Death by Suicide

The overall rate of death by suicide among King County residents was 12.0 per 100,000 residents from the years between 2019-2023. In the most recent year, 2022, the death rate for suicide among King County residents was 11.8 per 100,000, totaling 300 deaths.    

• Age: The rates of death by suicide among adults older than 44 (16.7 - 18.8 per 100,00) were higher than among those ages 25-44 (12.9 per 100,000).  Young adults age 18-24 also had a higher rate of death by suicide, at 16.7 per 100,000.Youth under 18 years old  had the lowest rate of death by suicide (2.4 per 100,000). 

• Gender: Men were 3 times more likely to die by suicide compared to women (18.5 and 5.8 per 100,000 respectively). Men are more likely to use deadlier methods when they attempt suicide.  Unfortunately, death data only document binary gender and we are not able to report on death rates among transgender and nonbinary residents, who experience significant disparities in suicide-related behaviors.  

• Race: Asian (7.2 per 100,000), Black (10.1 per 100,000), and Latinx/Hispanic (8.9 per 100,000) residents had lower rates of death by suicide than white residents (13.9 per 100,000).   

• Income: Very high poverty areas in King County had a higher rate of death by suicide compared to neighborhoods with less poverty (15.1 per 100,000).  

• City/Neighborhood: Seattle - Downtown, Belltown, and First Hill (29.8.0 per 100,000) had the highest rates of death by suicide in King County. Delridge; Duvall, Carnation, Skykomish, and Northeast King County; Auburn – South; and Kent – West also had rates above 18 per 100,000. Seattle – Green Lake and Phinney Ridge (6.1 per 100,000) had the lowest rate of death by suicide.  

If you or someone you know is considering harming themselves, contact the 24/7 free and confidential National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).  

• Suicide prevention resources  

• Crisis services  

• Department of Community and Human Services Mental Health Programs  

• NAMI Seattle’s resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color 

• Suicide in Washington State, including risk factors and risk of imminent harm  

NOTES & SOURCES  

Source: Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. 

To learn more about the Death Certificate data and view the data biography, click here.