Children, Firearm, & Gang-Related Deaths (2026 Statistics)

Last Updated: Aug 3, 2026

Report Highlights

3.0 Per 100,000, tied with motor vehicles

In 2024, firearms and motor vehicles tied as the leading cause of injury-related death in the 0-17 age group (3.0 per 100,000).
▲76.9% Homicides, 2019 to 2022

The pandemic-era spike in gun deaths among U.S. minors was primarily driven by homicides, which increased by 76.9% (1.3 to 2.3 per 100,000) from 2019 to 2022.
More than one-third of gang violence offenders and more than one-quarter of gang violence victims were under 18 years of age between 2021 and 2024.

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Methodology

All firearm death data in this report were sourced from the CDC WONDER Underlying Cause of Death and CDC WONDER Provisional Mortality Statistics databases. Raw death counts, population size, and crude rates were obtained directly from the CDC WONDER database when available for the single-year age group (0-17).

Where noted, 2025 data are provided to show more recent trends, but these data are provisional at the time of writing. Death totals and rates will change as the database becomes more current.

Urban and rural deaths were classified using WONDER’s 2023 Urbanization categories. Population rates for the 0-17 age group by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) are unavailable in the WONDER database and in U.S. Census Bureau data. The data presented are a share of gun deaths by MSA, rather than adjusted for population.

Gang-related gun deaths are not consistently tracked or reported in the U.S. All gang-related data in this report are sourced from government sources and national surveys.

Are Firearms the Leading Cause of Death for Children?

In 2024, firearms and motor vehicles accounted for the highest rate of injury-related deaths in children and adolescents (0-17 age group) at 3.0 per 100,000.²

Although incomplete at the time of writing, data available in 2025 showed a 10% decline in the adolescent gun death rate (2.7 per 100,000) from 2024. Per the available data, motor vehicles were associated with 3.0 deaths per 100,000 in 2025.³

In 2018 and 2019, the gun death rate in the under-18 age group was 2.2 per 100,000. Gun deaths began increasing in 2020 (3.1 per 100,000) and remained at 3.5 per 100,000 from 2021 to 2023, before gradually declining to 3.0 in 2024 and 2.7 in 2025 (provisional).²

Homicides primarily drove the increase in gun deaths during and following the COVID pandemic. From 2019 to 2022, firearm-related homicides in this age group increased from 1.3 per 100,000 to 2.3 (76.9%). Firearm-related suicides remained at 0.9 per 100,000 before the pandemic and into 2022. Unintentional firearm-related deaths increased slightly from 0.1 per 100,000 in 2019 to 0.2 per 100,000 in 2022.²

Are Firearms the Leading Cause of Death for Children?

How Many Children Die from Guns Each Year?

Between 1999 and 2019, an average of 1,489 (2.0 per 100,000) children and adolescents (0-17) died from gunshots. During and following the COVID pandemic, adolescent and child gun deaths increased by 50.4% to an average of 2,240 per year.^{2, 3, 8}

The rate of gun deaths among the 0-17 age group spiked to 3.5 per 100,000 in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2024, gun death rates declined to 3.0 per 100,000. Preliminary 2025 data show the rate falling to 2.7 deaths per 100,000.²

How Many Children Die from Guns Each Year?

Accidental Gun Deaths Statistics

In 2024, children and adolescents died from accidental injuries at a rate of 7.8 per 100,000. Motor vehicles (3.0 per 100,000), suffocation (1.7 per 100,000), drowning (1.2 per 100,000), poisoning (0.6 per 100,000), and fire (0.3 per 100,000) were the most common mechanisms of death that year.²

Accidental gun deaths in the 0-17 age group are rare. There were 125 unintentional gun deaths among this group in 2024. This equates to 0.2 deaths per 100,000 in the age group.²

For a wider view of unintentional firearm deaths across every age group, see our review of accidental shooting statistics.

