Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Deaths among Persons 15-24 Years Old
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
The deaths of teens and young adults present a public health concern and an opportunity for prevention. The leading cause of death among persons 15-24 years old is injury. These deaths are, for the most part, preventable.
Definition
Deaths among those aged 15 through 24 years
Data Sources
- Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/) - Population Estimates, State Data Center, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/demographics/population-household-estimates/) - Underlying Cause of Death, CDC WONDER On-line Database, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://wonder.cdc.gov/Deaths-by-Underlying-Cause.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of deaths among persons aged 15-24 years |
| Denominator: | Estimate number of persons aged 15-24 years in the population |
How Are We Doing?
The leading causes of death among teens and young adults aged 15-24 years are unintentional injury, homicide, suicide, cancer, and heart disease. In 2020, more than half of unintentional injury deaths in this age group were due to drug poisoning. The death rate among Blacks aged 15-24 years is significantly above the rates for other racial/ethnic groups but the gap has narrowed in recent years.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
The death rate among New Jersey residents aged 15-24 years is significantly lower than the national rate.
Available Services
NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services: [https://nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/home/] Hotlines (All are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.): *[http://www.2ndfloor.org/ 2NDFLOOR] is a confidential and anonymous helpline for New Jersey's youth and young adults: 1-888-222-2228 *[http://www.njhopeline.com/ New Jersey Hopeline] provides confidential suicide prevention counseling: 1-855-NJ-HOPELINE (654-6735) *[http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline] connects callers to skilled, trained counselors at local crisis centers: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) *[http://www.njpies.org/ Poison Control]: 1-800-222-1222
More Resources
NJDOH Teen Health: [http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/maternalchild/teens/] NJ Student Health Survey (of high school students): [http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/yrbs/] NJ Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board: [http://www.nj.gov/dcf/news/reportsnewsletters/taskforce/fatality_reports.html] NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety: [http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/index.html ] NJ Youth Suicide Prevention: [http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/adolescent/prevention/] NJDOH Suicide Prevention: [http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/maternalchild/suicide.shtml] NJDOH Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Reports: [http://nj.gov/health/ces/reports.shtml]