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State Data

Massachusetts

270 Gun Deaths in Massachusetts

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

121

HOMICIDES

147

SUICIDES

2

OTHER

10

YOUNG PEOPLE (1-17)

Key Takeaways

  • The overall gun death rate increased by 16% in 2023 compared to 2014. 

  • Massachusetts had the lowest gun death rate in the country in 2023.  

  • In 2022, there were at least 42 domestic violence-related homicides in Massachusetts. More than one-third (36%) were by firearm.

An average of one person killed 32 hours.

Gun violence cost Massachusettsans $2.9 billion annually.

This amounts to $414 per person.

Firearm Homicide in Massachusetts

7X

Males were seven times as likely to die by gun homicide than females from 2019 to 2023. 

69%

Young people ages 15-34 accounted for 69% of all gun homicides in 2023. The gun homicide rate of this age group increased by 15% in 2023 compared to last year.   

43X

Young Black males ages 15-34 were 43 times as likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts from 2019 to 2023.  

26%

Young Hispanic/Latino males ages 15-34 accounted for 2.3% of the state population but 26% of all gun homicides in 2023.  

Firearm Suicide in Massachusetts

13X

Males were 13 times as likely to die by gun suicide than females from 2019 to 2023.  

61%

White males over the age of 34 accounted for nearly 21% of the population in Massachusetts but 61% of all gun suicide deaths in 2023. 

50%

Half (50%) of all gun suicide deaths in 2023 were people 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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Factsheet: Gun Violence in Massachusetts

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