Crime articles
Get unbiased data and visuals on crime rates, police and law enforcement, jails and prisons, guns, and illegal drugs.
How many people are sentenced to death in America?
In 2022, 2,270 prisoners were sentenced to death and awaiting execution, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than half of prisoners with a death sentence were held in the most populous states: California: 29%, or 667 people Florida: 13%, or 304 people Texas: 8%, or 190 people Adjusting for population, the states with the greatest number of prisoners sentenced to death per 100,000 people in 2022 were Alabama (3.21 per 100,000 people) and Nevada (1.79). California ranked fourth with 1.70 prisoners under sentence of death per 100,000 people in 2022, while Florida ranked sixth (1.35), and Texas ranked 13th (0.63).
May 14, 2025How many people die from gun-related injuries in the US each month?
An estimated 3.8K in August 2024, the most recent month for which data is available. This includes homicides, suicides, accidents, and other incidents where a shooting was considered the primary cause of death.
How many people are in prisons in the US?
About 1.23 million at the end of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. This number is up 2.1% from 2021 and includes anyone under state or federal jurisdiction. Prisoners sentenced to one or more years — usually for a felony conviction — make up 96.4% of this group, and the remainder includes people who are serving shorter sentences or awaiting sentencing.
Updates annuallyHow many people are deported from the US each year?
1.1M in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, a broader term can be used, “repatriation”, which also includes COVID-19 related expulsions from the US.
How many people apprehended at US borders have a prior criminal conviction?
About 17,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This number of criminal noncitizen arrests — now referred to by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as criminal alien arrests — represents 1.1% of all border apprehensions by the US Border Patrol (USBP) through September 2024, the end of the federal fiscal year. Because one person may be arrested multiple times in the same fiscal year, it’s possible to have more arrests than people arrested.
How many states use private prisons?
As of 2022, 28 states used privately run prisons along with (or instead of) local jails and state-run facilities. That same year, 7.4% of prisoners were in a private facility. In January 2021, former President Joe Biden signed an executive order ending the use of privately-operated prisons, citing importance of prisoner rehabilitation and redemption and the need to alleviate federal reliance on profit-based correctional systems and noting that privately-operated prisons underperform in terms of both inmate and staff safety and resources for inmates. The Federal Bureau of Prisons ended the use of privately-owned prisons on November 30, 2022. As of 2025, there are zero federal inmates in private institutions. But because the order only applied to federal prisons, states can continue to contract with for-profit prisons.
Feb 6, 2025Who are school resource officers, and what do they do for school safety?
School resource officers (SROs) are law enforcement officers tasked with ensuring safety and preventing crime in schools.Like regular police officers, SROs can make arrests, respond to service calls, and document incidents within their jurisdiction.Additionally, SROs serve as educators, emergency managers, and mentors.A 2023 Justice Department report surveyed SROs in the 2019–2020 school year about actions they performed within 30 days prior to being surveyed.How many SROs are there?As of the 2019–2020 school year, there were 23,426 SROs in US schools. These officers aren’t employed by schools, but by local police departments (49.1% of SROs), sheriffs' offices (32.3%), and school district police departments (18.6%).According to the Department of Justice, “SRO candidates should be sworn law enforcement officers or deputies with at least three years’ work experience and an interest in developing positive, community-oriented relationships with youth and the school community.”About 69% of SROs reported that they had responded to an incident in a classroom within the past 30 days when surveyed during the 2019–2020 school year.What do SROs do? SROs perform various duties that can be categorized into investigative, enforcement, patrol and response, security, mentoring, and teaching activities.SROs have four major roles:Law enforcementSROs play a role in maintaining a secure environment within and around school premises. They strive to employ non-punitive approaches when interacting with students, reserving citations and arrests as a last resort, applicable only in narrowly defined circumstances.Informal counselorSROs serve as liaisons to community services that support the well-being of youth and their families.EducatorSROs help educate students on crime prevention, safety measures (such as school shooter drills), drug awareness, conflict resolution strategies, and insights into the legal system and law enforcement operations.Emergency managerSROs help develop and implement emergency preparedness policies and school safety plans. They collaborate with first responders during emergencies and sit on school threat assessment teams.Investigative activitiesSROs conduct various investigative activities within schools. Of the surveyed SROs, 54.4% conducted searches, such as locker inspections or pat downs of students, 54.6% interviewed students regarding safety issues without a parent or guardian present, and 58.7% interviewed students in the presence of a parent or guardian.
