U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce firearm-related deaths — IVP‑13 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Sources:  National Vital Statistics System - Mortality (NVSS-M), CDC/NCHS; Population Estimates, Census

Baseline: 11.9 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 population occurred in 2018

Target: 10.7 per 100,000

Numerator
Number of firearm-related deaths (ICD-10 codes: W32–W34, X72–X74, X93–X95, Y22–Y24, Y35.0,*U01.4).
Denominator
Number of persons.
Target-setting method
Percent improvement
Target-setting method details
10 percent improvement from the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because the trend was moving away from the desired direction. A 10 percent improvement from the baseline was used to calculate a target. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline.

Methodology

Methodology notes

Death rates are calculated based on the resident population of the United States for the data year involved. Population counts enumerated as of April 1st are used for census years (e.g., 2020). Population estimates as of July 1st are used for all other years. Postcensal population estimates are used in rate calculations for years after a census and match the data year vintage (e.g., July 1, 2021, resident population estimates from Vintage 2021 are used as the denominator for 2021 rates). Intercensal population estimates are used in rate calculations for the years between censuses (e.g., 2011–2019).

Age-adjustment notes

This indicator uses Age-Adjustment Groups:

  • Total: <1, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+
  • Sex: <1, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+
  • Race/Ethnicity: <1, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+
  • Geographic Location: <5, 5-14, 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+
  • Marital Status: 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
  • Educational Attainment: 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Retained, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 with no change in measurement.