Poverty, Firearm Deaths, and Racial Disparities: Repercussions of the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Across the United States

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating direct impacts on health and has also contributed indirectly to a wide array of socioeconomic issues. In the United States (US), these impacts have been shown to be particularly pronounced among racial and ethnic minorities. This study aimed to assess the impacts of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on poverty rates and firearm deaths, with a specific focus on the impacts amongst racial minorities in the US. Methods: This ecological study analyzed US state-level data on poverty rates and firearm death rates for the years 2019 and 2020 to assess changes in firearm deaths and poverty rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in poverty rates and changes in firearm death rates by state were determined, and regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between these rates and racial minority population rates. Results: There was a mean increase of 12.15% in poverty rates and a mean increase of 12.96% in firearm death rates, with an increased proportion of the Black/African American population having a statistical relationship with changes in firearm death rates (β = 0.310; p = 0.032). Conclusions: Our study highlights that certain communities may have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic on numerous, previously understudied parameters. Further interventions and studies are needed to better tailor support for vulnerable communities.