Aug 2, 2024How much money does the government appropriate to combat the opioid epidemic?
In recent years, Congress passed three laws authorizing the appropriation of $10.6 billion in spending to combat the opioid epidemic. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), the 21st Century Cures Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act are estimated to increase mandatory opioid response spending by $2.5 billion.Congress plans to spend these funds from 2017 and 2028. This funding is for programs that reduce the supply of opioids, the demand for them, and the harm they cause. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act represents 85% of this funding, almost $8.99 billion.
Aug 1, 2024Which cities have the highest murder rates?
There were 24,849 homicides in the US in 2022 — an average of about 7.5 deaths per 100,000 people. Homicide rates are highest in counties home to large cities, where there are an average of 10.5 per 100,000.Rates are lower in medium-sized urban counties (7.4), small metropolitan counties (6.4), and suburban counties (5.1). Rural counties also have lower-than-average homicide rates.Which cities have the most homicides?One way to approximate city homicide numbers is with data from large urban counties. This is inexact, as some counties map to a single city others contain multiple cities or a broader metropolitan area, and some major cities (like St. Louis and Baltimore) are independent and don’t belong to any county. But county-level numbers are still instructive.Cook County, Illinois, home to Chicago and its metropolitan area, had 929 homicides in 2022 — the most in the nation. The second highest was Los Angeles County, California, whose 88 cities, including Los Angeles, had 713 homicides.Los Angeles and Cook Counties are also the two most populated counties in the country. When adjusted for population, Cook County’s 18.2 homicides per 100,000 people ranked 17th among 60 large-city US counties with reliable data, and Los Angeles County’s 7.3 ranked 41st.
Jun 28, 2024Which cities have the highest and lowest crime rates?
From 2021 to 2022, the national violent crime rate dropped for the second consecutive year, while the national property crime rate rose for the first time in two decades.What is the violent crime rate?The FBI divides violent crime into four categories: homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Aggravated assaults are the most prevalent, accounting for over 70% of all violent crime reported in the US. Homicides are the least common, making up about 1.7% of total reported violent crime.The FBI estimated that there were about 381 reported violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2022, marking a 1.6% decrease from 2021. The drop in violent crime was driven by reductions in all types of crime except for robberies, which rose by 0.9%.
Jun 25, 2024The opioid crisis in data
Few US communities remain untouched by opioid overdoses: they killed an average of 224 people each day in 2022.Opioid deaths have increased tenfold over the past 25 years. Among all addictions in 2021, the number of people in treatment for opioid addiction — for abuse of prescription opioids, heroin, and illegal fentanyl — was second only to alcohol abuse at reporting facilities.Since 2017, Congress has spent over $10.6 billion to address the opioid crisis, and lawsuits filed against drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies have awarded nearly $50 billion to state and local governments. The JEC determined that determined that the opioid epidemic cost the US economy an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2020 alone.What are opioids?Opioids are a class of drug derived from poppies that are used to treat pain. They’re typically broken into three categories: illegal drugs like heroin; legal synthetic prescribed opioids like fentanyl which is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin, and legal semi-synthetic opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine.When did the opioid epidemic begin?The 2014 arrival of illicit fentanyl accelerated the crisis, but opioid addiction and deaths predate its appearance on the market.
Jun 21, 2024The federal data available on active shooter incidents, mass killings and domestic terrorism
The mass shootings on Aug. 3 in El Paso, Texas and Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, and the shooting the previous week in Gilroy, California, brought to the national forefront several issues including domestic terrorism, gun violence and hate crimes.In response, USAFacts is giving readers a look at the government data that is (and isn’t) available on those topics.
Oct 3, 2023Who buys the guns that are used in crimes? A closer look at the buyers
When a gun is first recovered from a crime scene, it isn’t always clear who bought it. A new report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), however, provides some data on the people who purchase guns later used in crimes, also known as crime guns. Here are four main takeaways.
