Editor's Note: This story contains mention of self-harm. If you or someone you know is considering suicide or other acts of self-harm, please visit 988Colorado.com, or call or text 988 from your cell phone for free, confidential, and immediate support.
Colorado's youth suicide rate has declined to its lowest level since 2007, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Last year, among those ages 10 to 18, there were 39 suicide deaths — putting the rate at 5.85 per 100-thousand people in that age group, the agency said in a press release Monday.
That's less than half the rate from the peak in 2020 when 87 young people died by suicide; the rate that year, the first of the COVID-19 pandemic, was 12.91 deaths per 100,000 youth.
The trend is encouraging, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the department’s executive director.
“We see that our shared efforts in communities across Colorado are indeed having a positive impact on our youth,” said Ryan in the release. “We have been intentional about the actions we are taking in Colorado to prevent suicide and the data indicates that we are making a difference.”
Why the rate is decreasing sharply isn't clear. But the agency credits evidence-based programming, statewide partnerships and prevention programs, many of which were developed in the last several years after data showed trends heading in the wrong direction.
“One youth suicide is too many, but the decrease in youth suicide in 2024 is promising,” said Lena Heilmann, director of the agency’s Office of Suicide Prevention. More about the state’s prevention efforts can be found on its website.
“We hope to build on this progress as kids head back to school, where they will have more opportunities to connect with a broader network of caring adults and their peers.”
In 2024, the number of suicide deaths total was 1,306. The age-adjusted suicide rate, which accounts for population, remained steady at 20.83 per 100,000 people in 2023 and 2024. That was a decline from 22.64 per 100,000 people in 2021.
“We are proud of the progress we are making, and are committed to realizing similar decreases in suicide for people of all ages in Colorado,” said Heilmann.
Coloradans ages 25 to 64 continue to have the highest rates and counts of suicide deaths, representing 69 percent of all suicide fatalities, according to the state’s Office of Suicide Prevention website.
National data
Youth and young adults ages 10 to 24 years — a larger group than Colorado’s data covers — account for 15 percent of all suicides, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The suicide rate for this age group (11.0 per 100,000) is lower than other age groups, but suicide is the second leading cause of death for that age range. Additionally, nationally, suicide rates for this age group increased by about 52 percent between 2000-21.
In 2021, 9 percent of U.S. high school students reported attempting suicide during the previous 12 months. Suicide attempts were reported most frequently among girls compared to boys (12.4 percent vs. 5.3 percent) and among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native students (20.1 percent).
Suicide prevention programs
Among the state programs the agency said have had an impact are several run by the agency and the state’s Behavioral Health Administration, according to the release:
- Sources of Strength - a universal suicide prevention program designed to build and improve relationships among youth and trusted adults. A study released in 2025 found that its peer-led program in schools reduced suicide attempts by high school students by nearly a third.
- The Colorado Follow-Up Project - provides critical services to people, including youth, who have been discharged from an emergency department after a mental health crisis or suicide attempt.
- The Second Wind Fund - provides free suicide-specific therapy to underinsured or uninsured youth.
- The Gun Shop Project - funds trusted messengers to encourage gun shops, firing ranges, and firearm safety course instructors to promote best practices in firearm safety, such as safe gun storage.
- 988 Colorado - a service free to use and open to all for immediate, live, mental health support from a trained specialist. A one-year analysis released this year found men made up the majority of callers to the line to Colorado’s mental health crisis line, with most calls coming from people ages 26 to 39.
- I Matter Colorado - providing free mental health sessions and resources to youth, including up to six free therapy sessions with a trained therapist. The program was launched in response to what researchers called a mental health crisis.
- Colorado LIFTS (Linking Individuals and Families To Services) - a new statewide network that connects people who don’t have insurance or enough coverage with mental health, substance use, and crisis support.
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, panicked, or out of control, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 or chat online at 988Colorado.com.
