Suicide rates vary greatly by sex and race, but the methods employed by these groups have not been studied closely and across time. Annual official national statistics for specific methods of suicide by sex and specific racial group were examined from 1923 to 1978. During this time period, shifts occurred in the proportions of suicides by method, most noteably for women and Asian-American groups. Although women continued to kill themselves with solid and liquid poisons more often than men, in recent years firearms became a more frequent method. Among Japanese- and Chinese-Americans, the most common methods of suicide were hanging, strangulation, and suffocation. However, the proportions declined over time, while those for methods such as firearms increased. Firearms continued to be the method most often used in completed suicides by Caucasian, Black, and American Indian males. Results suggest that acculturation, changing societal roles, and problems with the compilation of official statistics may be possible factors affecting changes in method choice. (Author/NRB)