Violent Crime Victimization

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Q:	Do the number of suicide and homicide victims vary by race?
A:	Between 1990 and 2005, suicide was more prevalent than homicide for non-Hispanic white juveniles, while the reverse was true for Hispanic juveniles and non-Hispanic black juveniles.

Number of suicide and homicide victims by age and race/ethnicity, 1990-2005 (White)

Number of suicide and homicide victims by age and race/ethnicity, 1990-2005 (Black)

Number of suicide and homicide victims by age and race/ethnicity, 1990-2005 (Hispanic)

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At each age between 12 and 24, suicide was more common than murder for non-Hispanic whites between 1990 and 2005, in sharp contrast to patterns for Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks.
For every 10 white homicide victims ages 7-17 there were 24 suicide victims (a ratio of 10 to 24); the corresponding ratio was 10 to 2 for black juveniles and 10 to 4 for Hispanic juveniles.
Between 1990 and 2005, the juvenile suicide rate for white non-Hispanic youth (i.e., suicides per million persons ages 7–17 in this race/ethnicity group) was 29.4.
The suicide rates were substantially lower for Hispanic (18.7), black non-Hispanic (17.3), and Asian non-Hispanic (16.6) juveniles ages 7-17.
In contrast, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles (61.8) was more than double the white non-Hispanic rate and triple the rates for the other racial/ethnic groups.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02703.asp?qaDate=2005. Released on September 12, 2008.

Data source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2008). WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [interactive database system]. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/