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based statistics

Crime facts at a glance

Victim characteristics

Summary findings | BJS publications | Selected statistics | Related sites

Summary findings

Violent crime victims

Age | Race | Ethnicity | Gender |
Annual household income | Marital status

Property crime victims (characteristics of head of household)

Age | Race | Ethnicity | Annual household income

Violent crime victims
    Violent crime includes murder, rape and sexual assault, robbery, and assault.

Age

In general, the younger the person, the more likely they were to experience a violent crime.

Trends in violent victimization by age, 1973-2003

In 2003 --

• Persons age 12 to 24 sustained violent victimization at rates higher than individuals of all other ages.
  
• Beginning with the 20-24 age category, the rate at which persons were victims declined significantly as the age category increased.

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports show that in 2002, 90% of murder victims were age 18 or older. Of all murder victims, 45% were 20 to 34 years old.

See also Homicide Trends in the United States and Data Online for characteristics of homicide victims by State and large locality.

The elderly, persons age 65 or older, experienced less violence and fewer property crimes than younger persons between 1992-97.

• Property crime, not violence, provided the highest percentage of crime against persons age 65 or older.
  
• Elderly persons (age 65 or older) were victims of an annual average 46,000 purse snatchings or pocket pickings, 166,000 nonlethal violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault), and 1,000 murders 1992-97.
  
• Robbery accounted for a quarter of the violent crimes against persons age 65 or older, but less than an eighth of the violent crimes experienced by those age 12-64.
  

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Race

Overall, when comparing whites, blacks, and all persons of other races, blacks had the highest violent crime victimization rates.

Trends in violent victimization by race, 1973-2003

In 2003--

• Per every 1,000 persons in that racial group, 29 blacks, 22 whites and 16 persons of others races sustained a violent crime.
• Black and white persons experienced statistically similar rates of simple assault.
• Black, white, and other races experienced similarly rates of rape/sexual assault.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, in 2002 about 49% of murder victims were white, 49% were black, and 3% were Asians, Pacific Islander, and Native Americans.

On average each year between 1993 and 1998, homicide rates fell 5% for whites, 7% for blacks, and 8% for persons of other races.

See also Homicide Trends in the United States and Data Online for characteristics of homicide victims by State and large locality.

Blacks were more likely than whites to be victimized by a carjacking (6 versus 2 per 10,000 respectively) 1992-96.

Between 1993-98, American Indians experienced violence at rates more than twice that of blacks, 2 1/2 times that of whites, and 4 1/2 times that of Asian.

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Ethnicity

During 2003--

• 733,000 Hispanic persons age 12 or older were victims of rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault and simple assault.
• Violence against Hispanics age 12 or older most often took the form of simple assault (67%).
• Hispanic persons age 12 or older experienced 14% of all violent crime and made up 13% of the population.
• Hispanics were victims of overall violence at about the same rate than non-Hispanics
• Hispanic were significantly more likely to be victims of aggravated assault than non-Hispanics.
• There were no differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics for simple assault and robbery.

Trends, 1993-2003 --

• The rate of victimization against Hispanics fell 56% from 55 to 24 victimizations per 1,000.

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Gender

For violent offenses, males have been victimized at higher rates than females, and the rates for females fell to 19.0 in 2003.

Trends in violent victimization by gender, 1973-2003

 

• Except for rape/sexual assault males had higher rates than females for other violent crimes.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, most murder victims were male, 77% in 2002.

See also Homicide Trends in the United States and Data Online for characteristics of homicide victims by State and large locality.

Men were more likely than women to be the victim of a carjacking (2 men and 1 women per 10,000 persons).

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Annual household income

Some differences were found between household income levels as to whether persons were more or less vulnerable to violent crimes in 2003.

In 2003--

• Persons in households with an annual income under $7,500 were robbed at a significantly higher rate than persons in households earning more.
  
• Persons in households with an annual income of less than $7,500 have higher rates of assault than persons in household of higher income.

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Marital status

In 2003 persons who had never married and those who were divorced or separated were victimized at higher rates for robbery and aggravated assault.

• Never married persons were victimized at higher rates than married, widowed, and divorced/separated persons for violent crime overall.

Property crime victims
    Property crime includes burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft.

Age

When compared with other age groups, persons age 65 or older were disproportionately affected by property crimes.

Between 1992 and 1997--

• Annually on average, 2.5 million property crimes against persons ages 65 or older occurred.
  
• More than nine in ten crimes against the elderly and less than four in ten crimes against persons age 12 to 24 were property crimes.

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Race

Blacks experienced burglary and motor vehicle theft and property theft at rates higher than whites.

In 2003--

• Per 1,000 persons in each category, 190 black and 159 white households were victims of a property crime overall; 39 black and 28 white households were burglarized.
  
  

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Ethnicity

• Property crime rates, motor vehicle theft rates, and theft rates in general were higher for Hispanic than non-Hispanic households.
  
  
• Hispanic households were almost twice as likely to have a motor vehicle stolen than non-Hispanic households.

