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Complete Health Indicator Report of Homicide

Definition

Deaths where homicide is indicated as the underlying cause of death. Homicide is defined as death resulting from the intentional use of force or power, threatened or actual, against another person, group, or community. ICD-10 Codes: X85-Y09, Y87.1 (homicide)

Numerator

Number of resident deaths due to homicide

Denominator

Total number of persons in the population

Why Is This Important?

Violence is a major public health problem in the United States and is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 15-34 years in the U.S. and second in New Jersey.

Healthy People Objective: Reduce homicides

U.S. Target: 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population (age-adjusted)
State Target: 4.3 homicides per 100,000 population (age-adjusted)

Other Objectives

'''Revised Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1a''': Reduce the age-adjusted mortality rate due to homicide per 100,000 standard population to 4.3 for the total population, 0.9 among Whites, 18.6 among Blacks, and 3.1 among Hispanics. '''Revised Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1b''': Reduce the mortality rate due to homicide among 15 to 19 year old males per 100,000 population to 9.2 among all racial/ethnic groups, 50.6 among Blacks, and 10.4 among Hispanics. '''Revised Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1c''': Reduce the mortality rate due to homicide among 20 to 34 year olds per 100,000 population to 10.1 among all those aged 20-34, 1.1 among Whites, 51.5 among Blacks, and 6.8 among Hispanics. '''Original Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1a''': Reduce the age-adjusted mortality rate due to homicide per 100,000 standard population to 4.3 for the total population, 1.1 among Whites, 18.6 among Blacks, and 4.6 among Hispanics. '''Original Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1b''': Reduce the mortality rate due to homicide among 15 to 19 year old males per 100,000 population to 14.6 among all racial/ethnic groups, 70.6 among Blacks, and 13.9 among Hispanics. '''Original Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective IVP-1c''': Reduce the mortality rate due to homicide among 20 to 34 year olds per 100,000 population to 12.1 among all those aged 20-34, 2.3 among Whites, 57.0 among Blacks, and 8.6 among Hispanics. Targets were not set for race/ethnicity, sex, and/or age groups with numbers of homicides too small to calculate reliable rates.

How Are We Doing?

Homicides had declined in recent years such that there were fewer than 300 homicides of NJ residents in 2019. The age-adjusted homicide rate in New Jersey had remained between 4 and 5 per 100,000 population from 2007 through 2017 before decreasing to 3.7 in 2018 and 3.4 in 2019. However, a nationwide increase in homicides[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/2021/20211008/20211008.htm ^1^] resulted in 365 homicides of NJ residents in 2020 and an age-adjusted death rate of 4.4, bringing it back above the Healthy New Jersey 2020 target, which had been met prior to 2020. Homicide victims are predominantly male, accounting for over 80% of homicides in New Jersey. Firearms are used in two-thirds of homicides.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

New Jersey's homicide rate is consistently lower than the national rate.

What Is Being Done?

The [https://www.nj.gov/oag/library/SCV-Final-Report--10-13-15.pdf Governor's Study Commission on Violence] released a report of recommendations to the Governor on ways to combat all types of violence from a public health perspective in October, 2015. The New Jersey Department of Health maintains the [http://www.state.nj.us/health/chs/njvdrs/ New Jersey Violent Death Reporting System] (NJVDRS), a CDC-funded surveillance system that tracks suicides, homicides, unintentional firearm deaths, injury deaths of undetermined intent, and deaths by legal intervention and is used to educate public health and public safety professionals in the state and inform their interventions and decision-making, with the ultimate goal of reducing the incidence of violent deaths. NJVDRS is part of the [https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nvdrs/index.html National Violent Death Reporting System]. The New Jersey [http://www.nj.gov/dcf/providers/boards/fatality/ Child Fatality and Near-Fatality Review Board] and the New Jersey [http://www.nj.gov/dcf/providers/boards/dvfnfrb/ Domestic Violence Fatality and Near-Fatality Review Board] meet regularly to discuss possible systemic issues relating to incidents involving children and certain legally defined domestic relationships.