Mar 29, 2023Which groups have experienced an increase in hate crimes?
The number of reported hate crimes — crimes motivated by bias against someone’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity —rose by 7% between 2021 and 2022, according to updated 2022 hate crime data from the FBI.Black and/or African American people were the most frequent targets overall. Among gender-motivated hate crimes, anti-transgender hate crimes increased 35% year over year. Religiously motivated hate crimes increased 27%, and specifically, antisemitic hate crimes increased by 36% from 2021 to 2022.How many hate crimes are motivated by race?Although crimes motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry decreased 1% between 2021 and 2022, they were the largest category of hate crimes, accounting for 56% of all reported hate crimes.
Dec 14, 2023Can people with felony convictions vote?
In the US, almost all people with felony convictions lose their voting rights for a certain period.States set rules about how a felony conviction affects a resident’s ability to vote. Most states automatically restore voting rights either after release from prison or after probation or parole. Some states automatically restore voting rights under specific circumstances, depending on the nature of the crime or an individual’s criminal history. Meanwhile, two states, plus Washington, DC, never revoke the voting rights of individuals convicted of a felony.At the end of 2021, more than 1.2 million people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons, according to the Department of Justice.
Dec 1, 2023How much do states spend on prisoners?
States incarcerated more than 1 million people at the end of 2021, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics data. To house them, state governments spent a combined $64.0 billion (inflation-adjusted). Spending per prisoner varies more than tenfold across states, from just under $23,000 per person in Arkansas to $307,468 in Massachusetts. Spending in Massachusetts was more than double any other state; the median state spent $64,865 per prisoner for the year.
Apr 17, 2024How many Americans have died from terrorist attacks since 9/11?
The US made several policy changes to combat terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. Most notably, it created the Department of Homeland Security, increased airport security, and went to war in Afghanistan.In the two decades since the attack, there were far fewer terrorist acts on US soil and most attacks aren’t lethal, according to data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). The consortium is a Department of Homeland Security science and technology center.While the 9/11 attack was committed by terrorists associated with the extremist Al Qaeda group, most terror incidents in the US are conducted without a connection to a formal organization and are motivated by a wide range of ideologies.How does the US define terrorism?An FBI definition based on federal statute describes terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated... terrorist organizations or nations.” A country or nation can be a state sponsor of terrorism if the Secretary of State determines the country repeatedly provided support for terrorist acts. The US currently considers four countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. North Korea and Cuba were the most recent additions to that list, added in 2017 and this past January, respectively.Similarly, an FBI definition of domestic terrorism describes it as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”How many people have died from terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11?The 9/11 attacks killed 2,908 people between the plane strikes at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Penn. Since those attacks, 549 Americans have died in terrorist attacks, according to an analysis of the Global Terrorism Database, maintained by START. In 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, 51 people died in terrorist attacks in the US.About a quarter of all terrorist attacks in the US from 2015 to 2019 involved firearms. Those firearm incidents were responsible for almost all terrorism-related deaths at that time.
Sep 14, 2021How many people are in prison in America?
There were 1.20 million people in prison in the US in 2021, or 363 for every 100,000 people. The prison and overall correctional population, including those in jail and on probation and parole, has decreased over time.How much has the prison population gone down?Between 2011 and 2021, the prison population decreased by 25%. Although the total population grew, the number of prisoners per 100,000 people declined 29% over that time period. The total correctional population peaked in 2007, but the populations within each category of corrections have dropped since then. Those in jail totaled 636,300 in 2021, or 192 people for every 100,000, the second-lowest jail incarceration rate since 1996.
Nov 10, 2023Here’s where guns used in crimes are bought
A report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reveals that traced crime guns — guns later used in crimes — that originated from gun shows increased by 19% from 2017 to 2021. It also reveals that 99% of traced crime guns were initially obtained from a dealer, pawnbroker, or gun manufacturer. Here’s a look at how gun show sales have rebounded after the pandemic and where people buy guns for crimes.
Apr 6, 2023Gun injuries are killing more Americans. Which communities are most impacted?
