placestats

Firearm fatalities

Deaths involving a gun per 100,000 people. Most are suicides and homicides, counted together.

Reported for2,013areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.48not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.49Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typeratedeaths per 100,000

How it has moved

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Every state, every year

One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.

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Where it comes from

County Health Rankings · County Health Rankings v148
University of Wisconsin · 13 releases, 2013–2025; each value filed under the last year its data covers, 2010–2023 · 95% likely ranges, converted to 90%; figures based on small counts are withheld

Source: County Health Rankings, which compiles each measure from its own source and filed here under the last year of the period it covers.

Combining areas: an average weighted by population.

What it goes with

The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 8 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.

MeasureUnadjustedAdjusted
Firearm fatalities and Child mortalityWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Child mortality tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Child mortality by US county+0.72+0.57
Firearm fatalities and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county+0.55+0.55
Firearm fatalities and Years of potential life lostWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Years of potential life lost tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Years of potential life lost by US county+0.70+0.55
Firearm fatalities and Premature mortalityWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Premature mortality tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Premature mortality by US county+0.66+0.50
Firearm fatalities and Threat of utility shut-offWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Threat of utility shut-off tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Threat of utility shut-off by US county+0.68+0.50
Firearm fatalities and Life expectancyWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Life expectancy tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Life expectancy by US county-0.65-0.49
Firearm fatalities and Health scoreWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Health score tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Health score by US county-0.66-0.47
Firearm fatalities and Lack of reliable transportationWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Lack of reliable transportation tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Lack of reliable transportation by US county+0.67+0.46
Firearm fatalities and StrokeWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Stroke tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Stroke by US county+0.65+0.45
Firearm fatalities and Food insecurityWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Food insecurity tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Food insecurity by US county+0.64+0.44

Population makeup

How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.

Share of residentsUnadjustedAdjusted
Firearm fatalities and Share White, not HispanicWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Share White, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share White, not Hispanic by US county-0.24-0.33
Firearm fatalities and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county+0.55+0.55
Firearm fatalities and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county-0.14-0.08
Firearm fatalities and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county-0.33+0.00
Firearm fatalities and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicWhere Firearm fatalities is higher, Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county+0.28+0.15

Highest and lowest

Of 2,013 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.

Highest

  1. Phillips County, AR — 79.5
  2. Leflore County, MS — 70.5
  3. Wilcox County, AL — 63.8
  4. Kusilvak Census Area, AK — 62.5
  5. Lowndes County, AL — 61.1

Lowest

  1. Middlesex County, MA — 1.86
  2. Bergen County, NJ — 2.1
  3. Norfolk County, MA — 2.18
  4. Rockland County, NY — 2.29
  5. Nassau County, NY — 2.32

The middle area reports 16.6. The middle half of counties falls between 12.1 and 21.8 (the 25th to 75th percentile).

All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works