Table. Comparison of Suicide Rates Between US Black and White Youths by Age and Sex, 2001-2015.
| Age, y | Youth Suicides, No. (Rate per 1 Million Persons) | IRR (95% CI)a | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | White | ||
| All | |||
| 5-9 | 26 (0.53) | 45 (0.19) | 2.73 (1.69-4.43) |
| 10 | 47 (4.68) | 79 (1.68) | 2.79 (1.95-4.00) |
| 11 | 101 (9.93) | 190 (4.00) | 2.48 (1.95-3.16) |
| 12 | 129 (12.57) | 471 (9.86) | 1.28 (1.05-1.55) |
| 13 | 167 (16.16) | 979 (20.37) | 0.79 (0.67-0.93) |
| 14 | 194 (18.69) | 1625 (33.65) | 0.56 (0.48-0.64) |
| 15 | 252 (24.25) | 2496 (51.48) | 0.47 (0.41-0.54) |
| 16 | 317 (30.49) | 3372 (69.20) | 0.44 (0.39-0.49) |
| 17 | 428 (41.13) | 4084 (83.39) | 0.49 (0.45-0.54) |
| Boys | |||
| 5-9 | 22 (0.88) | 40 (0.34) | 2.62 (1.56-4.41) |
| 10 | 42 (8.24) | 67 (2.78) | 2.97 (2.02-4.36) |
| 11 | 70 (13.55) | 154 (6.33) | 2.14 (1.62-2.84) |
| 12 | 91 (17.45) | 336 (13.72) | 1.27 (1.01-1.60) |
| 13 | 122 (23.24) | 649 (26.34) | 0.88 (0.73-1.07) |
| 14 | 129 (24.47) | 1117 (45.09) | 0.54 (0.45-0.65) |
| 15 | 164 (31.07) | 1760 (70.71) | 0.44 (0.37-0.52) |
| 16 | 238 (45.07) | 2512 (100.33) | 0.45 (0.39-0.51) |
| 17 | 347 (65.62) | 3281 (130.17) | 0.50 (0.45-0.56) |
| Girls | |||
| 5-11b | 40 (1.17) | 53 (0.33) | 3.53 (2.34-5.32) |
| 12 | 38 (7.53) | 135 (5.80) | 1.30 (0.91-1.86) |
| 13 | 45 (8.85) | 330 (14.10) | 0.63 (0.46-0.86) |
| 14 | 65 (12.73) | 508 (21.60) | 0.59 (0.46-0.76) |
| 15 | 88 (17.20) | 736 (31.19) | 0.55 (0.44-0.69) |
| 16 | 79 (15.44) | 860 (36.30) | 0.43 (0.34-0.54) |
| 17 | 81 (15.83) | 803 (33.78) | 0.47 (0.37-0.59) |
Abbreviation: IRR, incidence rate ratio.
White race is the reference group. 95% CIs that do not include 1.00 are considered to be statistically significant. In analyses stratified by sex, the suicide rate among youths aged 5 to 17 years from 2001 through 2015 was 41% lower among black (0.67 per 100 000) than among white girls (1.14 per 100 000) and 42% lower among black (1.83 per 100 000) than among white boys (3.13 per 100 000). Among girls, the black-to-white IRR of suicide among those aged 5 to 12 years was 1.94 (95% CI, 1.49-2.52), whereas the IRR among those aged 13 to 17 years was 0.51 (95% CI, 0.46-0.57). In boys, the black-to-white IRR of suicide among those aged 5 to 12 years was 1.79 (95% CI, 1.53-2.09), whereas the IRR among those aged 13 to 17 years was 0.51 (95% CI, 0.47-0.54). The overall pattern of results was similar across US regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) in analyses stratified by age group (those aged 5-12 years and 13-17 years) and when restricted to non-Hispanic youth.
Suicide rates were estimated among youths aged 5 to 11 years to ensure stable rate estimates for analyses.