U.S.

Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Selected Findings
April 1994, NCJ-147486

Violent Crime
During the last 20 years, victims have The violent crime rate in 1992 was lower than in the early 1980's
described more than 119 million violent
victimizations of rape, robbery, or as- Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older

sault in interviews for the National 40

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

Total violent crime
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
sponsors this continuous household
survey as the only national effort to
provide accurate measures of crimes Assault
of violence and theft, both those not re-
ported to law enforcement and those
reported. The survey samples 43,000 20
U.S. households and 100,000 persons
age 12 or older, and it reports on at-
tempted as well as completed crimes.

The NCVS does not include homicide. Robbery

However, two other national sources
of data about murder exist: the FBI's Rape
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) pro- 0
gram and Vital Statistics of the United 1973 1978 1983 1988 1992
States produced by the National Cen-
ter for Health Statistics of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Americans have a greater chance of The percentage of households with
Information from these sources being a violent crime victim than of be- a member who had been a victim of
is presented on page 3. ing injured in a motor vehicle accident. violence (other than homicide) in 1992,
5%, was the lowest recorded since
What are the trends 1975, when these estimates were first
How much violent crime is there in violent crime? available.
in the United States?
1992 NCVS violent crime rates were For some segments of the popula-
In 1992 there were 6.6 million violent unchanged from 1991 and were 9% tion, crime is not decreasing; in 1992
victimizations, including 141,000 rapes, below 1981, the peak year. The rates the violent crime rate for blacks was
1.2 million robberies, and 5.3 million declined partly because older persons, the highest ever recorded in the NCVS.
assaults. who experience less violent crime than Young people age 16-24 consistently
4.9 million households, or 5% of all younger persons, comprise an increas- have the highest violent crime rates.
households, had a member victimized ing proportion of the population. Trends in these age groups vary from
by violence during 1992. year to year, but the overall trend has
been increasing. The rate for those
Violent crime rates for the youngest age groups are increasing
age 12-15 was the highest ever in
1992; it was the highest ever for those Violent crime rate
age 16-19 in 1991.

Who are the victims

of violent crime? 80

Teenage black males have the high- 16-19

est victimization rate (113 per 1,000 in
1992), while elderly white females 60
20-24
have the lowest rate (3 per 1,000).
Teenagers in general have very high 12-15
rates: 90 per 1,000 for teenage white
40
males, 55 per 1,000 for teenage white 25-34
females, and 94 per 1,000 for teenage
black females.
20
How does violence affect women?

More than 2.5 million women experi-

ence violence annually. 0
Men have higher rates overall than 1973 1978 1983 1988 1992

women (40 per 1,000 for men; 25 per

1,000 for women). However, violence
In 1992 the violent crime rate for black victims
against males has decreased since
reached the highest level ever recorded
1973, while the rates for females have
remained relatively constant. Violent crime rate

Women are about equally as likely

to be victimized by an intimate or Black victims
relative, by an acquaintance, or 40
by a stranger.
Men are far more likely to be victim-
ized by a stranger or acquaintance.
White victims
A third of all violent victimizations of
20
women but a twentieth of all violent vic-
timizations of men are committed
by a relative or intimate.
In about 1 in 4 attacks on females,
the offender used a weapon. About 0
1973 1978 1983 1988 1992
1 in 3 of these weapons were firearms.

How does violent crime affect

its victims? Crime-related injuries account for accidents or receiving treatment
more than 700,000 days of hospitali- for heart disease.
The proportion of victimizations that zation annually  the equivalent to In 1992 about 3 out of 10 victims
resulted in injuries to victims increased about 30% of the hospital days for traf- who were injured did not have health
10% between 1973 and 1991. fic accident injuries and just over 1% insurance and were not eligible
On average, 2.2 million crime victims of the days for treatment of heart for public medical services.
are injured each year. disease. Of violent crime victims, 8% lost time
Of victims of violent crime who are Hospitalized crime victims remain in from work. (All victims of crime, includ-
injured, 51% require some medical the hospital for an average of 9 days, ing property crime, lost more than 6.1
attention; 19% are treated at an emer- about the same length of stay as that million days from work.)
gency room and released within a day; of patients undergoing cancer treat-
and 4% require hospitalization of more
Page21 ment and 2 days longer than the hospi-
agetrd.grf talization of those injured in traffic
than one night. 10/4/93

2 Violent Crime
In 1980 the homicide rate was at the highest level recorded this century For all age groups, black males age
15-24 had the highest homicide rate
Homicides per 100,000
U.S. population (159 per 100,000 population).