Available Services

New Jersey Department of Corrections, [https://www.nj.gov/corrections/pages/victimServices.html Office of Victim Services]: 1-800-996-2029 or 609-292-4036 x5299 New Jersey Department of Children and Families, [https://www.nj.gov/dcf/women/ Division on Women]: *New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-572-SAFE (7233) *New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) Hotline: 1-800-601-7200 *Women's Referral Central Hotline: 1-800-322-8092

Health Program Information

The [http://www.state.nj.us/health/chs/ Center for Health Statistics] is a central source for injury statistics. Available data include emergency department data, inpatient hospitalization data, and mortality data.


Related Indicators

Related Relevant Population Characteristics Indicators:


Related Health Status Outcomes Indicators:



Data Tables


Age-Adjusted Death Rate due to Homicide by Year, New Jersey and the United States, 2000-2020 (HNJ2020)

US/NJYearRate per 100,000 PopulationLower LimitUpper LimitNumer- ator
Record Count: 42
US20005.95.86.016,765
US20016.06.06.117,386
US20026.16.06.217,638
US20036.16.06.217,732
US20045.95.86.017,357
US20056.16.06.218,124
US20066.26.16.318,573
US20076.16.06.218,361
US20085.95.86.017,826
US20095.55.45.616,799
US20105.35.25.416,259
US20115.35.25.416,238
US20125.45.35.516,688
US20135.25.15.316,121
US20145.15.05.115,872
US20155.75.65.717,793
US20166.26.16.319,362
US20176.26.16.219,510
US20185.95.86.018,830
US20196.05.96.119,141
US20207.87.77.924,576
NJ20003.93.54.3321
NJ20014.33.94.8359
NJ20024.03.64.4333
NJ20035.14.65.6423
NJ20044.94.45.3405
NJ20055.24.75.6427
NJ20065.45.06.0450
NJ20074.94.45.4403
NJ20084.54.15.0377
NJ20094.03.64.5340
NJ20104.64.25.1390
NJ20114.94.55.4413
NJ20124.84.45.3405
NJ20134.94.55.4419
NJ20144.54.04.9373
NJ20154.64.25.0388
NJ20164.74.25.2395
NJ20174.23.84.6352
NJ20183.73.34.1311
NJ20193.43.13.8287
NJ20204.44.04.8365

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective IVP-1a.

Data Sources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death File. CDC WONDER On-line Database accessed at [https://wonder.cdc.gov/Deaths-by-Underlying-Cause.html]
  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development


Age-Adjusted Death Rate due to Homicide by Year and Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey 2000-2020 (HNJ2020)

Race/EthnicityYearRate per 100,000 PopulationLower LimitUpper LimitNumer- ator
Record Count: 63
White20001.20.91.569
White20011.51.21.885
White20021.41.11.883
White20031.71.42.192
White20041.51.21.881
White20051.91.52.398
White20061.61.21.983
White20071.31.01.666
White20081.00.71.357
White20091.00.71.254
White20101.10.81.458
White20111.31.01.666
White20121.00.71.255
White20131.31.01.667
White20141.20.91.458
White20151.00.71.353
White20161.00.71.251
White20170.90.61.244
White20181.20.91.559
White20190.90.61.143
White20200.90.71.243
Black200016.113.818.5190
Black200116.414.018.8193
Black200215.112.917.4179
Black200320.718.123.4246
Black200419.717.122.3236
Black200521.118.423.7253
Black200623.420.626.3284
Black200720.918.223.6252
Black200819.416.821.9235
Black200916.714.319.1204
Black201021.118.423.8248
Black201122.019.224.7257
Black201222.219.424.9258
Black201322.519.725.2266
Black201419.416.821.9225
Black201521.919.224.6255
Black201622.820.025.5264
Black201719.416.922.0227
Black201816.013.718.3183
Black201915.913.618.2184
Black202018.916.421.4222
Hispanic20004.73.45.959
Hispanic20016.04.67.477
Hispanic20025.13.86.466
Hispanic20035.74.47.077
Hispanic20044.83.66.070
Hispanic20054.13.05.259
Hispanic20065.44.16.677
Hispanic20075.34.16.575
Hispanic20084.23.25.366
Hispanic20094.13.15.265
Hispanic20104.03.05.068
Hispanic20114.13.15.169
Hispanic20124.73.65.782
Hispanic20133.72.74.665
Hispanic20144.43.45.478
Hispanic20153.42.54.360
Hispanic20163.42.54.260
Hispanic20173.82.94.871
Hispanic20183.02.23.756
Hispanic20192.82.03.553
Hispanic20204.53.55.587

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective IVP-1a. Data for White and Black do not include Hispanics. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race. The number of deaths among Asians is too low to calculate reliable rates.