The number of people dying from firearm-related incidents has been increasing since 2000 — in particular, deaths increased by 45.5% between 2012 and 2021, with a spike between 2019 and 2021. There were 48,830 firearms deaths in 2021, the highest total number since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking this statistic in 1968. This is a 70% increase from 2000, when there were 28,663 firearm deaths.
Sep 21, 2023Which states have the highest murder rates?
The national homicide death rate fell by 6.1% from 2021 to 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age-adjusted homicide rate had risen 36.7% between 2019 and 2021 from 6.0 homicides per 100,000 people to 8.2. In 2022, the rate fell to 7.7.In the last three years of data, US homicide rates have been higher than at any other point in the 21st century, but they remain below the peaks of the 1980s and early 1990s.
May 24, 2024Where are crime victimization rates higher: urban or rural areas?
In 2021, crime victimization rates were higher in urban than rural areas. In urban settings, 24.5 out of 1,000 people aged 12 or older reported being the victims of violent crimes, and 157.5 reported being the victims of property crimes. In rural settings, those figures were 11.1 and 57.7, respectively.
Sep 25, 2023How many spam phone calls do Americans receive?
During fiscal year 2022, Americans made over three million complaints to the National Do Not Call Registry (NDNCR), administered and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. While there were a record 246.8 million phone numbers in the registry in 2022, complaints about both live callers and robocalls hit five-year lows. Annual complaints decreased by more than 47% since 2018, when 5.78 million complaints were registered.What are the most common topics of reported spam calls?Between January 2019 and September 2023, 2.04 million complaints — 11.3% of the total — were related to unwanted phone calls where people or robots falsely pose as government representatives, legitimate business entities, or people affiliated with them. Other major sources of complaints were unsolicited calls about warranties and protection plans (1.04 million), reducing debt (948,032), and medical or prescription issues (895,583).
Dec 11, 2023Which states have the highest and lowest crime rates?
In 2022, New Mexico recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate, while Washington had the highest property crime rate. Maine had the lowest violent crime rate, and Idaho held the lowest property crime rate.The US crime rate has trended downward for decades, and recent data confirms this pattern. However, while the national violent crime rate decreased by 1.6% in 2022 compared to 2021, the property crime rate rose by 6.7%. Rates vary by region due to factors including urbanization levels, economic conditions, and law enforcement effectiveness.What are violent and property crimes?The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program classifies violent crimes as those involving force or the threat of force. Violent crime encompasses four specific offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.The UCR Program defines property crime as taking money or property without force or threat against the victims. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also categorized as a property crime due to its nature of property destruction, although it may involve force against victims. However, the FBI does not include arson as a property crime through its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), so this article does not include arson under aggregated property crimes.
Feb 23, 2024What kinds of property crime are on the rise?
In 2022, the national property crime rate increased for the first time in over two decades, rising 6.7% from 1,832 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2021 to 1,954 in 2022.
May 3, 2024What are prison work programs and how common are they?
Sixty-one percent of prison inmates in the United States have work assignments, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).BJS publishes some national data about work programs in prisons, but there is still room for improving this data to be more frequent and cover more topics related to prison labor.What are prison work programs?Prison work programs include several ways that prison inmates provide work to the prison, the public, or private companies.Inmates can work in prison operations, meaning work that supports the operations of the prisons themselves, such as maintenance, food services, and office or administrative work.Inmates can work in prison industry programs. Prison industries are government-owned businesses that create and sell products made by inmates, such as license plates or facemasks.Inmates can also be employed in public work programs, in which inmates provide services for the public that would otherwise be funded by government agencies. This includes road repairs or litter cleanup.Private companies can also employ inmates through the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP). This program puts inmates into realistic work environments, pays them prevailing wages, and aims to help them develop marketable skills that will help inmates get jobs after being released from prison. There are a total of 37 state PIECP-certified programs and four county programs. These programs involve at least 175 partnerships with private businesses.How common are prison work programs?According to the BJS’s Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, more than 98% of prisons had work programs in 2019. Work programs are available in all 50 states and in both federal and state prisons.Prison operations are the most common type of work program, available in about 95% of prisons. Prison industries (such as license plate, wood product, or textiles manufacturing) are available in about half of all prisons.Every type of work program reported by BJS was more common in public facilities than in private facilities. In 2019, there were 1,079 public prisons and 82 private prisons.Among public prisons, prison operations and prison industries were more common in federal prisons, while public works and farming or agricultural work were more common in state-run prisons. In 2019, there were 111 federal prisons and 968 state prisons.
