Suicide deaths have plateaued in Minnesota, slowing a two-decade climb

The number of suicides in Minnesota has leveled off following the COVID-19 pandemic, including declining rates among children and teenagers.

But the new state data also shows these preventable deaths remain problematic in rural areas.

Suicides had been increasing in Minnesota for two decades, reaching a peak of 860 deaths in 2022 before declining to 812 in 2023 and 813 last year. Suicide Prevention Epidemiologist Stefan Gingerich said it is too soon to declare Minnesota has halted its steady rise in suicides, though two years of flat numbers are at least encouraging.

“I’m optimistic for the first time in the four, five years I’ve been doing this,” said Gingerich, who revealed the data Tuesday for the Minnesota Department of Health.

Particularly encouraging was a decline last year in the rate of suicides across the adolescent, teen and young adult (age 20 to 24) groups, he said. A dip in just one of those age groups could be a statistical blip, but a drop across all three suggests progress. Prevention efforts could be working.

“I was hoping it was related to the work we’ve been doing,” said Tanya Carter, manager of the state health department’s suicide prevention program.

Efforts include training young adults as peer supporters who can connect people in emotional distress to services such as the 988 call/text line. Minnesota has invested in local responders as part of the 988 program, reducing wait times. The program received more than 90,000 contacts last year from people with Minnesota phone numbers.

Preventing suicides often means understanding the demographic and geographic variations in these deaths, health officials said. Firearms were the means in 51% of suicides in Minnesota last year, but American Indians had the highest suicide rate and were more likely to die by strangulation.

Women historically have made up more than 60% of the non-fatal cases of self-harm that receive treatment in Minnesota hospitals but only 20% of deaths by suicide. The rate of suicides among women increased slightly last year, though.

While firearms have long been the leading means of suicide, they don’t always account for the majority of deaths like they did in 2024. The state has tried to address this problem by encouraging people to keep their firearms locked and separate from ammunition. Studies have shown this can particularly reduce suicides among children and teens.

More access to firearms and less access to health care and mental health support could explain why suicides were more common in rural Minnesota than in the state’s urban centers. Counties that are entirely rural make up 1.6% of Minnesota’s population but 2.8% of the state’s suicide deaths last year.

“There are more deaths by firearm suicide in rural areas per capita than in urban areas, which is one of the things that might be driving some of these numbers,” Gingerich said.

Separate federal data of suicides since 2018 show how firearms contribute to the rural disparity in Minnesota. Firearms were the means in 57% of suicides in Minnesota’s most rural (noncore) areas but just 38% of suicides in the state’s large metro centers, the data showed.

State leaders said they are concerned about proposed federal cuts to public health and violence-prevention programs that could upset a suicide rate in Minnesota that is at least stable. Carter said she worries the 988 program might lose an option that routes LGTBQ callers to specialists at a national center who are trained to handle their needs.

The 2024 data offers a look back at how the pandemic affected the prevalence of suicide in Minnesota. Suicides declined in 2020, possibly because the lockdowns and mobility restrictions kept families huddled together and reduced opportunities for self-harm. But the number of suicides then returned to a historical pattern of increases through 2022 until leveling off in the past two years.

“We’re still trying to figure out if this is going to be a sustained trend,” Gingerich said.

Families can find mental health information and resources for crisis care on NAMI Minnesota’s website, namimn.org. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor.