Deaths by Suicide in Wisconsin Rose the Past Two Years

Friday, August 18th, 2023 -- 12:00 PM

(Natalie Eilbert & John Diedrich, Green Bay Press-Gazette) Deaths by suicide rose in Wisconsin over the past two years, led by an increase in gun suicides, which exceeded 500 in 2022 alone, the highest number in at least 30 years, according to new data from the state.

More than 900 people died by suicide in Wisconsin in each of the past two years, according to the state Department of Health Services. The data for 2022 is provisional, which means it may be adjusted and is not final.

The figures in Wisconsin reflect a nationwide trend, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released new data last week. The CDC data, which also is provisional, showed roughly 49,500 people took their own lives in 2022 in the U.S., the highest number ever recorded.

The report showed suicides up across nearly every age group, gender category and racial group. In Wisconsin, there was a 41% increase in suicides from 2004 to 2022, according to the data released by the state this week.

During that time, the state's population grew by just 8%. Those figures also revealed a particularly concerning jump: 530 people took their life with a gun in 2022, an 8% increase over the previous year and a 78% increase since 2004.

As in past years, firearms were the most common means of suicide, and the percentage is rising. Since 2004, guns have accounted for roughly half of the suicides in Wisconsin. But last year, the share grew to nearly 60%.

Since 2004, other means of suicide have also increased. In 2022, suffocation, a term that includes hanging, accounted for 21% of suicides, according to the data. The only areas of decrease between 2021 and last year were among young people and Native Americans, according the CDC data.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.