Sep 22, 2022The state of domestic terrorism in the US
The incidence of domestic terrorism has sharply increased in the United States over the past decade.From high-profile incidents like the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021 to racially motivated acts of violence, these events have shed light on the need to understand and address the threat of domestic terrorism.What is domestic terrorism?According to the FBI, domestic terrorism encompasses violent, criminal acts that individuals and/or groups use to further their ideological goals from political, social, racial, or environmental influences within the country’s borders. These acts appear to be intended to:Intimidate or coerce a civilian population;Influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; orAffect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.These individuals and groups are separated into five different threat categories, which help officials understand the motives of criminal actors better. These categories include:Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism;Anti-government or anti-authority violent extremism;Animal rights/environmental violent extremism;Abortion-related violent extremism;All other domestic terrorist threats, with agendas such as personal grievances, or bias related to religion, gender, or sexual orientation.It’s important to note that rather than being charged with domestic terrorism, prosecutors use other federal and state charges to prosecute people indicted in federal domestic terrorism–related cases.How many domestic terrorism events occur in the US?According to the Government Accountability Office, there were 231 domestic terrorism incidents with known offenders between 2010 and 2021, with the number of incidents generally increasing over time.
Aug 4, 2023What are hate crimes, and what are the facts behind them?
While the word “hate” typically connotes strong feelings of anger or dislike, the legal definition is more specific: hate refers to bias against individuals or groups based on specific characteristics defined by the law, no matter the offender’s emotional state.What is a hate crime?Federal laws identify hate crimes as crimes motivated by a victim’s perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Many states have their own hate crime laws covering similar bias categories.Hate crimes include violent acts against both people and property: assault, murder, arson, vandalism, or threats of or conspiracy to commit these crimes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies assault and murder as crimes against persons, and arson or vandalism as crimes against property.By contrast, “bias incident” or “hate incidents,” which are acts of prejudice that are not crimes, and do not involve violence, threats, or property damage.
Feb 15, 2024Are fentanyl overdose deaths rising in the US?
In 2022, 73,654 people died from a fentanyl overdose in the US, more than double the amount of deaths from three years prior in 2019. Fentanyl deaths have increased every year for the past decade, but 2022 marked the smallest year-over-year growth at 4.3%.
Sep 27, 2023How is crime measured in the US?
Is crime in the US increasing or decreasing? It’s a question that the Department of Justice tries to answer using two primary sources: victim surveys and administrative data from law enforcement agencies.The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey captures information directly from victims, while the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects data from law enforcement agencies. These data sources, which account for crimes that are reported to the police as well as those that aren’t, together provide a more comprehensive understanding of crime in the US.In 2021, however, with only 64% of the US population covered by law enforcement agency participation, the FBI relied on crime estimates to compensate for the missing data.Local and state agencies are not required by federal law to submit crime data to the FBI, making their participation voluntary.
May 17, 2023What does the Department of Justice do?
The Department of Justice (DOJ, Justice Department) is an executive branch agency responsible for enforcing federal laws and ensuring public safety. Its functions include prosecuting criminal and civil cases, overseeing federal law enforcement agencies, managing federal prisons, upholding civil rights, and issuing justice-related grants. It was established in 1870.
Updates annuallyWhat the data shows about police use of force by race
From 2018 to 2020, the share of Black Americans who experienced threats and nonfatal use of physical force during police contact increased, according to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The same is true for people in the multiracial, Native, or Pacific Islander American category.Rates increased from 3.8% to 4.3% for Black Americans and from 2.5% to 2.7% for multiracial, Native, or Pacific Islander Americans.
