Even though homicides are more prominent in the news, suicide is much more common. What's more, Temple sociologist Matt Wray says they are more prevalent in certain areas. "The American suicide belt is comprised of about ten western states, this sort of wide longitudinal swath running from Idaho and Montana down to Arizona and New Mexico," he said. "So, yes the inner mountain west is a place that is disproportionately populated by middle-aged and aging white men, single, unattached, often unemployed with access to guns."