Preventing Suicides in Rural Areas
Rural Utah sees higher rates of suicide than in urban areas
The suicide death rate in rural Utah hit its highest point in a decade in 2023, according to a report from the Violence and Injury Prevention Program of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The report shows a rate of 26 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in rural Utah in 2023. In contrast, Utah’s urban areas had a suicide death rate of 19 per 100,000.
Barriers like distance to mental health providers, difficulties in taking time off work, and stigma can make it harder to seek help. This webpage is a resource to help prevent suicides in rural areas.
Jobs more common in rural areas have higher rates of suicide
The three industries with the highest rates of suicide in Utah are Mining, Construction, and Agriculture. Of these three, two of them, Mining and Agriculture, are proportionately very rural. While 25% of suicide deaths took place in rural areas, 67% of suicide deaths in the mining industry were in rural areas, while 61% were rural for the agriculture industry.
Those working in these sectors were also less likely to have received mental health treatment prior to their suicide, more likely to have suffered a crisis in the last two weeks, and were more likely to have used a firearm.
Suicides in rural and urban Utah, 2014–2023
Utah suicides by job type, 2019–2023
Opportunities to prevent suicide
Contact your local health department or the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health for more information.
Data resources for suicide prevention
Data resources for firearm injury prevention
Utah suicide prevention committee and coalition
Utah crisis and suicide prevention resources in English and Spanish:
Call 988
2026 Rural Suicide Prevention Webinar
Offered by the Rural Health Association of Utah
Originally Held on Thursday, June 24, 2026
2025 Rural Suicide Prevention Webinar
Offered by the Rural Health Association of Utah
Originally Held on Thursday, June 26, 2025