What official VA data says about veterans in Kansas — compared with the Midwest and the nation, with plain-language notes, sources and honest limits.
Verified VA data · 2024 · checked 2026-11-04
Kansas statewide · Midwest · U.S.
Suicide rate per 100,000 adults, 2024
Kansas veterans compared with veterans in the Midwest and the nation, and with all Kansas adults.
Kansas veterans36.9
U.S. veterans36.4
Midwest veterans35.7
All Kansas adults21.7
Suicide rate per 100,000 adults, 2024
Group
Rate per 100,000
Deaths
Kansas veterans
36.9
66
U.S. veterans
36.4
6,488
Midwest veterans
35.7
1,324
All Kansas adults
21.7
494
VA reports that after accounting for age differences, the Kansas veteran suicide rate was not significantly different from the national veteran rate, and was significantly higher than the national general population rate.
Source, reporting period & method
Reporting period: calendar year 2024.
Population: Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Method: Rates are not adjusted for age. VA's significance statements compare age-adjusted rates (2000 U.S. standard population).
Rates per 100,000 adults. Kansas has fewer veterans than the nation, so its yearly rate moves around more.
Veteran suicide rates per 100,000 adults, 2015–2024
Year
Kansas veterans
95% range (Kansas)
Kansas veteran deaths
Midwest veterans
U.S. veterans
All Kansas adults
2015
34.6
27.2–43.4
74
30.2
32.4
21.0
2016
30.0
23–38.4
62
29.8
32.1
22.6
2017
39.3
31.2–48.9
81
34.3
33.9
23.7
2018
41.7
33.4–51.6
86
34.1
34.4
23.8
2019
36.1
28.4–45.2
75
34.2
33.8
22.5
2020
32.1
24.7–41.1
63
35.3
33.8
22.7
2021
36.6
28.4–46.3
68
34.7
35.1
23.9
2022
43.9
34.9–54.4
82
37.0
36.1
25.7
2023
46.2
36.8–57.1
84
36.7
36.6
24.3
2024
36.9
28.5–46.9
66
35.7
36.4
21.7
Kansas yearly counts are fairly small (62–86 deaths a year), so the 95% range around each Kansas rate is wide. Single-year changes may not be meaningful — the table shows each range.
Source, reporting period & method
Reporting period: calendar year 2024 and prior years back to 2015.
Population: Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Method: 95% confidence ranges are exact Poisson intervals published in the VA appendix. Veteran population estimates come from VA's VetPop2023 model.
Rates per 100,000 veterans in each age group. Some Kansas groups are hidden by VA to protect privacy.
Veteran suicide by age group, 2024
Age
Kansas veteran deaths
Kansas veterans (rate)
Midwest veterans
U.S. veterans
All Kansas adults
18–34
Fewer than 10
Suppressed by VA
41.3
45.5
20.1
35–54
22
44.9
44.3
38.5
27.2
55–74
25
39.1
33.4
32.7
19.1
75+
10–19
Range only
29.1
35.8
16.4
Kansas veterans 18–34:Suppressed by VAFewer than 10 deaths — rate not shown.
Kansas veterans 75+:Range only10–19 deaths — rate not shown.
In Kansas, the rates VA publishes are for veterans ages 35–54 (44.9) and 55–74 (39.1). These are statewide figures and don't describe any one community.
Source, reporting period & method
Reporting period: calendar year 2024.
Population: Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Method: VA suppresses counts and rates based on fewer than 10 deaths, and treats rates based on fewer than 20 deaths as unreliable.
Veterans and all adults (veterans and non-veterans), shown separately.
Kansas veterans66.7%
U.S. veterans74.3%
All Kansas adults59.9%
All U.S. adults56.9%
Kansas veteran suicide deaths involving a firearm, by year
Year
Kansas veterans — % involving a firearm
2015
64.9%
2016
59.7%
2017
74.1%
2018
66.3%
2019
76%
2020
81%
2021
75%
2022
76.8%
2023
70.2%
2024
66.7%
44 of 66 Kansas veteran suicide deaths in 2024 involved a firearm. Safe storage during hard times is one of the most practical ways to prevent suicide.
Source, reporting period & method
Reporting period: calendar year 2024.
Population: Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Method: Firearm deaths are ICD-10 codes X72–X74. The U.S. veteran figure (74.3%) and the U.S. all-adult figure (56.9%) are different populations.
Among U.S. veterans who died by suicide, how many had recently received VA health care.
62.2%not receiving VA health care
37.8%receiving VA health care
Did not receive VA health care (VHA) in the year they died or the year before.
U.S. veteran suicide deaths by recent VA health care use, 2024
Group
Deaths
Share
Not receiving VA health care
4,038
62.2%
Receiving VA health care
2,450
37.8%
Kansas figure:Not in this sourceThe Kansas data sheet doesn't break this out by state.
The share who had recent VA care rose from 25.3% in 2001 to 37.8% in 2024. Most veterans who died by suicide were still outside VA care — community organizations can help reach them.
Source, reporting period & method
Reporting period: calendar year 2024.
Population: Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Method: “Receiving VA health care” means a VHA encounter in the year of death or the year before.
Adults age 18 and older. “Veterans” are people who served in the U.S. military. “All adults” includes veterans and non-veterans. Rates are deaths per 100,000 people and are not adjusted for age.
Reporting year
2024 deaths, published in VA's 2026 reporting series. Kansas veteran population estimate: 179,000 (VetPop2023).
Privacy protections
Counts and rates based on fewer than 10 deaths are suppressed by VA. Rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are treated as unreliable.
What this data can't tell us
Statewide numbers don't explain causes or describe any one county, town or program. We don't draw local conclusions from them.
Data labels used on this page
PublishedReported by VA in the source shown.
Suppressed by VAVA hides counts and rates based on fewer than 10 deaths to protect privacy. We never estimate these.
Range onlyVA shows a count range and withholds the rate because it would be based on too few deaths to be reliable.
Not in this sourceThe VA files used here report state, regional and national figures. They don't include county figures.
Not yet verifiedWe haven't confirmed whether another official source publishes this. Nothing is shown until staff verify it.
Figures last checked against the VA files on 2026-11-04.
