Injury Deaths - Children in United States

United States

Accidents, or unintentional injuries, are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States. Suicide is also a serious concern among children and teens. It is the second-leading cause of death among children ages 10-14, and third, following homicide, among those ages 15-19. In the last decade, there has been an increase in deaths by suicide within these age groups.

Firearms are one of the most common methods of both suicide and homicide among children. Between 2014 and 2024, the child firearm death rate increased 68%, exceeding motor vehicle crashes in 2020 to become the leading means of death among children ages 1-19 in the U.S.

Injury deaths are associated with significant costs from loss of life and medical expenses. In 2024, injury deaths among children and teenagers ages 1-19 cost the U.S. an estimated $202 billion.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the death rate due to injury is higher among:

• Children ages 15-19, who have a prevalence more than six times that of children ages 5-14, the group with the lowest prevalence.
• Boys, who have a prevalence more than twice that of girls.
• American Indian/Alaska Native and Black children, who both have a prevalence more than five times that of Asian children, the group with the lowest prevalence.

Additional research has found that unintentional injury deaths are higher among children living in rural areas. 

To reduce fatal injuries among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a National Action Plan for Child Injury Prevention to raise awareness about child injury, highlight prevention solutions and mobilize action to reduce this underrecognized public health problem. The CDC also lists effective and promising youth violence prevention strategies on its website, including universal school-based programs, which are also strongly recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force. 

The CDC has partnered with 26 state health departments so far to further address issues related to injury and violence through the Core State Injury Prevention Program. The program has produced multiple successful state responses to suicide, motor vehicle crashes, traumatic brain injuries and more, implementing new safety standards, research initiatives and awareness campaigns.

Parents and caregivers can find tips for keeping their children safe on the CDC website and other online sources. Removing all guns from the home is one of the best ways to ensure children’s safety. However, households with firearms can still take measures to protect children by ensuring all guns inside the home are unloaded and locked away securely and keeping lock combinations, codes and storage keys hidden. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a Gun Safety Campaign Toolkit with resources for firearm safety. 

Improving access to mental health resources can help prevent suicide. The CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action provides evidence-based strategies for reducing suicide. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support for people in distress 24/7, everywhere in the U.S. Additional forms of crisis support are available on their website, and the previous National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-TALK(8255)) is still active and connects to the 988 lifeline. 

Healthy People 2030 has multiple goals related to injury deaths among children and adolescents, including:

• Reducing the overall death rate among children and adolescents ages 1-19.
• Reducing suicide attempts by adolescents.
• Reducing emergency department visits for medication overdoses in children under 5 years.

Garnett, Matthew F., Merianne Rose Spencer, and Holly Hedegaard. Urban-Rural Differences in Unintentional Injury Death Rates Among Children Aged 0–17 Years: United States, 2018–2019. NCHS Data Brief No. 421. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, October 2021. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:110040.

Goldstick, Jason E., Rebecca M. Cunningham, and Patrick M. Carter. “Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 386, no. 20 (May 19, 2022): 1955–56. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2201761.

National Action Plan for Child Injury Prevention: An Agenda to Prevent Injuries and Promote the Safety of Children and Adolescents in the United States. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2012. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/12060.

Tejada-Vera, Betzaida, Brigham A. Bastian, and Sally C. Curtin. “Deaths: Leading Causes for 2023.” National Vital Statistics Reports 74, no. 10 (September 18, 2025): 1–115. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174607.