Firearm Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

There were more than 39,700 firearm deaths, or about 12.1 firearm deaths per 100,000 population, in the United States in 2019.  Nationally, by 2019 the number of firearms-caused deaths per 100,000 population had increased approximately 17% and 18% from 1999 and 2009 levels, respectively.  The twelve-state Southeast region saw its firearm death rate jump from 13.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 16.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  Already a region with a higher firearms-caused death rate than most regions of the country in 1999, by 2019 the firearm death rate (per 100,000 population) in the Southeast was 33% higher than the national average.  A closer review of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following about the trend in firearm deaths in the Southeastern U.S. over the past twenty years:

Firearm Deaths in the Southeastern U.S.

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
AL	790	830	1,076
AR	388	465	580
FL	1,721	2,324	2,872
GA	1,105	1,247	1,695
KY	525	560	682
LA	779	810	1,013
MS	515	487	710
NC	1,057	1,112	1,397
SC	552	634	1,012
TN	848	966	1,270
VA	823	836	1,025
WV	250	251	300
Region	9,353	10,522	13,632
U.S.	28,874	31,347	39,707
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
AL	17.8	17.4	21.9
AR	14.6	16.1	19.2
FL	10.9	12.5	13.4
GA	13.7	13.0	16.0
KY	13.1	13.0	15.3
LA	17.5	18.0	21.8
MS	18.2	16.5	23.9
NC	13.3	11.8	13.3
SC	13.9	13.8	19.7
TN	15.0	15.3	18.6
VA	11.8	10.5	12.0
WV	13.8	13.6	16.7
Region	13.6	13.5	16.1
U.S.	10.3	10.2	12.1

(*) number of firearm-caused deaths per 100,000 population; death count includes both intentional and unintentional fatalities caused by a firearm

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 2, 2021