Statistics

More than 50% of all deaths in Sacramento County are reportable Coroner's Office cases as required by the Government Code and Health and Safety Code.

All reported cases involve a Deputy Coroner investigative component and approximately 20% require an autopsy, external body review, or medical record evaluation by the Coroner's Office to determine the cause of death.

There are five classifications for the manner of death in Coroner cases:

  • Accident - Accidental​ death including drowning, accidental overdose, falls, motor vehicle accidents, etc.
  • Natural - Any natural disease process including, but not limited to, heart disease, SIDS, chronic ethanol abuse, etc.
  • Suicide - Action taken by someone to end their own life. It must be an overt action versus a habitual action.
  • Homicide - When a person is killed by one or more persons. This is different than "murder". Murder is the "unlawful" taking of a human life by another. For example, if a police officer kills someone in the line of duty, it is a homicide but it is not necessarily a murder. All murders are homicides, but all homicides are not murders.
  • Undetermined - Usually an interim classification, indicating a level of uncertainty about the circumstances surrounding a death, which is usually changed once the results of the autopsy are received. Sometimes, however, the cause of death and/or the circumstances of the death cannot be fully determined, in which case, the classification remains undetermined.​ ​​

Grand Totals

Coroner Cases by Manner of Death 1998-2009

​Yea​​r Accident Homicide Natural Suicide Undetermined Total
Totals 5,756 ​​1,180 7,529 1,929 925 17,319
1998 357 86 608 128 80
1,259
1999 337 87 614 144 58 1,240
2000 375 84 603 134 79 1,275
2001 431 95 631 153 124 1,434
2002 441 92 625 166
72 1,396
2003 468 98 738 168 74 1,546
2004 535 111 640 174 64 1,524
2005 569 123 642 176 78 1,588
2006 572 120 674 173 77 1,616
2007 558 100 577 166 64 1,465
2008 546 108 590 188 98 1,530
2009 567 76 587 159 57​ 1,446


Grand Totals

Coroner Cases by Manner of Death 2010-2021​​

Yea​r Accident Homicide Natural Suicide Undetermined To​tal
​​​​​ Totals 9,261 1,198 5,980 2,405 938 19,782
2010 542​ 91 461 184 64 1,342
201​1 524 91 495 180 72 1,362
2012 592 102 473 189 71 1,427
2013 606 85 485 221 88 1,485
2014 656 101 451 218 72 1,498
2015 760 110 493 195 88 1,646
2016 751 108 437 191 94 1,581
2017 850 91 475 213 82 1,711
2018 794 91 480 216 65 1,646
2019 924 92 499 212 77 1,804
2020 1,077 123 564 187 65 2,016
2021 1,185 113 667 199 100 2,264​