GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019
Over 1,000 South Carolinians died by gun violence in 2019, an average of nearly three people every day. Suicides were 53% of the gun deaths and homicides were 45%.
TRENDS OVER TIME
Over the last 10 years (2010-2019), the overall gun death rate in South Carolina increased nearly 43%. The largest single-year spike happened from 2018 to 2019, in which the rate increased by 13%. Both the firearm homicide and suicide rates continued to rise throughout the decade, with few exceptions. Most notably, the firearm homicide rate increased dramatically, by 86%, from 2010 to 2019. The firearm suicide rate increased 19% in that time period.
Age-adjusted rate per 100,000
County Variations
Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000
- 12.99 to 17.59
- 17.60 to 22.20
- 22.21 to 26.81
- 26.82 to 31.22
- Suppressed /
Unreliable

Among the counties in South Carolina, Colleton County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Jasper County and Barnwell County.

Conversely, York County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Beaufort County and Edgefield 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