What does this measure?

Deaths due to suicide, expressed as a rate per 10,000 residents.

Why is this important?

In addition to ending a life tragically, suicide profoundly affects the lives of surviving relatives and friends. While nearly 50,000 people die from suicide in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC, it can often be prevented through education, mental health services, and public awareness.

How is our county doing?

In 2024, Essex County had an estimated suicide rate of 1.1 per 10,000 residents. Rates have held fairly steady over time when considering the uncertainty associated with each estimate. The rate in Essex was higher than the state rate of 0.8 and lower than the national rate of 1.4 per 10,000 residents in 2024.

How do we compare to similar counties?

Essex County's rate was the same as Lake County, IL at 1.1 per 10,000 residents. Westchester County, NY and Middlesex, MA had lower rates at 0.6 and 0.8 respectively. Middlesex, MA was the only county to have a decline in its rate from 2015.

Notes about the data

Suicide rates are considered estimates because suicides tend to be underreported and because the overall numbers of suicides tend to be low and can fluctuate greatly from year to year. Therefore, they are reported with confidence intervals, which measure the margins of error around the estimate.