Suicide deaths fall in NYC, but rise among Latinos. A Council law this year ordered fuller suicide data

Fewer New Yorkers are dying by suicide, but the decline has not reached every group, according to a new city Health Department data brief reported by Gothamist.

Suicide deaths fell from a peak of 601 in 2022 to 535 in 2024. The city's 2024 rate, 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people, was less than half the national rate of 13.7. But the rate among Latino New Yorkers rose from 3.8 to 5.4 per 100,000 between 2015 and 2024. Manhattan had the highest rate of any borough in 2024, adults ages 18 to 24 had the highest rate of any age group, and men were more than twice as likely as women to die by suicide, Gothamist reported.

Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin said that despite the decline, "we continue to lose too many New Yorkers to suicide."

Why it matters to residents: numbers like these decide where the city puts counselors, outreach and crisis services. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or visit NYC988.

What our records add

The Council voted this year to require a detailed annual suicide report. Int. 291, from Council Member Farah N. Louis, requires the Health Department to report on deaths by suicide in the city and on suicide-related behavior among young people. The full Council passed it 49 to 0 on Feb. 24, with one member absent and one seat vacant at the time. It had 29 sponsors. Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not sign it, and it became law without his signature on March 27. Gothamist's report does not say whether the new brief is the report the law requires.

What the sponsors said the data should show. At a Jan. 27 committee hearing, the bill's sponsor said that some of this information already exists within broader death data but is not comprehensive enough for providers, advocates and families, and that it should be broken out by age, race, ethnicity, gender, occupation and borough. On the day of the vote, Louis told the Mental Health and Substance Use Committee the law requires a "comprehensive annual report on suicide." Committee chair Tiffany L. Cabán said at the same meeting that the reports would include age, race, gender and borough, and, for young people, sexual orientation and gender identity when available.

A second law created a 988 task force. Int. 741, from Council Member Linda Lee, set up a Health Department task force on the city's 988 crisis line and a public education campaign. The Council passed it 48 to 0 on May 14, with three members absent. It also became law without the mayor's signature, on June 13.

Members have asked about specific groups. At a Sept. 23 Hospitals Committee hearing, Cabán asked whether the city's suicide prevention planning treats access to gender-affirming care as a prevention strategy. A city official said it does. At an April 23 Veterans Committee hearing, testimony noted that veterans in the city die by suicide at roughly twice the rate of other residents.

The Health Department testified on prevention programs in April. At the Mental Health Committee's April 21 hearing, a Health Department official listed suicide prevention among the department's crisis and school-based programs.

What's next

The Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use has 23 pending items. Its most recent hearing, on Oct. 21, covered syringe litter (meeting). Residents can follow when the Health Department publishes reports required by Int. 291 and Int. 741 on the bills' pages.