Utah Violent Death Reporting System (UT-VDRS)

A complete picture of violent death

Violence affects people of all ages and life circumstances and can cause tremendous physical, emotional, and financial pain and suffering.

The Utah Violent Death Reporting System is the only comprehensive surveillance system that helps us know the “who, when, where, and how” of violent deaths and provides insights about “why” these deaths happen. The system links records from many sources (medical examiner reports, death certificates, law enforcement reports) into an anonymous database. It’s part of a national public health surveillance system called the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All 50 states in the U.S., as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, participate in the NVDRS.

These violent deaths include:

Suicides

Homicides

Unintentional firearm deaths

Legal intervention deaths

Deaths of undetermined intent that meet CDC guidelines

NVDRS can:

Inform decision-makers and program planners about the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of violent deaths.

Educate your community about circumstances contributing to violence in your county, state, or territory.

Develop and tailor violence prevention efforts to maximize benefits.

Evaluate the impact of prevention programs and strategies.

Primary sources

We collect information about a violent death from four primary sources. This information is then entered into the NVDRS.

Death certificates

Law enforcement reports

Medical examiner reports

Toxicology laboratory reports

Utah statistics

Common circumstances around suicide deaths include a recent crisis within 2 weeks of the death (63.0%), a current mental health problem (56.2%), leaving a suicide note (38.1%), and an intimate partner problem (35.3%).¹

Female suicide victims were more likely than male suicide victims to be receiving current mental health treatment and to have a history of suicide attempts. Male suicide victims were more likely to have an alcohol problem and a precipitating crime than female suicide victims.¹

Common circumstances around homicide deaths include an argument that led to the death (41.2%), a physical fight between 2 people (23.5%), precipitated by another serious crime (20.4%), and intimate partner violence (19.9%).

Homicide deaths among females were more likely than among males to be intimate partner violence-related, and male homicide victims were more likely to have an argument that led to the death than female homicide victims.¹

See the data

NVDRS training video from 04/29/2025

Learn about the data collected for the Utah Violent Death Reporting System (UVDRS). The UVDRS system helps us know the “who, when, where, and how” of violent deaths and provides insights about “why” these deaths happen.

This educational webinar was hosted by Cristy Sneddon (senior research analyst/NVDRS supervisor) and Jonathan Argyle (suicide prevention epidemiologist).

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Request Utah data

UT-VDRS data is available in reports and fact sheets found here. It can also be queried on IBIS-PH. However, these platforms do not contain all the data elements the UT-VDRS offers. If you have more specific data needs beyond what is outlined above, please click the following link to access a form requesting UT-VDRS data. Note that line-level data will require a data sharing agreement.

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Request national data

National data can also be queried through WISQARS NVDRS. More detailed information can be requested through the NVDRS Restricted Access Database (RAD). Click the following link to learn more about how to access national NVDRS data.

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Additional resources:

See additional resources about the NVDRS from the CDC.
Access to the complete list of data variables NVDRS Coding Manual .
See fact sheets from the CDC on the role of coroners and medical examiners and the role of law enforcement in the NVDRS.

Reference

Utah Violent Death Reporting System, Violence and Injury Prevention Program, Utah Department of Health and Human Services, 2019–2023 data [cited 2025 July].

_{This project was supported by funds from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under grant NU17CE010136— Advancing Surveillance of Violent Deaths Using the National Violent Death Reporting System. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by the NCIPC, CDC, DHHS, or the U.S. government.}