113
gun deaths in South Dakota, including
10
children and teens
(ages 0-19)
10%
Homicides comprised 10% of gun deaths
87%
Suicides comprised the majority of gun deaths
93%
of gun death victims were male
25th
highest gun death rate in the country in 2019

GUN DEATHS BY INTENT, 2019

In 2019, 113 people in South Dakotans died by gun violence, an average of more than two people every week. Suicides were 87% of the gun deaths and homicides were 10%.

Number of deaths

TRENDS OVER TIME

Over the last decade, the overall gun death rate in South Dakota has continued to increase, with few exceptions — the rate increased 42% from 2010 to 2019. The rise in firearm suicides contributed to the overall change; in that time period, the firearm suicide rate increased 41%.

Age-adjusted rate per 100,000

Total gun death rate
Firearm homicide rate
Firearm suicide rate

Note: The CDC considers firearm homicide rates based on fewer than 20 deaths “statistically unreliable.” There were fewer than 20 firearm homicides reported from 2010-2019, therefore these data points are omitted from the graph above.

County Variations

Age-adjusted gun death rate per 100,000

  • 8.21 to 10.41
  • 10.42 to 12.62
  • 12.63 to 14.83
  • 14.84 to 16.98
  • Suppressed /
    Unreliable

Among the counties in South Dakota, Meade County had the highest gun death rate, followed by Lawrence County and Pennington County.

Conversely, Lincoln County had the lowest gun death rate, followed by Brown County and Codington County.

Notes:

  • The CDC suppresses data in which fewer than 10 deaths are reported in a given time frame and considers firearm death rates based on fewer than 20 deaths “statistically unreliable.” Counties that meet this criteria are labeled “Suppressed/Unreliable.”
  • Based on a ten-year average (2010-2019).

FIREARM HOMICIDES

11
firearm homicides in 2019

Gun Deaths by Intent

10% of gun deaths were homicides in 2019.

Homicide by Method

Almost 2/5 of all homicides were committed with firearms in 2019.

Demographics

In South Dakota, American Indian/Alaska Native males are at highest risk of firearm homicide.

Note: Based on a five-year average (2015-2019).

FIREARM SUICIDES

98
firearm suicides in 2019
7th
highest firearm suicide rate in the U.S.

Gun Deaths by Intent

Almost 90% of gun deaths were suicides in 2019.

Suicide by Method

Over half of all suicides were by firearm in 2019.

Demographics

In South Dakota, American Indian/Alaska Native males and White males ages 75+ are at highest risk for firearm suicide.

Note: Based on a five-year average (2015-2019).

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