May 8, 2023Firearm background checks: Explained
The federal government sets gun control laws at the national level, but states and localities retain control over certain aspects of the purchase and ownership of firearms.Federal gun lawsThe Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right to bear arms while the Gun Control Act of 1968 provides federal regulation over firearm possession.Under the act, citizens and US residents must be 18 years or older to purchase shotguns, rifles, or ammunition. All other firearms — such as handguns — can only be sold to individuals 21 or older. Buying semi-automatic weapons is legal in most states.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), a division of the Justice Department, is responsible for administering the Gun Control Act. The ATF also regulates standards for issuing licenses to gun sellers.State and local gun lawsState and local officials can implement higher age restrictions on gun ownership but cannot implement lower age restrictions on gun ownership. “Right to carry” laws that determine whether a person can carry guns in public are decided by state and local governments.
May 14, 2023Ghost guns sent to the ATF have more than tripled since 2019
From 2016 to 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received around 45,000 reports of suspected privately made firearms used for illegal activity, including 692 homicides or attempted homicides.Privately made firearms (PMFs) are guns that have been legally assembled by someone other than a licensed manufacturer. These include “buy-build-shoot kits,” which contain dissembled firearms that someone can assemble at home. People can also legally make guns with a 3D printer.The number of privately made firearms that law enforcement entities submitted to the ATF rose from 6,000 in 2019 to more than 19,000 in 2021.
Mar 14, 2023Sexual assault reports increased 28% at US military academies in 2022
A recent Department of Defense report found that reports of sexual assault across the nation’s military academies increased 28% between the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. Of the 206 reports, 83% were from enrolled cadets and midshipmen, while the rest were made by academy graduates or civilians. The increase appears to be driven by rising unwanted sexual contact for academy men and women, as well as a higher likelihood to report incidents: reporting rates were up 2 percentage points compared to the 2017–18 school year.
Apr 4, 2023Data says domestic violence incidents are down, but half of all victims don’t report to police
About half of all domestic violence incidents are reported to law enforcement, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a sub-agency of the Department of Justice. Domestic violence is a broad term that includes violent acts perpetrated by family members or intimate partners. Intimate partner violence is a subset of domestic violence. It’s defined as abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. Intimate partner violence includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as economic coercion, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime. The rate of domestic violence committed by an intimate partner or family member was 4.2 victimizations per 1,000 people in 2019, decreasing from 4.8 per 1,000 people in 2018. From 2010 to 2019, the average victimization rate was 4.4 per 1,000 people.
Oct 21, 2021Is teen drug and alcohol use declining?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) distributes a biennial set of surveys to high school students to track behaviors that may lead to poor health. The most recent survey found teenagers are trying alcohol, certain drugs, and other substances less than they did a decade ago.How has teen substance abuse changed?The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YBRSS) showed that teen drug use has declined over the last few decades. The survey covers how substance use trends among teenagers changed from 1990 to 2021.
Oct 5, 2023How many people in prisons died of COVID-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for thousands of deaths in its first year. But the death rate was even higher for incarcerated people in state and federal prisons.From March 2020 to February 2021, nearly 2,500 incarcerated people in state and federal prisons died of COVID-19, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This translates to a crude death rate of about 1.5 deaths per 1,000 incarcerated people from the virus. By comparison, the CDC estimates a death rate of about 1.25 deaths per 1,000 people for the total US population in 2021, making the death rate 20% higher for incarcerated people than it was for average Americans.
Sep 20, 2022The latest government data on school shootings
In the wake of the school shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, USAFacts has collected recent data about school shootings in the United States. Here’s what current data has to say about these incidents.The Center for Homeland Defense and Security maintains a collection of metrics on school shootings: the K–12 School Shooting Database (or K–12 SSDB).
Feb 20, 2024Is child labor increasing in the US?
An investigation by the United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division uncovered child labor violations across eight states, with over 100 employees — some as young as 13 years old — working 13-hour overnight shifts in meat processing facilities.But is child labor is on the rise in America? Cases of child labor violations have fallen since the early 2000s. But from 2015 to 2022, the number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws rose by 283%, according to data from the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Jun 16, 2023How many rape kits are awaiting testing in the US? See the data by state.