Urban and Rural Children's Firearm Deaths

Of the 2,175 gun deaths (0-17 age group) reported by MSA in 2024, more than one-third occurred in large central metros (35.6%). Medium-sized cities accounted for 21.1% of gun deaths. Large suburban areas accounted for 18.9% of all gun deaths, followed by micropolitan areas (8.9%), small metros (8.3%), and rural noncore areas (7.2%).²

Child-specific population estimates were unavailable for these MSAs, so per capita comparisons across these areas are not possible. What the data do reveal, however, is a striking difference in how children are dying from gun-related deaths depending on where they live.¹

In 2024, homicide was the leading factor in gun-related deaths in large central metros (75.2%), medium-sized cities (63.7%), and large suburban areas (58.5%). Homicides accounted for less than half of all child and adolescent gun deaths in micropolitan areas (44.0%), small cities (43.1%), and rural noncore areas (34.4%).²

Alternatively, suicides were the leading factor in gun-related deaths in more rural areas. Suicides in noncore rural areas accounted for most gun deaths (54.8%), and nearly half of all gun deaths in smaller cities (49.2%) and micropolitan areas (45.6%). Suicides were a factor in 38.0% of gun deaths in large suburban areas and 29.1% of deaths in medium-sized cities. Suicides were rarely attributed to gun deaths in large central metros (16.9%).²

Accidental gun deaths were more common in noncore rural areas (10.8%), micropolitan areas (10.4%), small cities (7.7%), and medium-sized cities (7.2%) than in large central metros (3.5%) or large suburban areas (3.4%).²

Our analysis of what percentage of gun deaths are suicides breaks the split down across all age groups.

Children Gun Deaths by Age

In 2024, gun deaths among 0-11-year-olds remained at or below 1 per 100,000. Twelve-year-olds experienced slightly higher gun death rates than their younger peers (1.4 per 100,000).²

From there, gun death rates become much higher for every age, with 13-year-olds dying at 3 per 100,000; 14-year-olds, 5.1 per 100,000; 15-year-olds, 8.8 per 100,000, 16-year-olds, 11.1 per 100,000; and 17-year-olds at a significantly higher rate of 14.5 per 100,000.²

0-17 Gun Deaths by Age in 2024

Age	Deaths	Population	Crude Rate Per 100,000
Birth - 1 year	14	3,615,598	0.4
1 year	16	3,701,824	0.4
2 years	35	3,768,012	0.9
3 years	36	3,690,129	1.0
4 years	32	3,823,751	0.8
5 years	22	3,880,536	0.6
6 years	17	3,965,148	0.4
7 years	23	4,039,527	0.6
8 years	17	4,139,497	0.4
9 years	19	4,172,964	0.5
10 years	17	4,157,482	0.4
11 years	31	4,140,092	0.7
12 years	56	4,144,127	1.4
13 years	126	4,187,019	3.0
14 years	220	4,272,434	5.1
15 years	384	4,363,695	8.8
16 years	503	4,532,690	11.1
17 years	660	4,538,195	14.5

For the same demographic breakdown across all ages rather than minors alone, see our report on gun deaths in America.

Gang-related gun deaths for the 0-17 age group are challenging to track due to reporting and monitoring issues. Many law enforcement jurisdictions do not report gang-related crimes, and those that do may misidentify gang members.

Although the exact correlation between gang membership and gun deaths among the 0-17 age group is unknown, we can analyze trends in gang membership. In 2010, there were an estimated 1,059,000 youth gang members in the U.S. Of those, the peak age for membership was 14 years, which is also the age when gun deaths increased to 5.1 per 100,000 in 2024.^{2, 7}

A National Gang Center survey conducted between 1996 and 2012 stated that of the jurisdictions reporting, law enforcement agencies in cities with populations over 100,000 had the highest incident rate of gang problems, which is consistent with our previous findings of homicides in urban MSAs.^{5, 6}

Between 2021 and 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that more than one-quarter (25.8%) of gang-violence victims and more than one-third (33.8%) of offenders who committed gang-related crimes were minors. More than half (53.7%) of gang-related crime incidents were violent crimes (murder, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery). Firearms were used in 39.3% of incidents where a weapon was used in the crime.⁴

Wrap-Up

Infant, child, and adolescent gun deaths are an unfortunate problem in the U.S. Gun death rates among young Americans vary depending on age and location. Suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths also vary dramatically depending on rural versus urban environments.

Gang-related gun deaths aren’t widely tracked or monitored in the U.S., but some correlations exist between location and age.

Readers looking for prevention guidance can start with our guide to youth gun safety.

Sources

NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Countiescdc.gov
CDC WONDER: Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024wonder.cdc.gov
CDC WONDER: Provisional Mortality Statistics, 2018 through last weekwonder.cdc.gov
U.S. Department of Justice: Gang Activity, 2021-2024cde.ucr.cjis.gov
National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Measuring the Extent of Gang Problemsnationalgangcenter.ojp.gov
U.S. Department of Justice: Gang Statisticsjustice.gov
Gang membership between ages 5 and 17 years in the United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
CDC WONDER: Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020wonder.cdc.gov

Written by

Cassandra McBride