CDC reports show that most gun deaths in rural counties are suicides, while urban areas take the lead in gun-related homicides.
Eighty percent of the rural and urban counties with the highest rates of gun deaths had poverty rates above the 2020 national rate of 9.1%. This statistic is no surprise, given the relationship between poverty and violent crime.
Let’s take a look at how the numbers break down.
Ten Rural Counties with the Highest Gun Deaths
# 10 Navajo County, Arizona
Thirty-six individuals died of firearm related injuries in Navajo County, Arizona, in 2020. The crude gun death rate was 32.11 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 9 Troup County, Georgia
In 2020, 23 people died from firearms in Troup County Georgia, where the gun death rate was 32.76 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 8 McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County, Kentucky, reported 22 gun deaths in 2020. The gun death rate was 33.51 per 100,000 residents.
# 7 Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County, Alabama witnessed a gun death rate of 33.76 deaths per 100,000 residents, reporting a total of 27 deaths in 2020.
# 6 Robeson County, North Carolina
In 2020, 46 individuals died from firearms in 2020 in Robeson County, North Carolina. The 2020 gun death rate was 35.39 deaths per 100,000 residents in Robeson.
# 5 Chaves County, New Mexico
Chaves County, New Mexico reported 23 gun deaths in 2020 and a death rate of 35.54 gun deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 4 St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Thirty individuals died from a gun in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana in 2020. The gun death rate was 36.84 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 3 Warren County, Mississippi
In 2020, Warren County, Mississippi, reported 23 gun deaths and a death rate of 51.29 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 2 Mississippi County, Arkansas
In 2020, 22 people died from firearms in Mississippi County, Arkansas, where the gun death rate was 54.91 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 1 Dillon County, South Carolina
In Dillon County, South Carolina, 27 individuals died from firearms in 2020. The rate of gun deaths was 88.91 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Ten Urban Counties with the Highest Gun Deaths
# 10 Montgomery County, Alabama
There were 83 gun deaths in Montgomery County, Alabama, in 2020. The gun death rate was 36.95 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 9 Caddo Parish, Louisiana
In Caddo Parish, Louisiana, 90 people died from a firearm in 2020. The gun death rate was 37.9 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 8 Bibb County, Georgia
In 2020, there were 59 gun deaths in Bibb County, Georgia, where the gun death rate was 38.63 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 7 Wyandotte County, Kansas
Sixty-six individuals died from firearms in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where the gun death rate in 2020 was 39.94 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 6 Shelby County, Tennessee
In 2020, 380 people died from firearms in Shelby County, Tennessee, where the gun death rate was 40.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 5 Jefferson County, Arkansas
Twenty-nine people died from firearms in Jefferson County, Arkansas, in 2020. The gun death rate was 44.36 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 4 Baltimore County, Maryland
In Baltimore County, Maryland, 269 people died from firearms in 2020. The gun death rate was 45.89 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 3 Orleans Parish, Louisiana
In 2020, 195 people died from firearms in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, where the 2020 gun death rate was 50.07 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 2 Hinds County, Mississippi
Hinds County, Mississippi, reported 138 gun deaths in 2020. The gun death rate was 60.54 deaths per 100,000 residents.
# 1 St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County, Missouri, reported 197 gun deaths in 2020. The gun death rate was 66.19 deaths per 100,000 residents.
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