Over 68% of the murders in 1992

9 were committed with firearms

According to the FBI, 23,760 murders

were reported by law enforcement
6 agencies in 1992. Handguns killed
55% of the murder victims. Knives or
cutting instruments were used to kill al-
most 15% of the murder victims.
3
When the circumstances surrounding
the murder were known, 30% resulted
from the commission of another crime
such as robbery, burglary, or narcotic
0
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1991
drug law violations. Forty percent of
the murders resulted from arguments.
Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, National Center for Health Statistics, Male murder victims were more likely
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. than female victims to have been killed
during the commission of a felony.
Percent of
Homicide was the 10th leading homicide victims
cause of death for all Americans In murders where the relationship
in 1991 All victims 100% between the victim and the offender
Age was known, 44% of the victims were
According to Vital Statistics  1-4 2% killed by an acquaintance, 22% by a
For blacks of all ages, homicide was 5-14 2 stranger, and 20% by a family mem-
15-24 31 ber. The victim was the wife or girl-
the fourth leading cause of death, but 25-44 47
for black males and females age 45 or older 19
friend of the murderer in 11% of the
15-24, homicide was the leading cause homicides. Half of the murders by
Sex strangers were committed during
of death.
Male 78% the commission of a felony.
For whites age 15-24, homicide was Female 22
the third leading cause of death, ex- Sex and race Homicide data were reported on
ceeded only by accidents and suicide. Black male 40%
25,180 offenders in 1992. Of these of-
White male 36
White female 12 fenders for whom sex, age, and
In 1991 most homicide victims were Black female 9 race were reported 
male, and most were between ages
90% were male
15 and 44. The black victims repre- Black males had the highest homi-
sented almost half of all victims. cide rate (72 per 100,000 population), 50% were age 15-24
followed by black females (14 per 55% were black.
100,000), white males (9 per 100,000),
and white females (3 per 100,000).

What are the economic costs Violent crime victims suffered or more: about 4 in 10 robberies of
of violent crime? some economic loss in 23% of the blacks compared to 2 in 10 robberies
victimizations. of whites resulted in a loss of $250 or
Victims of violent crime lost $1.4 more.
Victims lost an average of $206 per
billion in 1992 in direct costs, including
violent crime in 1992. Where does violent crime occur?
medical expenses, time lost from work,
and activities related to the crime, such In 1992, of victims of robbery who
had an economic loss, blacks were Central cities, particularly those
as going to court.
more likely than whites to lose $250 with populations between 250,000

