Over the past 30 years the incidence of suicide in older adolescents in the United States has shown marked gender and ethnic variations. The rate has remained largely stable among females of all ethnic groups. Among white males it reached a peak in 1988 but has since stabilized. The rate for black and other minority males, however, has increased markedly since 1986. Increases have been more rapid in regions where the incidence was historically low. One effect of these changes has been to reduce the discrepancy between white and black teen suicide rates. The perception that young blacks are at much lower risk for suicide than whites requires revision.