1,252
gun deaths in Missouri, including
122
children and teens
(ages 0-19)
43%
Homicides comprised more than two in every five gun deaths
54%
Suicides comprised more than half of all gun deaths
84%
of gun death victims were male
7th
highest gun death rate in the country in 2019

GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019

More than 1,200 Missourians died by gun violence in 2019, an average of more than three people every day. Suicides were 54% of the gun deaths and homicides were 43%.

Number of deaths

County Variations

Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000

  • 8.84 to 16.54
  • 16.55 to 24.25
  • 24.26 to 31.96
  • 31.97 to 39.46
  • Suppressed /
    Unreliable

Among the counties in Missouri, St. Louis city had the highest gun death rate, followed by Jackson County and Pemiscot County.

Conversely, St. Charles County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Saline County and Taney County.

FIREARM HOMICIDES

537
firearm homicides in 2019, including
76
children and teens
6th
highest firearm homicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

More than 2/5 of gun deaths were homicides in 2019.

Homicide by Method

The majority of homicides were committed with firearms in 2019.

FIREARM SUICIDES

681
firearm suicides in 2018, including
35
children and teens
11th
highest firearm suicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

More than half of all gun deaths were suicides in 2019.

Suicide by Method

3/5 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 February 2021