Here's something for all the doomscrollers out there: 54,170. That's the number of violent deaths in the United States in 2018 (the latest data available), according to the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Yes, there is such a system. The deaths were reported by 39 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The NVDRS defines a violent death as "a death resulting from the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or a group or community." There are five types of violent death: suicide, homicide, legal intervention, unintentional firearm death, and death due to undetermined intent that may have been violence.
Number (and percent) of violent deaths by type, 2018
Total: 54,170 (100.0%)
Suicide: 34,726 (64.1%)
Homicide: 13,441 (24.8%)
Legal intervention: 764 (1.4%)
Unintentional firearm death: 337 (0.6%)
Death of undetermined intent: 4,902 (9.0%)
Suicide is by far the leading cause of violent death, accounting for 64 percent of the total. Homicide accounts for another 25 percent. Firearms were used in 48 percent of suicides, 72 percent of homicides, and 90 percent of legal interventions. Among unintentional firearm deaths, nearly half (48 percent) were self-inflicted. Most often these deaths occur when kids (55 percent of the victims of unintentional firearm deaths are under age 25) are playing with a gun (42 percent) or showing a gun to others (15 percent).
The CDC collects and analyzes data on violent deaths for a reason. The data are used to "assist public health authorities in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs, policies, and practices to reduce and prevent violent deaths."
Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Surveillance for Violent Deaths—National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2018
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