Despite drop in suicides, Wyoming still in top three states with highest suicide rate

POWELL — At the same time Wyoming is celebrating progress made to address suicide in the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics is reporting the state is once again in the top three states with the highest rates of suicide per capita. 

Gov. Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Department of Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program on Monday recognized the significant efforts being made across the state and progress made to address suicide in the Cowboy State. 

The governor renewed his call to action to Wyoming citizens to raise awareness and continue working together to lower the state’s suicide rate. 

“September gives us a vital opportunity to continue our efforts to bring awareness, normalize help-seeking behavior, and connect individuals to life-saving resources and support,” Gordon said in a release. “Thanks to the thoughtful, collaborative approach taken by state agencies, local partners, and dedicated individuals, we are making strides destigmatizing the discussion and lowering suicide rates. There is still much work to be done, however, as we know families and communities continue to be impacted by suicide.” 

After a long-term increase, Wyoming suicide rates for the last three years have shown a notable shift. 

Following a peak in 2021 of 32.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, suicide rates since have declined to between 26.3 - 28.2 since 2022. 

Unfortunately, that still places Wyoming just behind Alaska (28.1 suicides per 100,000 residents) and Montana (26.7 suicides per 100,000 residents). 

In the most recent CDC stats, Wyoming is reported to have 26.5 suicides per 100,000 residents, just slightly behind Montana, but still down significantly from the 2021 rates.

Access to guns

Another CDC statistic reported by the nonprofit Violence Policy Center said states with the highest suicide rates also have high gun ownership rates and weaker gun violence prevention laws. The study looked closely at gun ownership in all 50 states in correlation to each state’s suicide rates. 

More than 66% of Wyoming households are gun owners, according to CDC statistics, resulting in the second highest rate behind Montana by 0.1%. Alaska finished in third with 64.2% residents owning at least one gun. 

In Wyoming, 73.9% of all suicides involve firearms. 

Meanwhile, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts have the lowest rates of gun ownership — lower than 20% in New York and 14.7% in both Massachusetts and New Jersey. The three states also have the lowest suicide rates in the country with a 7.2% (per 100,000 residents) in Massachusetts, 8.3% in New York and 8.6% in New Jersey. 

All three states have suicide by gun rates of two to three times lower than Wyoming’s gun related suicides. 

In 2023 there were 49,316 suicides in the United States. Of these, the majority (27,300 or 55.4%) were firearm suicides. 

In 2022 there were 49,476 suicides in the United States, of these 27,032 (54.6%) were firearm suicides. 

Compared to 2022, the overall suicide rate decreased slightly from 14.3 to 14.1 per 100,000. The national gun suicide rate stayed the same between 2022 and 2023 at 7.6 per 100,000. 

“Guns are the most common suicide means in our nation,” said Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann. “Recognizing this, it’s unfortunately not surprising that year after year states with lax gun laws and higher rates of firearms ownership have the highest suicide rates. At the same time, states with tougher gun laws and lower gun ownership rates consistently have the lowest rates of suicide. Reducing access to firearms is a critical element in helping prevent suicide.” 

The age-adjusted rates published in this report were calculated by the National Center for Health Statistics. The rates are calculated by dividing the number of relevant suicide deaths in an age group by the population of that age group and multiplying the result by 100,000. 

This result is then weighted according to the U.S. standard population. 

State gun ownership rates were obtained from the 2020 report published by the Rand Corporation “State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership,” which is the most recent comprehensive published data available on state gun ownership rates. 

Wyoming resources

Here in Wyoming, where Gordon is a strong advocate for suicide prevention, training opportunities are available to front line professionals and citizens passionate about providing survivors assistance, partnering to bring awareness, and importantly, prevention, he said. 

“I encourage everyone to find their role in this effort,” Gordon said in the press release. 

The governor has initiated and remained actively engaged in statewide prevention efforts, including signing legislation to establish the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, leading the expansion of the governor’s Mental Health Task Force and his WY We Care Initiative. 

Ongoing strategies include securing sustainable funding for the 988 lifeline, implementing the Wyoming State Suicide Prevention Plan, and supporting innovative community programs such as PROSPER (which works closely with county prevention specialists to partner with Wyoming schools, clinicians, first responders, faith leaders, and parents in reducing suicide risk statewide) and Veterans Talking to Veterans. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, immediate help is available. Call or text 988 at any time to be connected with a trained Wyoming caregiver. For veterans seeking help, dial 988, then press 1.