Hawai'i Suicide Rates by Occupation 2013-2023

The suicide rate in the U.S. has increased in the last two decades despite continued efforts to mitigate risks. This study explored potential variability in suicide rates by occupation in Hawai'i by analyzing 2430 death certificates from 2013 to 2023. Of these, 1988 suicide deaths occurred among individuals aged 20 to 64 years old, who constituted the study sample. Suicide death was identified using ICD-10 underlying cause of death codes X60-X84 and Y87. Occupations were coded using the 1990 Census Bureau classification scheme, and nearly all records included open-text occupation information, supplemented by business/industry descriptions. The numerator was calculated as the 11-year suicide total by occupation; the denominator was based on the annual PERWT population estimate (U.S. Census/IPUMS data) over the same 11-year period. The mean victim age was 41, and 78% were males, with notable variation by occupation. Occupations with the highest suicide rates included carpenters, construction, farmers and fishers, musicians and artists, as well as landscapers and groundskeepers, comparable to national and a few other state-specific reports. The findings are limited, constrained by potential confounding factors and the multi-factorial nature of risk of suicide, imprecise numerator and denominator match, as well as the influence of retirees in the computation of rates.