U.S. Firearm Deaths by Region

There were more than 39,700 firearm deaths in the United States in 2019.  The national firearm death rate in 2019, at 12.1 firearm deaths per 100,000 population, was 17% higher than in 1999.  Every region of the country, except for the Far West, likewise experienced an increase in its firearm death rate during this time period.  Moreover, other than the Far West and Mid-East regions, every region's firearm death rate increased more than the national average.  This included three regions (Great Lakes, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain) where the firearm death rate in 2019 was more than 25% higher than in 1999.  Further examination of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals the following details about U.S. firearm deaths by region (to see state level data, follow the "Area" links in the table below) :

Area/Deaths	1999	2009	2019
Far West	4,533	4,691	5,084
Great Lakes	4,361	4,336	5,727
Great Plains	1,746	1,920	2,825
Mid-East	3,460	3,491	3,704
New England	691	707	871
Rocky Mountain	992	1,301	1,837
Southeast	9,353	10,522	13,632
Southwest	3,738	4,379	6,027
Total	28,874	31,347	39,707
Area/Death Rate*	1999	2009	2019
Far West	9.7	9.0	9.0
Great Lakes	9.7	9.4	12.2
Great Plains	9.1	9.4	13.2
Mid-East	7.5	7.3	7.6
New England	5.0	4.9	5.9
Rocky Mountain	10.9	12.1	14.8
Southeast	13.6	13.5	16.1
Southwest	12.1	11.9	14.2
Total	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