Violence Data Dashboard

Program Contact

Epidemiology

216.201.2000 ext 1641
epi@ccbh.net

The Violence Data Dashboard serves as a resource to monitor trends in our county, with data freely available for use. The Epidemiology team at CCBH is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive data to inform the public and community partners.

This dashboard is also meant to spark conversation about our community and its future. By shedding light on the toll of violence in Cuyahoga County, we hope to inspire solutions to improve the health and safety of our residents.

Violence is a public health crisis in the United States, and Cuyahoga County is no exception. In 2023, there were nearly 200 gun-related homicides in our community, accounting for over 8,200 years of potential life lost.

* If you are looking for data that is not on the dashboard, please submit a data request located at the top of the page.

Violence is not just a legal issue – it’s a public health issue.

Persistent violence hinders the wellbeing of communities as a whole, and it harms the health of residents on an individual level. The burden goes beyond immediate physical harm. Individuals that experience violence are at an increased risk of developing mental and behavioral health conditions, as well as chronic physical health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

Although violence has immediate and long-term physical consequences, these health impacts are not limited to the direct victims. Witnessing community violence is associated with increased odds of substance use and suicide risk in children and young adults¹. In general, living in communities with high levels of violence puts residents at an increased risk of developing chronic diseases².

A snapshot of Cuyahoga County

Crime
The Ohio Incident-Based Reporting System offers data about property crimes and violent crimes from municipality-level law enforcement agencies in Cuyahoga County. Property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft, while violent crimes include robbery, aggravated assault, rape, and murder. Of reported property crimes, larceny theft was the most common, while aggravated assault was the most common violent crime reported.

Violence-related emergency department visits
In 2024, emergency departments serving Cuyahoga County residents saw over 7,500 violence-related visits, with most patients from areas of greater health inequity³. Overall, most victims seen in the ED for violence-related visits were Black or African American, and about 30% were under 25 years old.

Additionally, there were significant sex-related differences depending on which type of violence was the reason for the visit – for example, in 2024, the vast majority of visits related to sexual violence were female (83%). Approximately 1 in 5 of these patients were children under 18, and over half of were Black or African American. However, visits for urgent gunshot wounds were far more common among males than females, with male patients representing 4 out of 5 gunshot wound encounters in 2024. Visits for gunshot wounds were mostly in younger people, with an average age of 30, and the majority of these patients were Black or African American (80%).

Violent deaths
In this dashboard, violent deaths of Cuyahoga County residents are considered suicide by firearm, homicide by firearm, and homicide not by firearm. In 2023, 85% of homicides involved a firearm. 72% of violent deaths in 2023 were of Black or African American individuals, and 84% of victims were male. Most firearm-related homicide victims were Black or African American (88%), while the majority of firearm-related suicide victims were white (56%).

From 2022 to 2023, there was an increase in firearm-related suicides of Black or African American individuals. Age-related differences were also observed between firearm homicides and suicides. In 2023, while less than 6% of firearm-related homicide victims were 60 and older, this age group accounted for a quarter of suicides by firearm.

Gun violence was responsible for the loss of at least 11,000 years of potential life for Cuyahoga County residents in 2023. This does not include life lost to gun-related accidents.

Publications

These injuries and deaths are avoidable. For additional information on systemic issues that contribute to community violence, see the publications below from Health Policy Ohio:

What’s driving the trend on early death? | Publications (healthpolicyohio.org)

Social Drivers of Violent Crime | Criminal Justice and Health (healthpolicyohio.org)