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State Data

California

The latest California annual gun death data.

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3,209 Gun Deaths in California

Based on most recent available finalized data from CDC (2023).

1,427

HOMICIDES

1,647

SUICIDES

135

OTHER

156

YOUNG PEOPLE (1-17)

Key Takeaways

  • The overall gun death rate increased by 8% from 2014 to 2023.  

  • California had the 7th lowest gun death rate in the country in 2023. 

  • Firearms were the third leading cause of death among young people ages 1-17 in 2023.  

  • In 2022, there were at least 152 domestic violence-related homicides in California. 53% were by firearm.

An average of one person killed every 3 hours.

Gun violence costs Californians $37 billion annually.

This amounts to $947 per person.

Firearm Homicide in California

7X

Males were seven times as likely to die by gun homicide than females.  

10X & 3X

Black and Hispanic/Latino people had gun homicide rates 10 and 3 times higher, respectively, than their white counterparts.  

12X

Young Black males ages 15-34 were 12 times as likely to die by gun homicide as their white counterparts.  

28%

Young Hispanic/Latino males ages 15-34 made up nearly 7% percent of the population but accounted for 28% of all gun homicide deaths. 

6X

Black females were six times as likely to die by gun homicide than white females.

Firearm Suicide in California

9X

Males were nearly nine times as likely to die by gun suicide than females.  

51%

White males over the age of 34 accounted for 11% of the population in California but more than half (51%) of all gun suicide deaths.  

50%

Half (50%) of all gun suicide deaths in 2023 were over the age of 54.  

Guns are used in the majority of homicides

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death.  Age-adjusted Gun Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WONDER Online Database, 1999-2023; & WISQARS. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) and Cost of Injury Modules. 2022

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