Data on suicide and homicide deaths were obtained from the Multiple-Cause of Death files for 1990–2004, collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. Files containing individual-level data were obtained through the National Bureau of Economic Research (http://www.nber.org/data/multicause.html). Data on deaths between 1990 and 2004 were compiled; 1990 was chosen as the start date because it was a census year, thus enabling a precise estimate of the population at-risk for the beginning of the observation period. The year 2004 was the last year for which publicly accessible, geographically identified mortality data was available.
