Suicide rates among young people aged 10 to 24 in the United States rose 62% between 2007 and 2021, climbing from 6.8 to 11.0 deaths per 100,000. That increase reversed a period of relative stability earlier in the decade and represents one of the most significant shifts in adolescent mortality in recent years. The trends are not uniform, though. They vary sharply by sex, race, age group, and method, and more recent data suggests some of those patterns are beginning to shift again.
The Overall Trajectory Since 2001
From 2001 through 2007, the suicide rate for 10- to 24-year-olds held roughly steady. Then it began a sustained climb that lasted more than a decade. The single largest year-over-year jump came between 2016 and 2017, when the rate rose 10% in a single year, from 9.6 to 10.6 per 100,000. By 2021, it had reached 11.0.
There are signs of a partial reversal. Between 2021 and 2023, the overall suicide rate among 10- to 24-year-olds declined by about 10%. That’s encouraging, but the rate remains far higher than where it stood in the early 2000s, and the decline has not been shared equally across all groups.
Girls and Young Women Saw the Sharpest Rise
Males consistently die by suicide at higher rates than females, a pattern that has held for decades. In 2015, the rate among males aged 15 to 19 was 14.2 per 100,000 compared to 5.1 for females. But the trajectory for girls has been more alarming in relative terms. Between 2007 and 2015, the suicide rate for females aged 15 to 19 doubled, rising from 2.4 to 5.1 per 100,000. That 2015 rate was the highest recorded for girls in that age group across the entire 1975 to 2015 period.
The male rate followed a different arc: it climbed from 12.0 in 1975 to a peak of 18.1 in 1990, dropped to 10.8 by 2007, then rose 31% to 14.2 by 2015. So while boys and young men still account for more suicide deaths in raw numbers, the pace of increase among girls over the past 15 years has been notably faster.
Racial Disparities Are Widening
One of the most concerning trends is the growing gap between racial and ethnic groups. Between 2018 and 2023, the age-adjusted suicide rate among Black Americans increased 25.2% overall. Among Black youth aged 10 to 24 specifically, the increase was 29.4%. Hispanic youth also saw rising rates during this period, with overall Hispanic suicide rates climbing 10%.
Meanwhile, suicide rates among white youth aged 10 to 24 declined 14.8% over the same stretch. American Indian and Alaska Native youth, who have historically had some of the highest rates, saw a significant 30.3% decline between 2021 and 2023. These shifts are reshaping the demographic profile of adolescent suicide in ways that public health infrastructure and crisis services are still catching up to.
The Pandemic’s Effect on Youth Suicide
The COVID-19 pandemic did not create the upward trend in youth suicide, but it accelerated it in specific groups. Researchers identified 5,568 youth who died by suicide during the first 10 months of the pandemic (March through December 2020), higher than the expected number based on pre-pandemic trends. The excess deaths became apparent starting around July 2020, a few months into widespread lockdowns and school closures.
The pandemic’s impact was not evenly distributed. Higher-than-expected suicide rates were concentrated among males, preteens aged 5 to 12, young adults aged 18 to 24, American Indian and Alaska Native youth, and Black youth. Firearm-related suicide deaths were also higher than expected during this period.
How Methods Have Shifted Over Time
The means by which young people die by suicide have changed substantially, and this matters because method availability directly affects lethality. In 2001, firearms accounted for 49% of suicides among 10- to 19-year-olds, with suffocation (primarily hanging) at 38% and poisoning at 7%.
But between 1992 and 2001, firearm suicide rates fell sharply while suffocation rates rose. Among 10- to 14-year-olds, the firearm suicide rate dropped from 0.9 to 0.4 per 100,000 while suffocation rose from 0.5 to 0.8. By 1997, suffocation had overtaken firearms as the most common method in that younger age group. Among 15- to 19-year-olds, firearm suicides fell from 7.3 to 4.1, while suffocation increased from 1.9 to 2.7. Firearms remained the leading method for older teens, but the gap narrowed considerably.
More recently, the pandemic period saw a reversal of the long-term decline in firearm suicides among youth, with firearm-related deaths exceeding expected numbers. This aligns with broader data showing increased firearm purchases during 2020 and 2021.
How the U.S. Compares Globally
The United States is an outlier among wealthy nations. A global analysis of WHO mortality data from 1990 to 2020 found that most European countries experienced declining youth suicide rates over that period. The U.S. moved in the opposite direction, with annual increases of 3.8% among males (2009 to 2020) and 6.7% among females (2007 to 2017) before leveling off. The U.S. recorded the highest age-standardized male youth suicide rate among the countries studied, at 15.5 per 100,000.
The method profile also sets the U.S. apart. In most other countries, hanging and strangulation are the most common means of suicide among young males. In the United States, firearms dominate. This distinction is significant because firearms have a higher case fatality rate than nearly any other method, meaning a suicidal crisis is more likely to end in death when a gun is accessible.
Crisis Services Are Expanding, With Gaps
The launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in 2022 represented the largest expansion of crisis services for young people in years. Within two years, the service was handling a growing volume of contacts. In March 2023, the Lifeline expanded its services for LGBTQ+ youth under 25, providing around-the-clock phone and text access. That line accounted for nearly 10% of all 988 contacts over a four-month period, suggesting substantial demand.
However, the LGBTQ+ line experienced higher abandonment rates and longer wait times than the general 988 line, pointing to a gap between need and capacity. For a population that consistently reports elevated rates of suicidal ideation and attempts in national surveys, those delays represent a real vulnerability in the system.