247
gun deaths in Massachusetts, including
18
children and teens
(ages 0-19)
38%
Homicides comprised two in every five gun deaths
57%
Suicides comprised nearly three in five gun deaths
88%
of gun death victims were male
1st
lowest gun death rate in the country in 2019

GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019

Almost 250 people in Massachusetts died by gun violence in 2019, an average of five people every week. Suicides were 57% of the gun deaths and homicides were 38%.

Number of deaths

County Variations

Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000

  • 1.83 to 2.93
  • 2.94 to 4.04
  • 4.05 to 5.15
  • 5.16 to 6.32
  • Suppressed /
    Unreliable

Among the counties in Massachusetts, Hampden County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Berkshire County and Suffolk County.

Conversely, Middlesex County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Norfolk County and Hampshire County.

FIREARM HOMICIDES

95
firearm homicides in 2019, including
12
children and teens
1st
lowest firearm homicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

2/5 of gun deaths were homicides in 2019.

Homicide by Method

3/5 of homicides were committed with firearms in 2019.

FIREARM SUICIDES

142
firearm suicides in 2019
2nd
lowest firearm suicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

Nearly 3/5 of gun deaths were suicides in 2019.

Suicide by Method

1/5 of suicides were by firearm in 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 March 2021