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Annual household income

No relationship between annual household income and the rate of total property crime emerged in 2003, except for household earning less than $7,500.

During 2003--

• Households with an annual income below $35,000 were burglarized at rates higher than those of households with larger incomes.
• Households earing $25,000 to $34,999 were more likely to experience motor vehicle theft than households earning $50,000 to $74,999.

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BJS publications

This list is in order of the most recent publication first. Additional titles are listed on other topical pages and a comprehensive list is contained on the BJS publications page. To see a full abstract of a publication with links to electronic versions of the publication, click on the title below.

Crime and the Nation's Households, 2003, 10/04. Presents national prevalence estimates for the percentage of households with one or more persons who were victimized by crime as measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey. NCJ 206348

Crime and the Nation's Households, 2002, 2/04. NCJ 201797

Crime and the Nation's Households, 2000 with Trends 1994-2000, 09/02. NCJ 194107

Crime and the Nation's Households, 1992, 9/93 . NCJ 143288

Criminal Victimization 2003, 9/04. Presents estimates of national levels and rates of personal and property victimization for the year 2003. NCJ 205455

Criminal Victimization 2002, 8/03. NCJ 199994

Criminal Victimization 2001: Changes 2000-2001 with Trends 1993-2001, 9/02. NCJ 194610
Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000, 6/01. NCJ 187007
Criminal Victimization 1999: Changes 1998-99 with Trends 1993-99, 8/00. NCJ 182734

Criminal Victimization 1998: Changes 1997-98 with Trends 1993-98, 7/99. NCJ 176353

Criminal Victimization 1997: Changes 1996-97 with Trends 1993-97, 12/98. NCJ 173385

Criminal Victimization 1996: Changes 1995-96 with Trends 1993-96, 11/97. NCJ 165812

Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2002, Presents 110 tables with detailed data on major variables measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 12/03. NCJ 200561

Earlier versions in electronic only formats:
Criminal Victimization in the United States - Statistical tables,

2001, 1/03. NCJ 197064
2000, 8/02. NCJ 188290
1999, 1/01. NCJ 184938
1998, 5/00. NCJ 181585
1997, 9/00. NCJ 174446
1996, 9/00. NCJ 174445

See the Table index to find the right table in the electronic only collection.

In printed and electronic formats:

Criminal Victimization in the United States 1995, 5/00. NCJ 171129
Criminal Victimization in the United States 1994, 5/97. NCJ 162126
Criminal Victimization in the United States 1993, 5/96. NCJ 151657
Criminal Victimization in the United States 1992, 5/95. NCJ 145125

Violent Victimization of College Students, 12/03. Examines the incidents of college student victimization and compares the findings to persons of similar age in the general population. NCJ 196143

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003, 10/03. Examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. A collaborative report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, it presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population, using a comprehensive array of sources. NCJ 201257

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2002, 11/02. NCJ 196753

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001, 10/01. NCJ 190075

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2000, 10/00. NCJ 184176

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1999, 9/99. NCJ 178906

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998, 10/98. NCJ 172215

Weapon Use and Violent Crime, 1993-2001, 9/03. Discusses the nature and prevalence of violent crime by armed offenders, and the consequences to the victims, age 12 or older, from 1993 through 2001. NCJ 194820

Reporting Crime to the Police, 03/03. Presents National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data from 1992 to 2000 on non-lethal crimes against persons age 12 or older that were reported to police. NCJ 195710

Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, 2/03. Reports on trends in intimate partner violence of persons age 12 or older in the United States using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports. This Crime Data Brief updates some of the data in Intimate Partner Violence, a more detailed report on this subject published in 2000. NCJ 197838

Rape and Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000, 8/02. Presents information on the consequences of rape and sexual assault for female victims. The study provides the percentages of completed rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault of females that were reported to the police in 1992-2000. NCJ 194530

Intimate Partner Violence, 5/00. Provides information on fatal and nonfatal violence by intimates (current or former spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends) from 1993 through 1998. NCJ 178247

Hispanic Victims of Violent Crime, 1993-2000/Víctimas Hispanas de Crímenes Violentos, 1993-2000, 04/02. Examines violent crimes committed against Hispanic victims including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault. Crime victimizations of Hispanics are compared with those of four non-Hispanic groups: whites, blacks, American Indians, and Asians. NCJ 191208

Age Patterns of Violent Victimization, 1976-2000, 02/02. Examines data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports on trends in violent crime by age in the United States. NCJ 190104

Violence in the Workplace, 1993-99, 12/01. Presents data for 1993 through 1999 from the National Crime Victimization Survey estimating the extent of workplace crime in the United States. NCJ 190076

Other publications on this topic:
Workplace Violence, 1992-96, 7/98. NCJ 168634
Violence and Theft in the Workplace, 7/94. NCJ 148199

Hate Crimes Reported in NIBRS, 1997-99, 9/01. Utilizes data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting Program (NIBRS) to describe hate crimes reported to law enforcement in NIBRS-participating jurisdictions, between 1997 and 1999. NCJ 186765