Violent Crime 3
and 499,999, have the highest per cap- Nonstrangers are somewhat more The most common reasons for not
ita rates of violent crime. likely than strangers to use a knife. reporting violent crimes were that the
Nearly a quarter of all violent crimes Four out of five violent incidents victim viewed it as a private or person-
occur either in the home (12% of all with firearms involve a handgun. al matter (22%), the offender was not
violent victimizations) or at school successful (18%), or the victim felt that
(12%). Thirty percent of all violent How do victims protect themselves? the police would not want to be both-
crimes occur on the street or in an ered or there was lack of proof (14%).
Victims take some type of measure
open area, 7% near home, 7% at When crimes of violence were re-
to protect themselves in 71% of all
a relative's or acquaintance's home, ported to police, police arrived within
violent victimizations.
and 5% in a club, bar, or restaurant. 10 minutes in 56% of victimizations
Men and women are about equally and within an hour in 89%. An addi-
In 1992 residents of the Western
likely to take some kind of self- tional 4% of victims said they did not
States had the highest per capita rates
protective action. Men are more than know how long it took police to come.
of violent victimization, and those in the
twice as likely as female victims of
Northeast had the lowest.
violence to attack the offender, while Sources
Who commits violent crimes? women are more than twice as likely
as male victims of violence to scream BJS, Criminal Victimization in the United States,
1992, March 1994, NCJ-145125.
In 1992 strangers committed 54% or give an alarm.
of violent crimes; persons well known BJS, Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying
Of those self-protective actions Crime Victims: The National Crime Victimization
to the victims, 20%; casual acquaint- taken, about 2% involve the use Survey, 1973-92, October 1993, NCJ-144525.
ances, 12%; and relatives, 7%. of a weapon by the victim. BJS, Violence against Women, January 1994,
Victims of violence in 1992 reported NCJ-145325.
that about 33% of offenders were less To what extent are crimes BJS Bulletin, Crime and the Nation's House-
than 21 years old, about 86% were reported to police, and what holds, 1992, August 1993, NCJ-143288.
male, and 29% were black. About a is the police response? FBI, Crime in the United States, 1992,
third of the victims reported that they October 3, 1993.
In 1992, 50% of all crimes of violence
were attacked by multiple offenders. National Center for Health Statistics, Centers
were reported to police, including 53% for Disease Control and Prevention, "Advance
Victims reported that in most violent of rapes, 51% of robberies, 62% of Report of Final Mortality Statistics, 1991,"
crimes the victim and the offender aggravated assaults, and 43% of Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 42,
were of the same race. In 1992, in No. 2, Supplement, August 31, 1993.
simple assaults.
73% of the violent crimes against
whites, the offender was also white;
in 84% of the violent crimes against
blacks, the offender was black. Violent victimization rate, by age and race of victim, 1973-92
About a third of victims of violence Number of rapes, robberies, or assaults per 1,000 persons
perceived the offender to have been Age Race
using drugs or alcohol or both at the 65 or
time of the offense. Year 12-15 16-19 20-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 older White Black

1973 55.6 61.4 64.3 34.6 21.6 13.1 8.5 31.6 41.7
How often are weapons used 1974 52.7 68.0 61.3 38.7 20.9 11.8 9.0 31.9 40.7
in violent crime? 1975 54.6 64.4 59.4 39.3 20.5 13.5 7.8 31.6 42.9
1976 52.0 66.7 58.5 40.6 20.0 12.2 7.6 31.1 44.4
Handguns are used in about 13% 1977 56.5 67.7 63.3 41.9 19.9 12.8 7.5 33.0 41.9
of all violent crimes. 1978 57.0 68.9 66.9 39.9 19.9 11.4 7.9 33.0 40.6
Since 1988, handgun crime rates 1979 53.4 70.2 72.2 43.8 21.3 10.3 5.9 33.6 41.6
have risen. In 1992 the handgun crime 1980 49.5 68.7 68.7 39.8 21.1 11.8 6.8 32.2 40.6
1981 58.9 67.8 68.3 43.7 23.3 13.2 7.8 33.4 49.7
rate, 4.5 per 1,000 persons age 12 or
1982 52.0 71.2 68.6 46.0 21.5 10.5 5.7 33.2 43.7
older, was at the highest rate ever
recorded, surpassing the previous high 1983 51.3 64.8 60.1 41.1 20.4 9.0 5.5 29.9 40.6
1984 53.2 67.9 65.4 38.0 21.4 10.1 4.9 30.2 41.6
of 4.0 reached in 1982. 1985 54.1 67.2 60.2 37.4 19.9 9.9 4.5 29.1 38.2
One in every five rapes and over 1986 52.4 60.7 58.8 34.3 20.0 8.2 4.5 27.5 33.4
half of all robberies involve a weapon. 1987 59.3 69.4 62.8 34.3 19.3 8.6 4.9 27.7 42.1
When some type of weapon is used, 1988 56.9 72.0 58.9 35.2 21.8 10.2 4.1 28.2 40.4
it is a handgun in slightly more than 1989 62.9 73.8 57.8 34.9 20.8 7.9 3.9 28.2 36.0
1 in 3 rapes and 4 in 10 robberies. 1990 68.8 74.4 63.1 36.4 19.2 7.5 3.5 28.2 39.7
1991 64.3 92.1 76.0 35.9 20.8 9.5 3.7 30.5 45.7
Strangers are more likely than 1992 75.7 77.9 70.1 37.6 21.2 10.0 4.8 29.9 50.4
nonstrangers to use firearms.
4 Violent Crime