Suicide Trends in Minnesota

In Minnesota, in 2007, 571 persons died by suicide. Minnesota´s suicide rate has risen from 8.9 per 100,000 in 2000 to 11.0 per 100,000 in 2007. Most suicides are associated with diagnosable and treatable mental illness and/or alcohol and substance abuse (Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative, p. 2, published in 2002 by the National Institute of Medicine), but as many as 10 percent of people who die by suicide do not have any known psychiatric diagnosis. Suicide is a preventable public health problem - it is rarely random or inevitable (National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, Op. cit. p.44).

Suicide Trends in Minnesota 2007

In 2007, 571 people died from suicide, compared with 118 who were homicide victims. The number of Minnesotans who died from suicide is nearly five times higher than those who died from homicide.

  • Suicide deaths in Minnesota, 2007, by age group
    • Of the 571 Minnesotans who died from suicide in 2007:
      • 39 were children and adolescents ages 10-19
      • 137 were young adults ages 20-34
      • 170 were individuals ages 35-49
      • 151 were individuals ages 50-64
      • 74 individuals were age 65 or older
  • In terms of cause of death, suicide in Minnesota in 2007 was the:
    • second leading cause of death for 15- to 34-year-olds
    • third leading cause of death for 10- to 14-year-olds
    • the fourth leading cause of death for 35- to 49-year-olds
  • In 2007, persons aged 50-64 had the highest suicide rate of all age groups in Minnesota at 16.1 per 100,000 people.
  • The suicide rate among American Indians is approximately two times higher than that of any other racial or ethnic group. (These and other related statistics are available at the Minnesota Health Statistics Annual Summary Web site.)

Suicide and Suicidal Behavior among Minnesota Youth, 2007

According to the 2007 Minnesota Student Survey:

  • 25 percent of Minnesota´s 9th grade students in public schools reported that they had thought about killing themselves at some time in their lives
  • 20 percent of Minnesota´s 9th grade students in public schools reported hurting themselves on purpose at some time in their lives