicide and suicide attempts have serious emotional, physical, and economic effects on people and their communities. CDC’s approach to suicide prevention is to understand and promote the factors that promote resilience and reduce factors that increase the risk of suicide.

CDC invests in suicide prevention through our funded programs in tribes, states, and communities.

For example, Vermont used CDC funds to implement data-driven, community-based approaches to suicide prevention, with a focus on reaching rural populations. They

  1. Implemented several wide-ranging actions to prevent suicide in rural populations across the state, including organizing and hosting trainings to increase mental health providers’ abilities to provide safe suicide care via telemental health.
  2. Launched a public health campaign to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with suicide.
  3. Developed peer support networks among populations at higher risk of suicide, including among farmers, first responders, and suicide loss survivors.

This is just one example. CDC funds 28 programs around the country to carry out comprehensive suicide prevention programs. These programs focus on populations that are most affected by suicide and use proven actions from CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action. CDC supports rapid response at the community level, such as investigating unexpected increases in suicides in a particular place or over a certain period of time. CDC deploys expert teams to states, tribes, and communities that request extra assistance with local emergencies, like suicide clusters.

CDC co-led development of the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and accompanying Federal Action Plan [8 MB, 52 pages] with SAMHSA. To advance the goals and objectives within the National Strategy, CDC is focusing on the call to action Care, Connect, Collaborate to prevent suicide.

Read the full MMWR
ASL video: English
Challenges
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Suicide prevention often focuses on the individual who needs crisis intervention or treatment. It is a complex problem that involves challenges at the relationship, community, and society levels. Community efforts combined with individual-, social-, and policy-level prevention can lower suicide risk.

  • Certain populations or groups may experience barriers to accessing resources that can help lower suicide risk. For example, it may be harder to get broadband internet at home on tribal lands or in rural areas.
  • Suicide prevention actions can build on the strengths of individual communities and can be tailored to social, cultural, and economic needs.
  • Getting community members involved in activities that reflect their culture and traditions can improve their health, help them form strong relationships, and improve their resilience.

The availability of good data and effective programs, policies, and practices will also increase a community’s ability to prevent suicide.

Three community factors were associated with lower county-level 2022 suicide rates

Lower suicide death rates were linked to counties with greater access to health insurance, broadband internet, and higher income.

Infographic about three community factors were associated with lower county-level 2022 suicide rates
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Five actions communities can take to reduce suicide

Increasing access to health insurance and home internet and raising income can reduce the risk of suicide. Here are 5 strategies every community can consider.

Infographic about five actions communities can take to reduce suicide
View Larger
What Can Be Done

There are many proven actions that policymakers, communities, and individuals can take to lower suicide risk.

Policymakers and decision-makers can

State, local, tribal, and territorial governments can

  • Focus prevention efforts on people in the community who are most affected by suicide.
  • Develop programs and policies that improve housing stability, economic security, connection to community, internet access, and healthcare access and delivery.
  • Create partnerships to implement approaches outlined in CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action.
  • Incorporate free resources from CDC, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline professional tools, or local resources on government communication channels.
Photo collage of people discussing suicide risks, a lone man looking out a doorway, a woman talking with a doctor through a computer, and a person applying for health insurance online.

Everyone can

  • Be aware of signs for increased suicide risk, such as isolation, loss, mental illness, and substance use.
  • Act with these five steps to help save the life of someone who may be suicidal. Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, and Follow Up.
  • Share resources with family and friends–resources from CDC and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline public participation site.

There are many proven actions that policymakers, communities, and individuals can take to lower suicide risk.

Policymakers and decision-makers can

  • Strengthen economic supports that improve household financial security and stabilize housing.
  • Advance changes in policies, systems, and environments that increase access to health care and internet services.
  • Create protective environments through organizational policies and culture that promote well-being.
  • Consult the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention as a guide when allocating resources for suicide prevention.

State, local, tribal, and territorial governments can

  • Focus prevention efforts on people in the community who are most affected by suicide.
  • Develop programs and policies that improve housing stability, economic security, connection to community, internet access, and healthcare access and delivery.
  • Create partnerships to implement approaches outlined in CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action.
  • Incorporate free resources from CDC, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline professional tools, or local resources on government communication channels.

Everyone can

  • Be aware of signs for increased suicide risk, such as isolation, loss, mental illness, and substance use.
  • Act with these five steps to help save the life of someone who may be suicidal. Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, and Follow Up.
  • Share resources with family and friends–resources from CDC and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline public participation site.
Photo collage of people discussing suicide risks, a lone man looking out a doorway, a woman talking with a doctor through a computer, and a person applying for health insurance online.

VITAL SIGNS RESOURCES