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Bureau of Justice Statistics

Contents of Homicide trends in the U.S.

Homicide trends in the U.S.

Overview

This overview summarizes the primary findings for each topic and lists the charts presented in Homicide Trends in the United States. Link within this overview to the primary findings and small versions or thumbnails of the charts by selecting one of the following:

Long term trends Demographic trends by Age Gender Race Age, gender, and race Trends in special groups Infanticide Eldercide Intimates Law enforcement officers	Multiple victims and offenders Circumstances Weapons trends Regional trends Trends by city size Clearances Justifiable homicides Just added! Additional information about the data
Full size versions of the graphics, additional findings, and links to the data are available on the topical pages. To link to topical pages, select the links below.

Long term trends
	Homicide rates recently declined to levels last seen in the late 1960's Homicide victimization rates, 1950-2002
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Trends by age
	The rise in teen involvement in homicide as both victims and offenders beginning in the mid-1980's was dramatic Homicide victimization rates by age, 1976-2002 Homicide offending rates by age, 1976-2002 Average age of homicide victims and offenders, 1976-2002 Homicide victimization rates by age, 1980-99, an animation Homicide offending rates by age, 1980-99, an animation Percent of homicides in which the offender was known to the victim, 1976-2002 aggregate
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Trends by gender
	Most victims and perpetrators in homicides are male Homicide victimization rates by gender, 1976-2002 Homicide offending rates by gender, 1976-2002
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Trends by race
	Racial differences exist, with blacks disproportionately represented among homicide victims and offenders Homicide victimization rates by race, 1976-2002 Homicide offending rates by race, 1976-2002 Homicides by race of victim and offender, 1976-2002 Stranger and acquaintance homicides by race of victim and offender, 1976-2002
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Trends by age, gender, and race
	Dramatic increases in both homicide victimization and offending rates were experienced by young males, particularly young black males, in the late 1980's and early 1990's Homicide victimization rates by age, gender, and race, 1976-2002 Homicide offending rates by age, gender, and race, 1976-2002 Young males as a proportion of the population, homicide victims, and homicide offenders by race, 1976-2002
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Infanticide
	The number of homicides of children under age 5 increased over the past two decades but declined recently The number of homicides of children under age 5 by race, 1976-2002 Homicide victimization rates for children under age 5 by race, 1976-2002 The number of homicides of children under age 5 by age of victim, 1976-2002 Homicides of children under age 5 by relationship to the offender, 1976-2002 Homicides of children under age 5 by gender of victim and offender, 1976-2002
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Eldercide
	The number of homicides of persons age 65 or older has been decreasing Homicides of persons age 65 and older by gender of victim, 1976-2002 Homicide victimization and offending rates for persons age 65 and older, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides committed during a felony by age of victim, 1976-2002 aggregate
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Intimates
	There has been a decline in homicide of intimates, especially male victims Homicides of intimates by gender of victim, 1976-2002 Homicides of intimates by gender and race of victim, 1976-2002 Proportion of all homicides involving intimates by gender of victim, 1976-2002 Number of homicides of intimates by relationship of the victim to the offender, 1976-2002 Intimate homicide rates by race, gender and relationship, 1976-2002 Intimate homicides by type of weapon and gender of victim, 1976-2002
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Law enforcement officers
	The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty has declined since the early 1970's Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, 1973-2002 Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty by weapon type, 1973-2002
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Multiple victims and offenders
	Few homicides involve multiple offenders and fewer involve multiple victims Percent of homicides involving multiple offenders or multiple victims, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides involving multiple victims by number of victims, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides involving multiple offenders by age of offender, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides involving guns by number of victims, 1976-2002
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Circumstances
	The mix of circumstances surrounding homicides has changed over the last two decades Number of homicides by circumstance, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides involving guns by circumstance, 1976-2002
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Weapons trends
	Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns Homicides by weapon type, 1976-2002 Homicide offending by weapon type and age of offender, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides involving guns by age of victim, 1976-2002 aggregate
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Regional trends
	The southern regions historically have had higher homicide rates than other regions Homicide victimization rates by region, 1976-2002 Gun homicide victimization rates by region, 1976-2002 Teen homicide offending rates by region, 1976-2002
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Trends by city size
	Changes in homicide trends have been driven by changes in the number of homicides in large American cities Number of homicides in urban, suburban, and rural areas, 1976-2002 Homicide victimization rates by size of city, 1976-2002 Homicide offending rates by size of city, 1976-2002 Percent of all homicides involving intimates by urban, suburban, and rural area, 1976-2002
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Clearances
	The percentage of homicides cleared by arrest has been declining Percent of homicides cleared by arrest, 1976-2002 Percent of homicides cleared by age of victim, 1976-2002 aggregate
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Justifiable homicides
	The number of justifiable homicides has been declining Number of justifiable homicides by police and citizens, 1976-2002 Number of justifiable homicides by police and citizens by circumstance, 1976-2002 Percent of justifiable homicides by police and citizens by age of victim, 1976-2002 aggregate
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Additional information about the data Data sources, methodology, and related sites