South Dakota recorded 198 suicides in 2024, up 10 percent from 180 a year earlier, while its age-adjusted suicide rate ranked fifth-highest in the nation, according to federal and state data.
The South Dakota Department of Health’s annual suicide report confirmed the year-over-year increase.
The state’s age-adjusted rate was 22 deaths per 100,000 residents. Only Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico ranked higher. Of South Dakota’s deaths, 117 involved firearms, or 59.1 percent.
The increase ran counter to the national trend. The U.S. suicide rate slipped from 14.2 per 100,000 in 2022 to 13.7 in 2024. At 22 per 100,000, South Dakota’s age-adjusted rate was about 61 percent above the national rate.
The ranking comes from an analysis released Wednesday by the Violence Policy Center, a Washington nonprofit that advocates for reducing gun deaths and injuries. The group analyzed 2024 mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WISQARS system, the most recent complete year available.
The VPC ranking uses age-adjusted rates. South Dakota’s surveillance report lists a crude 2024 rate of 21.4 per 100,000, meaning rankings using crude rates can differ.
Firearms account for most suicide deaths
Nationally, 48,824 people died by suicide in 2024. Firearms accounted for 27,593 deaths, or 56.5 percent. The firearm share has climbed from 50.4 percent in 2019 even as the overall national suicide rate has edged down.
The VPC found a similar pattern among states. All five states with the highest suicide rates had household gun ownership estimates above 46 percent, and firearms accounted for at least 59 percent of suicides. The five lowest-rate states had ownership estimates below 29 percent and firearm shares of 40 percent or less.
For South Dakota, the VPC cites a household gun ownership estimate of about 55 percent. The figure comes from a 2020 RAND report whose state estimates extend through 2016.
The VPC draws a link between firearm access, gun laws, and suicide rates. The CDC data themselves do not make that policy judgment.
North Dakota ranked 12th at 19.3 deaths per 100,000, Iowa 19th at 17.1, Nebraska 28th at 14.9 and Minnesota tied for 36th at 13.8. New Jersey had the nation’s lowest rate at 6.7.
State data show sharp American Indian disparity
South Dakota health data show suicide was the state’s leading cause of death among people ages 20 to 39 in 2024 and the fifth-leading cause of death among American Indians.
From 2015 through 2024, American Indians in South Dakota had a mean suicide rate of 51.2 per 100,000, 2.9 times the white rate of 17.7. Among people ages 20 to 29, the American Indian rate was 112.4 per 100,000, compared with 22.8 for white residents.
Anyone experiencing a suicide or mental health crisis can call or text 988 or use the 988 chat service. In South Dakota, the Helpline Center answers 988 calls, texts and chats around the clock.
South Dakota’s 2025-2030 suicide prevention plan was developed by five state departments and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board.
