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INJURY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION (IVP) BRANCH

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Data on Suicide and Self Harm
For additional information and years of archived reporting, please see the California Violent Death Reporting System (CalVDRS) webpage
Data Dashboards

Information on available data on the number of suicides or mental health concerns in California

Surveillance of suicide is done using vital statistics data. The most up-to-date data tables for violence-related causes of death, including suicide, can be found here: Preliminary Monthly Statewide Violence-Related Death Counts (PDF). These data show monthly counts of deaths using preliminary vital statistics data and are updated quarterly. The data are considered preliminary/provisional and can be changed in the future as causes of death are confirmed.  Under typical circumstances, it may take several months for a death to be confirmed as suicide.  Entities that complete death certificates and determine the cause of death (e.g., coroners and medical examiners) may also be currently experiencing backlogs which can delay determination of the cause of death. Death data can take a full year to be finalized and the most current final vital statistics data are available on the EpiCenter Dashboard.


Although IVPB does not directly monitor mental health across the state, data on adult/teen perceived need, access and use of mental health services and overall mental health status can be found within the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹

Suicide Rates by County

Age-Adjusted Suicide Rate by County in California, 2018ā€“2020

The overall suicide rate in California is 10.5, the highest county rate is in Shasta County (24.9) and the lowest rate is in Imperial County (5.8). 

County Count Rate Lower CI Upper CI Rank
Highest to Lowest Rate
California (Overall) 13,073 10.5 10.3 10.7 -
Alameda 470 8.8 ā€” 8.0 9.6 37
Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne 142 23.8 **  19.9 27.8 3
Butte 142 22.5 **  18.8 26.3 6
Colusa, Glenn and Tehama 67 17.2 * 13.1 21.3 10
Contra Costa 339 9.2 ā€  8.2 10.2 35
Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou and Trinity 112 23.1 **  18.8 27.4 4
El Dorado 100 16.8 **  13.5 20.1 11
Fresno 325 11.0  9.8 12.2 27
Humboldt 93 22.7 **  18.1 27.3 5
Imperial 32 5.8 ā€” 3.8 7.8 44
Kern 352 13.6 **  12.1 15.0 17
Kings 63 14.8 * 11.1 18.5 13
Lake 49 24.9 **  17.9 31.8 2
Los Angeles 2,651 8.2 ā€” 7.9 8.5 40
Madera 52 11.3  8.2 14.3 25
Marin 122 14.6 * 12.0 17.2 14
Mendocino 60 20.8 **  15.5 26.0 8
Merced 71 9.2  7.0 11.3 36
Monterey 130 9.6  8.0 11.3 33
Napa 52 10.9  7.9 13.8 28
Nevada 66 21.3 **  16.2 26.5 7
Orange 1,014 9.9  9.3 10.5 31
Placer 173 12.5  10.6 14.4 20
Riverside 891 11.9 * 11.1 12.7 22
Sacramento 598 12.6 **  11.6 13.6 19
San Benito 16 8.4  4.3 12.5 39
San Bernardino 718 11.2  10.4 12.0 26
San Diego 1,280 12.3 **  11.7 13.0 21
San Francisco 244 7.9 ā€” 6.9 8.9 42
San Joaquin 251 10.8  9.5 12.2 29
San Luis Obispo 146 16.2 **  13.5 18.8 12
San Mateo 216 8.5 ā€  7.3 9.6 38
Santa Barbara 164 11.3  9.6 13.0 24
Santa Clara 503 8.2 .ā€” 7.5 8.9 41
Santa Cruz 114 12.9  10.5 15.2 18
Shasta 137 24.9 **  20.7 29.0 1
Solano 189 14.0 * 12.0 16.0 15
Sonoma 228 13.9 **  12.1 15.8 16
Stanislaus 186 11.4  9.7 13.0 23
Sutter 30 9.9  6.3 13.4 32
Tulare 105 7.8 ā€  6.3 9.2 43
Ventura 278 10.2  9.0 11.4 30
Yolo 56 9.2  6.8 11.7 34
Yuba 46 20.5 * 14.6 26.5 9

Note: Significantly above the state rate (*p< 0.05, **p< 0.001). Significantly below the state rate (ā€ p< 0.05, ā€”p< 0.001). The confidence interval (CI) provides information on the precision of the rates being shown. Estimates with wide confidence intervals are less stable and should be interpreted with caution, especially when comparing the estimate to another group or over time. The total number of suicides listed for California 2018ā€“2020 has been updated as of 6/10/22. Sources: California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Vital Statistics Death Files (2018ā€“2020); Department of Finance P-3 Population Projection File (2010ā€“2060).ā€‹ā€‹

 Other Violence-Related Reports and Resources

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Si tĆŗ o alguien que conoces necesita apoyo, llama al 988 (servicio en espaƱol) o envĆ­a un texto al 988 o chat vĆ­aā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ 988lifeline.orgā€‹ (en inglĆ©s).
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