Alaska's youth suicide rate reached a 10-year high in 2025, state data show

A state health bulletin released last week found that 174 Alaskans between the ages of 10 and 18 died by suicide over the past decade, and that the rate among young people reached its highest point in those 10 years in 2025.

Alaska's overall rate has long been among the highest in the country. The state recorded 213 suicide deaths in 2023, about 30 for every 100,000 residents, more than double the national figure.

The Anchorage Assembly takes up a resolution Tuesday recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It notes that Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough and the Kenai Peninsula Borough together account for more suicide deaths than any other part of Alaska. Those three areas are also where most Alaskans live, and that figure is a count of deaths rather than a rate, so it reflects population as much as risk.

World Suicide Prevention Day is Sept. 10.

Help is available. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by call or text at 988. Alaska's Careline is at 877-266-HELP.