Injuries from Violent Crime, 1992-98, 6/01. Presents data from the redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey, examining injuries as a result of violent victimizations. NCJ 168633

Policing and Homicide, 1976-98: Justifiable Homicide of Felons by Police and Murder of Police by Felons, 03/01. Presents annual trends from 1976 to 1998 in two types of homicide: justifiable homicides of felons by police, and murders of police officers by felons. NCJ 180987

Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98, 3/01. Presents incidence estimates and per capita rates of violent victimization of whites, blacks, American Indians and Asians in 1998, and includes victimization trends, 1993-98. NCJ 176354

Sexual Victimization of College Women, 1/01. A joint report from BJS and the National Institute of Justice which explores the prevalence and nature of sexual assault occurring at colleges throughout the nation. NCJ 182369

Firearm Injury and Death from Crime, 1993-97 10/00 Reports on the incidence of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries that result from crime. Most of the data presented are from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vital Statistics and the Firearms Injury Surveillance Study which collects data on injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. NCJ 182993

Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics 7/00. Presents findings from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) regarding sexual assault, especially of young children. NCJ 182990

Homicide Trends in the United States: 1998 Update, 3/00. Outlines the primary findings from the section of the BJS website about homicide patterns and trends since 1976 (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm). NCJ 179767

Homicide Trends in the United States, 1/99. NCJ 173956

Crimes against Persons Age 65 or Older, 1992-97, 1/00. Provides data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and the Uniform Crime Reports to summarize levels and rates of violent and property crimes against persons age 65 or older. NCJ 176352

Criminal Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety in 12 Cities, 1998, 6/99. Presents survey data from 12 cities regarding criminal victimization and residents' attitudes toward their neighborhood, their city, and the local policing services. NCJ 173940

American Indians and Crime, 2/99. Reports the rates and characteristics of violent crimes experienced by American Indians and summarizes data on American Indians in the criminal justice system. NCJ 173386

Students' Report of School Crime: 1989 and 1995, 4/98. Compares findings from the 1989 and 1995 School Crime Supplements to the BJS National Crime Victimization Survey, discussing student reports of victimization, drug availability, street gang presence, and gun presence at school. NCJ 169607

Violence by Intimates, 3/98. Reports findings about violence between people who have an intimate relationship -- spouses, exspouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and former boyfriends and girlfriends from statistical data maintained by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. NCJ 167237

Trends in Juvenile Violence and the 1997 Update, 11/97 This report and its update were produced under a Bureau of Justice Statistics grant to Dr. James A. Fox, School of Criminal Justice Northeastern University. the original report is based on Dr. Fox's briefing of the Attorney General in 1995 and discusses demographic trends and their impact on crime. It concludes that the growth in juvenile population in the next decade will cause a dramatic increase in the level of juvenile violence. NCJ 170379 and 170377

Sex Differences in Violent Victimization, 1994 , 9/97. Contains detailed information about specific violent crime types and contextual characteristics of violence against both women and men and their relationship to those who victimize them. NCJ 164508

Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime, 9/97. Presents data from the redesigned NCVS that examines violent crime across the general population, ages 12 or older. NCJ 162031

Female Victims of Violent Crime, 12/96. Summarizes data collected from the National Crime Victimization Survey and the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports on the number of violent incidents involving female victims. NCJ 162602

Child Victimizers: Violent Offenders and Their Victims 3/96. This study presents findings on violence against children from two sources: a nationally representative sample of State prison inmates serving time for violent crimes against children in 1991 and law enforcement records of nearly 37,000 child murder victims between 1976 and 1994.
Executive Summary: NCJ 158625
Full report: NCJ 153258

Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey, 8/16/95. The first release of the 1992-93 estimates of violence against women after an extended effort to improve the victimization survey's ability to measure violence against women. NCJ 154348

Murder in Families, 7/94. This BJS Special Report is a survey of murder cases disposed in 1988 in the courts of large urban counties. NCJ 143498

Child Rape Victims, 1992, 6/94. Provides information on the ages of female rape victims in the 15 States that compile such detailed data. NCJ 147001

Elderly Crime Victims, 3/94. Summarizes levels and rates of violent and nonviolent crimes against persons 65 or older using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey. NCJ 147186

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Selected statistics

Criminal Victimization in the United States - Statistical tables
in spreadsheet and portable document format files. Subjects include:

• Demography of victims
• Victims and offenders
• Geography
• The crime event
• Victims and the criminal justice system
• Series victimization

1996-2002 data are currently available, 12/03

To find tables using keywords, see the Table index.

See Data Online for State and local data on crime trends and homicide trends and victim characteristics

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Related sites

From BJS

• For domestic violence, see Characteristics of crime

Other relevant sites

• Juvenile Victims of Property Crimes, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• FBI's Uniform Crime Reports
• Office for Victims of Crime
• Violence Against Women Office
• "Changing America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being by Race and Hispanic Origin", a Council of Economic Advisors chartbook from the Government Printing Office
• Childstats.gov, the website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
• Agingstats.gov, the website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics
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Page last revised on October 27, 2004