Monday, January 12, 2015

Suicide data part 2

I spent a few hours last week compiling some data on suicide and attempted suicide, and published the first few charts on my blog Friday. This is the next installment in this short series. Friday's data concerned the number of suicides and attempts. Today's charts concern the rate: the number of suicides and attempts divided by the population. These charts express the rate as the number of incidents per 100,000 population. Lincoln has grown by more than 60,000 over the 20 years covered by these data. The rate calculation allows a comparison over time that takes into account that population growth. Click each chart for a larger view.


Nebraskim said...

How does this rate compare to the rest of Nebraska and nationally? Are we on track, above or below? When did we begin to dismantle (or unfund) psychological services? Has there been an uptick since then?

Tom Casady said...


The national suicide rate last year was 12.6 per 100,000 population. Lincoln's was 16. However, the average over the past 20 years is 11 per 100,000 population.