In 2022, at least 25,000 untested rape kits sat in law enforcement agencies and crime labs across the country. This figure only accounts for data reported by 30 states and Washington, DC; the total backlog number is unknown.Untested rape kits can have significant consequences for both the criminal justice system and sexual assault survivors. Not only can rape kit testing provide crucial evidence that helps identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, it also can connect perpetrators to other assaults. Failing to test kits in a timely manner can mean missed opportunities to identify serial offenders and prevent further victimization.The failure to submit rape kits for lab testing in numerous jurisdictions has decreased community trust in law enforcement. Survivors from Houston in 2020 to Memphis in 2023 have filed class action lawsuits against city officials for their rape kit backlogs, asserting that timely testing of rape kits could have prevented their own or others’ sexual assaults.
Jul 3, 2023Here’s how the government tracks guns used in crimes
Was a gun used in a crime bought legally? Who bought the gun — and where was it bought?These are questions the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeks to answer through its National Tracing Center, the nation’s only gun tracing facility. Every year, the ATF fields thousands of trace requests to help domestic and international law enforcement investigate gun crimes.In February 2023, the ATF issued a report on guns used in crimes, using 2017–2021 National Tracing Center data. It is the first ATF study on criminal gun trafficking in more than two decades.
Mar 9, 2023How common is it for released prisoners to re-offend?
Seventy percent of prisoners released in 2012 were arrested again within five years, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The recidivism rate is over 80% for prisoners with juvenile records.BJS defines recidivism as a re-offense by those previously in the criminal justice system. The bureau breaks down offenses into three categories: arrest, guilty conviction, and return to prison. BJS started collecting data on recidivism in 2005, tracking prisoner records over a five-year time period. The most recent data available is from 2017. The data includes prisoner records released by 34 states, representing 80% of the state prison population nationwide. The data excludes federal prisons. It also excludes state or county jails, where people are awaiting trial or sentencing, or serving less than one year of incarceration.Former prisoners face many challenges after being released, including finding employment, housing, or receiving healthcare. A BJS study found that one-third of federal prisoners released in 2010 did not find employment within four years. Additionally, a Census Bureau study found former prisoners who were employed earned $10,000 less per year than their peers with similar educational backgrounds.How do recidivism rates differ between demographic groups?Recidivism rates are the highest for those first arrested before turning 18. The rates are lowest for those who were first arrested at 40 years or older, staying below 30%. Recidivism rates also decrease as individuals get older, regardless of the age of first arrest.
May 14, 2023Right to carry gun laws: Explained
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution provides the right to bear arms, but gun owners must still abide by laws regulating that right. State laws can cover whether — and how — a person may carry their firearms in public, whether they may bring their guns across state lines, and the conditions under which their firearms may be confiscated by law enforcement due to public safety concerns. Prospective gun owners may also be affected by regulations regarding the newer category of “ghost guns.”
Apr 4, 2023What is naloxone and how is it used in the US?
In 2022, opioids were responsible for 81,607 overdose deaths in the US — up from 46,802 in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the same period, deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids rose from 31,335 to 73,654.
Oct 17, 2023Traffic stop data reveals racial discrepancies in police enforcement
Traffic stops are a routine occurrence in the United States, but what happens during those stops can vary significantly depending on the driver’s race.According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 6% of Black and Hispanic Americans pulled over for traffic stops were searched or arrested, the most of any other groups. Americans in “all other” racial categories were searched or arrested 4% of the time.
May 5, 2023How many cyber-attacks occur in the US?
In 2022, 800,944 cyber-crimes were reported in the US. But while the total number of reported cyber-attacks was lower than in 2021, financial losses rose nearly 50%, from $6.9 to $10.3 billion.
Nov 20, 2023What is considered a mass shooting?
In 2023, hundreds of shootings where multiple people were either injured or killed have been reported in the US. These events are confirmed by local and state law enforcement and covered in media outlets in communities across the country.Stories about gun violence include terms such as “active shooter,” “mass shooting,” “mass murder,” and “domestic terrorism.” The terms can be easily confused because various organizations and government agencies define them differently.Being aware of this technicality can help the public more accurately understand the status of a shooting incident, how many people were injured or killed, and, in cases of domestic terrorism, what motivated the incident.What is an active shooter?The FBI defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” When there is a report of an active shooter, that signals that the incident is currently unfolding and the shooter is not yet apprehended by authorities.The term describes a person (or people, if there are multiple shooters), but it also describes the status of the situation as “ongoing.”
Aug 11, 2023What is the crime rate in the US?
