A Class-Based Catastrophe: US suicide rate jumps 37 percent in a quarter-century
By Kate Randall
July 10, 2025
The United States is in the throes of a profound and escalating public health catastrophe: a suicide rate that has soared to historic highs, claiming nearly 50,000 lives in 2023 alone, the equivalent of the population of Galveston, Texas. This crisis is a chilling indictment of a social order that prioritizes profit over human life, leaving vast segments of the population to contend with despair, isolation and economic ruin.
The official figures—a staggering 49,316 deaths by suicide in 2023, marking a 37 percent increase since 2000—are a stark reflection of the deep-seated crisis festering within the capitalist system. This is not an accidental or blameless crime. Rather, it is the result of a conscious policy of the ruling class to reduce life expectancy through the destruction of public health and the slashing of funding for social programs that millions depend upon to survive and prosper.
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The brutal cutbacks in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will only increase the financial distress that contributes to this misery, with millions cut from Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps (SNAP) and other vital social programs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site provides some revealing figures about the economic drivers of suicide:
- Suicide rates were 26 percent lower in counties with the most health insurance coverage compared to counties with the least coverage.
- Suicide rates were 44 percent lower in counties where the most homes had internet access compared to counties where the fewest homes had internet.
- The suicide rate for American Indian/Alaska Native people in counties with the highest income was half the rate for the same ethnic group in the lowest income counties.
The US regions with the highest suicide rates are primarily located in the Mountain West, Alaska, and parts of the Midwest. States with the highest rates include Montana, Alaska and Wyoming, each reporting suicide rates exceeding 25 deaths per 100,000 people, with Montana often cited as the highest at around 28.7 per 100,000.
The scale of this tragedy is amplified by the proliferation of firearms. In 2023, 27,300 people committed suicide with a gun, comprising 58 percent of all gun deaths—a record high that surpasses gun homicides, accidental shootings and police shootings combined. According to the Washington Post’s tracker of police shootings, 1,174 people were fatally shot by police in 2024, up marginally from 1,164 in 2023, although these figures are likely an undercount.
The American Indian and Alaska Native populations face the highest suicide rates of any ethnic group, with a combined rate of 28.1 percent per 100,000 (2021), about twice the overall US suicide rate. Mental health disorders, substance abuse and exposure to trauma and violence are contributing factors.
Youth in crisis: A future denied
The risk of suicide is particularly acute among youth, many of whom face a future increasingly devoid of security and hope. The 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey paints a devastating picture: nearly four in 10 high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and a staggering one in five seriously considered attempting suicide. Female students are about twice as likely as males to experience such distress.
LGBTQ+ students are two to three times more likely than their heterosexual peers to report suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Between 2014 and 2023, the gun suicide rate for black youth aged 10-19 more than tripled; the rate among Hispanic youth in the same age group nearly doubled during this period.
These figures reflect the compounded pressures faced by young people in a society where quality secondary education remains elusive for many and spiking tuition prevents young people from accessing a college education or saddles them with massive student debt.
The elderly: The discarded generation
The elderly, America’s fastest growing age group, are also bearing an unconscionable burden. Despite comprising only 16.8 percent of the US population, individuals aged 65 and over account for approximately 22 percent of all suicide deaths. The suicide rate is highest among the 85-plus age group, at 23 per 100,000, with men aged 75 and older having the highest overall suicide rate.
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This overlooked epidemic is compounded by the misconception that …
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