Jacksonville hospitals see thousands of children treated for gun injuries, data show

Hospital billing data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration indicate that more than 4,000 children 17 or younger were hospitalized for firearm injuries from 2018 through 2024, roughly 1.5 cases per day. Three ZIP codes in Jacksonville rank within the state’s ten highest for pediatric gun-shot admissions, and the city’s sole Level I trauma center reported hundreds of such patients in 2024 and 2025. Experts say the concentration reflects long-standing segregation, environmental hazards and economic deprivation in those neighborhoods.

State and local leaders, including Governor Ron DeSantis, Mayor Donna Deegan and most Jacksonville council members, did not respond to inquiries about the crisis. Advocacy groups and health professionals criticize the lack of a public-health strategy, noting that the Florida Department of Health’s improvement plan omits gun violence entirely.