GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019
In 2019, 163 people in Maine died by gun violence, an average of three people every week. Suicides were 88% of the gun deaths and homicides were 8%.
TRENDS OVER TIME
The total gun death rate in Maine increased 11% from 2018 to 2019, due to an increase in the number of both homicides and suicides. Over the last 10 years (2010-2019), the overall gun death rate in Maine increased 45% and the firearm suicide rate increased 39%. The firearm homicide rate has been classified as “suppressed” every year over the last decade, as there were too few deaths to calculate a reliable rate, so a trend cannot be calculated.
Age-adjusted rate per 100,000
Note: The CDC considers firearm homicide rates based on fewer than 20 deaths “statistically unreliable.” There were fewer than 20 firearm homicides reported from 2010-2019, therefore these data points are omitted from the graph above.
County Variations
Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000
- 6.20 to 9.10
- 9.11 to 12.01
- 12.02 to 14.92
- 14.93 to 17.97
- Suppressed /
Unreliable

Among the counties in Maine, Piscataquis County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Washington County and Somerset County.

Conversely, Cumberland County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Androscoggin County and York County.
FIREARM HOMICIDES
Gun Deaths by Intent
Homicide by Method
FIREARM SUICIDES
Gun Deaths by Intent
Suicide by Method
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 March 2021