In 2023, for every 100,000 people, 364 violent crimes and 1,917 property crimes. Simply speaking, violent crimes are committed against people, property crimes are not. These crime rates do not include every violent and property crime, but rather four violent offenses and three property offenses that have been tracked since 1929.
Updates annuallyWhat’s behind all these cases of unruly aircraft passengers?
On January 2, 2021, a man aboard a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Kansas City, Missouri, from Orlando, Florida, was detained by law enforcement for allegedly assaulting fellow passengers. According to the report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), he became violent “because someone in his row would not change seats to accommodate his travel partner.” The FAA fined him $32,500.The next day, on a Frontier Airlines flight that had just landed in New York City, a passenger allegedly attempted to gain entry to the flight deck while deplaning, assaulting two flight attendants and threatening to kill one of them. The captain called for law enforcement to meet the man upon exiting the plane. He was fined $30,000.Reports of air-rage and disruptive behavior such as these on US airlines hit an all-time high in 2021, according to the FAA. On January 13, 2021, the FAA implemented its “zero tolerance” policy.That year, the FAA received 5,973 reports of unruly passengers from airlines. That was up 492% from the 1,009 reports in 2020. But that spike didn’t just reflect a rebound from an unusually slow 2020 due to COVID-19. In 2019, there were 1,161 incidents. There were 899 in 2018 and 544 in 2017.
Aug 15, 2023How many police officers die in the line of duty?
In 2022, 118 officers died in the line of duty, according to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database. Sixty of those officers were killed feloniously, primarily by firearms. However, law enforcement does not rank in the top 10 deadliest professions in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).The FBI collects data from US law enforcement agencies on officer assaults and deaths. The data is categorized into two types: felonious, meaning purposefully killed, and accidental. The collected information includes deaths occurring on the job but doesn’t include work-related exposures that may lead to illness or death. The data excludes COVID-19, 9/11-related illnesses, and suicides.Officer deaths since the 1990sThere were eleven fewer officer deaths in 2022 than in 2021. Officer deaths have increased since 1996, when the FBI began collecting data. However, there were fewer officers killed in 2022 than in 1997.
Nov 30, 2023How many guns are made in the US?
Licensed US firearms manufacturers produced 7 million pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, and other similar weapons in 2019, down 39% from a high in 2016, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
May 12, 2021How much does text message fraud cost Americans?
Text message scams are particularly effective: The median amount of money lost in consumer fraud scams in 2022 was $650, but for text message scams, it was $1,000. Americans lost a total of nearly $330 million through text message scams that year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).How many fraud incidents are reported annually?In 2022, the FTC received 2.56 million fraud reports (of all types, not just text messages) Nearly a quarter of those reports — 624,512 — involved money loss.The total number of fraud reports increased from 1.9 million in 2019 to 2.6 million in 2022. Since 2019, the FTC has published quarterly data on fraud reports. The first quarter of 2021 had the most fraud reports of any quarter during that time period (876,530), with a 92% increase year over year. The fourth quarter of 2019 had the lowest number of fraud reports (412,107).Which states report the most incidents of fraud?Georgia had the highest rate of fraud reports in 2022, with 1,611 reports per 100,000 people (171,208 total reports). North Dakota had the lowest, at 568 per 100,000 people (4,392 total reports).
Dec 11, 2023Who is overdosing on fentanyl?
Opioids have claimed the lives of over 800,000 Americans between 1999 and 2023, becoming a substantial national public health issue. In 2023, fentanyl — a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin— accounted for 80.0% of opioid-related overdoses, according to provisional CDC data. Fentanyl deaths have risen over the last decade, with nearly 24 times more deaths in 2022 than 2013, and approximately 73,838 deaths in 2022 alone.Location, race, and age data on fentanyl deaths reveals an underlying disparity in who is most affected by the opioid crisis.Which states are losing the most people to fentanyl?In 2022, West Virginia had the highest rate of age-adjusted fentanyl overdoses of any state, at 67 deaths per 100,000 people, 42.3% higher than Delaware, with the next highest rate of 47.1.South Dakota had the lowest rate of fentanyl overdoses, with 4.6 deaths per 100,000 residents.
May 29, 2024