1,541
gun deaths in Pennsylvania, including
100
children and teens
(ages 0-19)
36%
Homicides comprised more than 1/3 of gun deaths
63%
Suicides comprised more than three in five gun deaths
88%
of gun death victims were male
18th
lowest gun death rate in the country in 2019

GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019

Nearly 1,600 Pennsylvanians died by gun violence in 2019, an average four people every day. Suicides were 63% of the gun deaths and homicides were 36%.

Number of deaths

County Variations

Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000

  • 4.86 to 8.46
  • 8.47 to 12.07
  • 12.08 to 15.68
  • 15.69 to 19.45
  • Suppressed /
    Unreliable

Among the counties in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Wayne County and Fulton County.

Conversely, Union County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Chester County and Montgomery County.

FIREARM HOMICIDES

548
firearm homicides in 2019, including
64
children and teens
23rd
highest firearm homicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

More than 1/3 of gun deaths were homicides in 2019.

Homicide by Method

3/4 of homicides were committed with firearms in 2019.

FIREARM SUICIDES

964
firearm suicides in 2019, including
33
children and teens
12th
lowest firearm suicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

More than 3/5 of gun deaths were suicides in 2019.

Suicide by Method

Half of all suicides were by firearm in 2019.

RESOURCES

Fact Sheets and Reports:

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