{"id":2087,"date":"2026-06-24T14:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2026-06-24T14:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:06:53","slug":"north-carolina-seniors-are-dying-by-suicide-more-frequently-new-report-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are having thoughts of suicide or other mental health struggles call or text 988 for a 24\/7 hotline.<\/b> Call 988-PEERS-NC<\/b> for the North Carolina peers warmline to talk to someone with experience with substance abuse and mental health concerns<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Panthers mailbag: Bryce Young\u2019s potential payday, Jaelan Phillips\u2019 sack number<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s elderly are dying by suicide more frequently than in years prior, according to a new report.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s Health Rankings Annual Report is the longest-running annual assessment of the nation\u2019s health on a state-by-state basis, according to the group\u2019s website. The group also produces a senior report that now has more than 10 years of data on the comparative health of older adults.<\/p>\n

North Carolina ranks No. 24<\/b> for health, according to America\u2019s Health Ranking.<\/p>\n

The senior report for 2026 evaluates each state on 56 measures of health with 25 data sources.<\/a> Death by suicide and substance abuse is up, but there are some good signs too. Read the report at americashealthrankings.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nationally, older adults face rising rates of excessive drinking and suicide, according to the report.<\/p>\n

North Carolinian senior suicides rose 16%<\/b>, from 15.7 to 18.2 deaths per 100,000 adults age 65 and older between 2018-2020 and 2022-2024.<\/p>\n

South Carolina is no different; South Carolinian seniors also faced a 16% increase<\/b> in suicides over the same time period, The State reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more 1 dead, 3 hurt, multiple people detained in neighborhood gunfight, NC sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

Possible causes of senior suicide include social isolation, loss of personal freedom due to illness and fear of being a burden<\/b>, according to the National Council On Aging.<\/a> Older adults comprise 16.8% of the population, but make up approximately 22% of suicides.<\/p>\n

Drug deaths among North Carolinian seniors went up 40%<\/b> from 7.2 to 10.1 deaths per 100,000 adults age 65 and older between 2019-2021 and 2022-2024. America\u2019s Health Rankings data shows adults ages 65-74 were the only age group that experienced a significant increase<\/b> in drug deaths between 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n

In 2024, overdose deaths in North Carolina dropped, mirroring a national trend. The number of deaths decreased<\/b> from 828 in 2023 to 770 in 2024, The News & Observer reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

The senior report lists North Carolina\u2019s strengths:<\/p>\n

While the report notes low community support expenditures<\/b> in the state, it also shows a 36% increase in geriatric clinicians<\/b> between September 2021 and 2025.<\/p>\n

The News & Observer recently produced a series of articles on senior care. Visit newsobserver.com to dive deeper:<\/p>\n

Inspired by a story from The State<\/a> in South Carolina.<\/i><\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Read more North Carolina has rattlesnakes. See how to ID the one you\u2019d most likely spot<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

America's Health Rankings finds North Carolina elderly suicide and substance deaths increased. Signs of improved clinician numbers but concerns over isolation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNorth Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"America's Health Rankings finds North Carolina elderly suicide and substance deaths increased. Signs of improved clinician numbers but concerns over isolation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087\"},\"wordCount\":486,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087\",\"name\":\"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674,\"caption\":\"The federal government wants nursing homes to hire more direct-care staff. The industry is pushing back.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2087#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","og_description":"America's Health Rankings finds North Carolina elderly suicide and substance deaths increased. Signs of improved clinician numbers but concerns over isolation.","og_url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087","og_site_name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","article_published_time":"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"headline":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows","datePublished":"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087"},"wordCount":486,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087","name":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-24T14:06:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a63e23133b8e4ebee791bef4b6c0ff8.jpg","width":1200,"height":674,"caption":"The federal government wants nursing homes to hire more direct-care staff. The industry is pushing back."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2087#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"North Carolina seniors are dying by suicide more frequently, new report shows"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/","name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}