GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019
In 2019, 471 New Mexicans died by gun violence, an average of one person every day. Suicides were 60% of the gun deaths and homicides were 34%.
TRENDS OVER TIME
The gun death rate in New Mexico has substantially increased over the second half of the decade. The rate increased 40% from 2014-2019 and was primarily due to a staggering rise in firearm homicides during that time period — the firearm homicide rate increased 115% from 2014 to 2019. The change in the firearm suicide rate from year to year has been consistently and steadily increasing, with only a few exceptions.
Age-adjusted rate per 100,000
County Variations
Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000
- 10.67 to 18.77
- 18.78 to 26.88
- 26.89 to 34.99
- 35.00 to 42.95
- Suppressed /
Unreliable

Among the counties in New Mexico, Catron County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Quay County and Eddy County.

Conversely, McKinley County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Dona Ana County and Sandoval 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 February 2021