The lifetime prevalence of self-inflicted harm amongst adolescents has been estimated to be as high as 60%, however these behaviors may begin in the younger child. Understanding the intentionality of a burn is critical in directing mental health recommendations for these patients. The purpose of this study is to compare patient and burn characteristics of children with unintentional and self-inflicted burns in a national sample. Data were obtained from the 2006–2014 National Inpatient Sample which is a 20-percent stratified sample of all U.S. community discharges developed for the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Weighting was used to make national estimates for children 8–17 years old. Patients hospitalized with unintentional burn injuries were compared to those with self- inflicted burns using chi-square analyses for the categorical variables and a t-test for length of stay. Self-inflicted burns were seen in hospitalized children as young as 8 years old. Between 2006 and 2014, there were an estimated 24,707 children 8–17 years old admitted with burns: unintentional (67.0%), self-inflicted (3.2%), abuse/neglect/assault (1.1%), and undetermined intent (28.7%). When compared with those with unintentional burns, children with self-inflicted burns were significantly more likely to be female (59% vs. 35%), white (72% vs. 53.2%), older (70% >14 years vs. 34%), have a higher median household income by zip code, and be privately insured (all p-values ≤ 0.0001). Self-inflicted burns were more likely to be of the upper limb excluding the wrist and hand and were less severe than accidental burns. Children with self-inflicted burns had a median length of stay of 5.2 days vs. 2.9 for those with unintentional burns (p=0.07) and were more often discharged to non-acute care facilities (13% vs. 1%, p<0.0001). In a large national sample of children admitted with burns, those with self-injurious behaviors were more likely to be female and of a higher socioeconomic status. It is imperative to understand the intentionality of burns to facilitate timely treatment of this population and prevent further sequelae of self-injurious behaviors including suicide. Understanding the intentionality of burns will better inform medical providers on the mental health care needs of patients and prevention of subsequent self-harm and potential for suicidality.