Negative binominal regression was used to assess age- & gender-specific suicide ratios for a range of census-driven indicators of the social, health, & economic characteristics of small areas (mean population aged 15+: 4500) in England & Wales. Indicators of social fragmentation, for example proportion of people living alone or population mobility, were most consistently associated with suicide risk. Associations with social fragmentation persisted after controlling for the effect of other area characteristics. (38 refs.)