U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime September 1997, NCJ-162031 By Craig A. Perkins BJS Statistician ------------------------------------------------ ************************************************ Note to user of the ascii version of this report: ************************************************ Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime contains 19 graphs and was designed to give its information through those figures. The design permits only a confused sequential presentation of the findings in text. The data points from the graphs are appended at the end of this file. We encourage the user of the ascii version to refer to the pdf or printed version for a better understanding of the information presented. ************************************************ ********** Highlights ********** *Persons age 12 to 24 comprised: 22% of the population, 35% of murder victims, and 49% of serious violent crime victims. *Persons age 25 to 49 constituted: 47% of the population 53% of murder victims, an 44% of serious violent crime victims. *Persons age 50 or older made up: 30% of the population 12% of murder victims, an 7% of serious violent crime victims. *Persons age 18 to 21 were the most likely to experience a serious violent crime, and blacks in that age group were the most vulnerable-- 72 victimizations per 1,000 blacks, 50 victimizations per 1,000 Hispanics, and 46 victimizations per 1,000 whites. *More than 52% of all rape/sexual assault victims were females younger than 25. *Serious violent crime rates for persons age 18 to 21 were 17 times higher than for persons age 65 or older. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Vulnerability to violent crime victimization varies across the age spectrum. The victimization rate increases through the teenage years, crests at around age 20, and steadily decreases through the remaining years. This pattern, with some exceptions, exists across all race, sex, and ethnic groups. The patterns in this Special Report are shown primarily through graphs. The data from those graphs are available on the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Internet site or through the BJS information clearinghouse. (See page 7.) This report uses data from 1992 through 1994, providing a sufficient aggregate to examine serious violent crime across different age groups. It focuses on persons younger than 25 and highlights key facts about serious violent crime, grouped by age, race, and sex. The reported statistics do not include victims under age 12: the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) does not interview children younger than 12, and the homicide data are analyzed to be comparable to the NCVS data. Serious violent crimes include rape and sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault, as measured by the NCVS, and homicide from data reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI. The Bureau of the Census, under the supervision of the BJS, conducts the NCVS which interviews approximately 50,000 households. The NCVS measures crimes not reported as well as those reported to police. Each year between 1992 and 1994, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced about 4.3 million serious violent victimizations on average. Persons age 12 to 24 suffered about 49% (2 million) of the total, although they made up less than a quarter of the U.S. population age 12 or older. Individuals age 40 or older were 47% of the general population but sustained 19% of the serious violent victimizations. Persons younger than 25 were the most vulnerable to serious violent crime, regardless of how age patterns were analyzed. Rates controlling for population show the young with the highest number of victimizations per 1,000 individuals. Considering only adolescents and adults, the average age of violent crime victims is almost 11 years below the average age of the whole population, because of the overrepresentation of the young among crime victims. The Highlights graph of trends presents age categories usually used in BJS reports; however, the remaining findings have age groupings identified with stages of life in the United States. This modified grouping is meant to help account for different life styles, which may suggest some additional factors for describing victims: Persons age 12 to 14 are generally in junior high school. Youth age 15 to 17 are usually in high school. Ages 18 to 21 include persons possibly enrolled in college or technical school or starting jobs. Young adults age 22 to 24 include many of those who have left college and are just beginning a career. Persons age 65 or older include a high proportion of retirees. Also, there are too few sampled cases to analyze the age distribution of minority victims of rape or sexual assault (an estimated 1.1 million rapes of white non-Hispanic females, 236,000 rapes of black non-Hispanic females, and 121,000 rapes of Hispanic females for the 3-year period). Although Hispanics are not a race, they are presented as a separate category within the racial categories. ***************************************** All serious violent crimes: Murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault ***************************************** Rates of serious violent crime for 18-21 year olds -- 17 times higher than for persons age 65 or older. Persons between ages 12 and 24 -- less than a fourth of the