Data Sources

  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development


Age-Adjusted Death Rate due to Homicide by Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey, 2018-2020

Race/EthnicityDeaths per 100,000 PopulationLower LimitUpper Limit
Record Count: 6
White1.00.81.2
Black16.915.618.3
Hispanic3.42.93.9
Asian**
New Jersey3.83.64.1
United States6.66.66.7

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   Data for White, Black, and Asian do not include Hispanics. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race. ** Number of deaths too small to calculate a reliable rate.

Data Sources

  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development


Death Rate due to Homicide among 15- to 19-Year-Old Males, by Year and Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey, 2000-2020 (HNJ2020)

Race/Ethnicity3-year averageDeaths per 100,000 PopulationLower LimitUpper Limit
Record Count: 57
Black2000-200242.030.953.1
Black2001-200344.032.755.3
Black2002-200455.442.868.0
Black2003-200563.049.776.4
Black2004-200676.161.690.6
Black2005-200780.665.895.4
Black2006-200884.369.299.4
Black2007-200974.560.388.7
Black2008-201069.956.283.6
Black2009-201162.549.575.4
Black2010-201262.549.575.6
Black2011-201357.444.770.1
Black2012-201453.340.865.7
Black2013-201553.640.966.2
Black2014-201656.843.670.0
Black2015-201758.645.172.2
Black2016-201847.235.059.5
Black2017-201946.434.258.7
Black2018-202044.932.757.1
Hispanic2000-2002**
Hispanic2001-200313.87.819.8
Hispanic2002-200419.212.126.3
Hispanic2003-200517.510.824.2
Hispanic2004-200617.110.523.7
Hispanic2005-200715.49.221.5
Hispanic2006-200813.27.518.8
Hispanic2007-2009**
Hispanic2008-2010**
Hispanic2009-201113.98.619.2
Hispanic2010-201214.69.320.0
Hispanic2011-201314.49.119.7
Hispanic2012-201411.97.016.7
Hispanic2013-2015**
Hispanic2014-2016**
Hispanic2015-2017**
Hispanic2016-201810.86.315.4
Hispanic2017-2019**
Hispanic2018-2020**
Total2000-20029.27.111.3
Total2001-200310.48.212.6
Total2002-200413.310.915.8
Total2003-200514.211.716.8
Total2004-200616.313.618.9
Total2005-200716.613.919.3
Total2006-200816.914.219.6
Total2007-200914.912.417.4
Total2008-201013.711.316.1
Total2009-201113.010.715.4
Total2010-201213.110.815.5
Total2011-201312.310.014.6
Total2012-201411.18.913.2
Total2013-20159.97.811.9
Total2014-201610.38.212.4
Total2015-201710.28.112.4
Total2016-20189.37.211.3
Total2017-20198.56.610.5
Total2018-20208.66.610.6

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective IVP-1b. Data for Black do not include Hispanics. Hispanic includes all races. Data for Hispanics are not shown for some years because there were too few deaths to calculate a reliable rate.

Data Sources

  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development


Death Rate due to Homicide among Persons 20-34 Years Old by Year and Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey, 2000-2020 (HNJ2020)

