93
gun deaths in Delaware, including
10
children and teens
(ages 0-19)
48%
Homicides comprised nearly half of all gun deaths
48%
Suicides comprised nearly half of all gun deaths
87%
of gun death victims were male
11th
lowest gun death rate in the country in 2019

GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019

Nearly 100 people in Delaware died by gun violence in 2019, an average of two people every week. There were an equal number of suicides and homicides, each making up 48% of the gun deaths.

Number of deaths

TRENDS OVER TIME

While one year does not denote a trend, the overall gun death rate, firearm suicide rate, and firearm homicide rate all decreased from 2018 to 2019. The overall gun death rate decreased by 14%, the firearm suicide rate decreased by 21%, and the firearm homicide rate decreased by 6%.

Age-adjusted rate per 100,000

Total gun death rate
Firearm homicide rate
Firearm suicide rate

County Variations

Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000

  • 8.50 to 9.50
  • 9.51 to 10.51
  • 10.52 to 11.44
  • Suppressed /
    Unreliable

Among the counties in Delaware, New Castle County had the highest gun death rate.

Conversely, Sussex County had the lowest gun death rate.

Notes:

  • Based on a ten-year average (2010-2019).

FIREARM HOMICIDES

45
firearm homicides in 2019
17th
highest firearm homicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

Nearly half of all gun deaths were homicides.

Homicide by Method

The majority of homicides were by firearms in 2019.

Demographics

In Delaware, 87% of firearm homicide victims are male and Black males are disproportionately impacted.

Note: Based on a five-year average (2015-2019).

FIREARM SUICIDES

45
firearm suicides in 2019
10th
lowest firearm suicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

Nearly half of all gun deaths were suicides in 2019.

Suicide by Method

More than 2/5 of suicides were by firearm in 2019.

Demographics

White (non Latino) males ages 45-54 and 75+ are at highest risk for firearm suicide.

Note: Based on a five-year average (2015-2019).

Resources

Additional Information

Notes

  • All rates listed are age-adjusted in order to allow for accurate comparisons between populations with different age distributions.
  • All data is from 2019, the most recent year of data available, unless otherwise indicated.
  • Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, 1999-2019. Available: http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.

Last updated January 2021