The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services provides critical resources and data focused on reducing preventable injuries and violence across the state. This page highlights key statistics and prevention programs targeting leading safety concerns, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls among seniors and suicide prevention.
What is Injury Prevention
The CDC Injury Center leads US efforts to prevent violence and injuries through data-driven research.
Missouri Injury Facts
- Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among ages 1-44, with 1,353 deaths occurring in Missouri in 2024. More years of potential life were lost due to injury than to any other cause of death.
- Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death among all age years in 2024. While the first leading cause of death among ages 20-24 was suicide in 2024 with 83 people, motor vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of death among ages 20-24 with 79 deaths.
- In 2024, 985 people were killed in Missouri motor vehicle accidents, with 188 of those ages 1-24.
- Motor Vehicle Accidents were the leading cause of death among ages 0-4 in 2024, with Accidental Drownings following closely behind as the second leading cause for this age group.
- Falls are the leading cause of death related to unintentional injury among ages 65 and older. In 2024, Missouri deaths from falls for ages 65 and older were 78.2 per 100,000 population, which is equal to the national average.