Race/Ethnicity3-year averageDeaths per 100,000 Persons Aged 20-34 YearsLower LimitUpper Limit
Record Count: 76
White2000-20021.91.42.4
White2001-20032.31.72.9
White2002-20042.62.03.2
White2003-20053.22.53.9
White2004-20063.02.33.6
White2005-20072.82.23.4
White2006-20082.01.52.6
White2007-20091.91.42.4
White2008-20101.61.22.2
White2009-20112.21.62.7
White2010-20121.91.42.5
White2011-20132.01.52.6
White2012-20141.40.91.9
White2013-20151.40.91.8
White2014-20161.20.81.6
White2015-20171.20.71.6
White2016-20181.40.91.8
White2017-20191.30.81.7
White2018-20201.41.01.9
Black2000-200245.240.450.0
Black2001-200349.144.154.1
Black2002-200449.744.654.7
Black2003-200558.052.563.4
Black2004-200662.056.367.6
Black2005-200764.258.470.0
Black2006-200859.554.065.0
Black2007-200952.447.257.5
Black2008-201053.147.958.4
Black2009-201158.452.863.9
Black2010-201262.456.668.2
Black2011-201362.857.068.5
Black2012-201458.352.863.8
Black2013-201557.151.762.5
Black2014-201658.052.663.4
Black2015-201757.652.263.0
Black2016-201852.347.157.4
Black2017-201943.638.948.2
Black2018-202042.037.446.6
Hispanic2000-200210.58.512.6
Hispanic2001-200311.08.913.0
Hispanic2002-200410.38.312.3
Hispanic2003-20059.98.011.8
Hispanic2004-20069.67.711.5
Hispanic2005-20079.67.711.5
Hispanic2006-200810.78.712.7
Hispanic2007-200910.58.612.5
Hispanic2008-20109.88.011.6
Hispanic2009-20118.36.710.0
Hispanic2010-20128.97.210.6
Hispanic2011-20139.07.310.7
Hispanic2012-20149.27.510.9
Hispanic2013-20158.46.810.0
Hispanic2014-20167.76.19.2
Hispanic2015-20177.66.09.1
Hispanic2016-20186.75.28.2
Hispanic2017-20196.75.28.1
Hispanic2018-20207.35.88.8
Total2000-200210.09.210.9
Total2001-200311.010.111.9
Total2002-200411.410.412.3
Total2003-200513.012.014.0
Total2004-200613.512.414.5
Total2005-200713.712.614.7
Total2006-200812.811.813.8
Total2007-200911.710.712.6
Total2008-201011.410.412.3
Total2009-201111.911.012.9
Total2010-201212.411.413.4
Total2011-201312.711.713.7
Total2012-201411.810.812.7
Total2013-201511.510.512.4
Total2014-201611.410.512.4
Total2015-201711.310.412.2
Total2016-201810.49.511.3
Total2017-20199.08.19.8
Total2018-20209.08.29.8

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective IVP-1c. Data for White and Black do not include Hispanics. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race.

Data Sources

  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development


Age-Adjusted Death Rate due to Homicide by County, New Jersey, 2016-2020

CountyDeaths per 100,000 PopulationLower LimitUpper Limit
Record Count: 23
Atlantic7.15.68.5
Bergen1.00.71.3
Burlington3.52.84.3
Camden8.06.99.1
Cape May**
Cumberland8.16.010.1
Essex12.010.913.1
Gloucester2.41.63.2
Hudson3.63.04.3
Hunterdon**
Mercer7.86.69.1
Middlesex1.81.42.2
Monmouth1.71.22.2
Morris**
Ocean1.51.12.0
Passaic5.04.15.8
Salem12.78.816.7
Somerset1.81.22.5
Sussex**
Union3.73.04.4
Warren**
New Jersey4.13.94.3
United States6.46.46.5

Data Notes

The homicides that occurred as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, have been excluded. Also, homicides due to legal intervention, which is the death of a person by a police officer in the line of duty, have been excluded.   County is the decedent's county of residence, not the county where the assault occurred. ** The number of deaths in some counties is too small to calculate reliable rates.

Data Sources

  • Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
  • Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

References and Community Resources

1. [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/2021/20211008/20211008.htm The Record Increase in Homicide During 2020] New Jersey Violent Death Reporting System: [http://www.state.nj.us/health/chs/njvdrs/] NJ Governor's Study Commission on Violence Report: [http://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases15/pr20151013a.html] CDC Violence Prevention Info: [http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/] National Domestic Violence Hotline: [http://www.thehotline.org/]

Page Content Updated On 10/03/2022, Published on 10/03/2022
The information provided above is from the Department of Health's NJSHAD web site (https://nj.gov/health/shad). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Fri, 29 March 2024 1:13:15 from Department of Health, New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Web site: https://nj.gov/health/shad ".

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