U.S. population age 12 or older, almost half of all serious victimizations. Persons age 40 or older -- almost half of the population age 12 or older, less than a fifth of the serious violent victimizations. On average each year, from 1992 to 1994, about 1 in 50 persons fell victim to a serious violent crime; among persons age 12 to 24, 1 in 23. Age Number of persons in the population for each victim of All serious Rape/ Aggravated victim violent crime Murder sexual assault Robbery assault Total 50 9241 416 164 86 12 to 24 23 5945 168 83 39 25 to 34 42 6170 378 132 73 35 to 49 67 10891 591 219 116 50 or old 424 23376 4272 494 424 ******* Murder ******* Persons under age 25 -- 22% of the general population -- account for 35% of murder victims. The youngest and oldest of the population had the lowest rates of murder -- less than 0.05 per 1,000 persons. The pattern of murder victims resembles that of victims of other serious violent crimes -- rates increasing from the very young, cresting at ages 18 to 21, then decreasing. ******************************* Rape or sexual assault (female) ******************************* 1 in 89 females 12-24 were rape/sexual assault victims Slightly more than a fifth of all rape/sexual assault victims were age 18 to 21. The average age for victims was 27. Victims of murder, on average, were the oldest of serious violent crime victims. Over half of all murder victims were age 30 or younger (compared with age 25 for victims of other serious violent crimes). Serious violent offense of victim Median age Murder 29 Rape/sexual assault 23 Robbery 26 Aggravated assault 25 Rates of rape/sexual assault for individuals 18 to 21 were almost 22 times higher than those for age 25 to 29. Persons age 50 or older -- almost a third of the general population age 12 or older -- comprised 3% of rape/sexual assault victims. Persons under 25 made up almost 50% of everyone suffering a serious violent crime and almost 56% of rape/sexual assault victims. Percent of victims All Rape/ Age of Percent of violent sexual victim population crime assault Robbery Total 100 100 100 100 12 to 14 5 10 8 11 15 to 17 5 12 12 10 18 to 21 7 17 21 14 22 to 24 5 11 14 9 25 to 29 9 13 9 12 30 to 34 11 11 13 12 35 to 39 10 8 9 8 40 to 49 17 12 10 12 50 to 64 16 5 2 6 65 or older 15 2 1 4 ********** Robbery ********** Robbery is completed or attempted theft, directly from a person, by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury. Half of all robbery victims were age 26 or younger; the most vulnerable to robbery were the young. Persons age 21 or younger -- slightly less than a fifth of the general population -- suffered close to half of all robberies. 1 in every 79 persons age 12 to 21 were robbery victims, compared to 1 in every 211, age 22 or older. Between 1992 and 1994, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced an annual average of about 1.3 million robberies. The average number of robberies each year was-- 457,000 among persons age 12-21 118,000 for age 22-24 319,000 for age 25-34 263,000 for age 35-49, and 130,000 for age 50 or older. ****************** Aggravated assault ****************** Aggravated assault includes attacks with a weapon, with or without injury and attacks without a weapon that result in serious injury such as broken bones, loss of teeth, internal injuries, or loss of consciousness -- or an undetermined injury requiring 2 or more days of hospitalization. *************** Murder, by race *************** Murder rates for males 18 to 21 were 6 times higher than for their female counterparts. Rates for men 65 or older were 1« times higher than for their female counterparts. The average age for male murder victims was 32, compared to the female murder victim's average age of 37. White murder victims had an average age of 35, while black murder victims had an average age of 30. Over half of black murder victims were 29 or younger, compared to over half of white victims, 32 or older. For whites and blacks, persons 18 to 21 were most at risk of becoming a murder victim. Murder rates for blacks were 8 times higher than for whites -- 1 in every 894 and 1 in every 7,334 persons, respectively. Blacks, about 12% of general population, comprised 51% of murder victims. Almost 1 in 10 of black murder victims were age 18 to 21. *************************** Serious violent crime, by race and Hispanic origin *************************** Blacks and Hispanics across all age groups were more at risk from violence than whites of comparable age -- 1 in 30 blacks, 1 in 35 Hispanics, and 1 in 58 whites, from 1992 to 1994. For 18-to-21 year olds, 1 in 14 blacks, 1 in 20 Hispanics, and 1 in 22 whites experienced a serious violent victimization. Blacks and to a lesser degree Hispanics were overrepresented among victims, relative to their proportions of the general population age 12 or older. Population Victims of Racial age serious Rates /ethnic groups 12 or older violence per 1,000 Total 100 100 20 White 77 65 17 Black 12 20 34 Other 3 4 24 Hispanic 8 12 29 Note: Whites, blacks, and others exclude Hispanics. *************************** Robbery, by race and Hispanic origin *************************** Blacks and Hispanics under age 22 had robbery rates approximately twice those for whites -- 1 in 48, 1 in 57, and 1 in 101 respectively, from 1992 to 1994. Robbery rates for blacks peaked twice, for ages 18 to 21 and 30 to 34, at 24 robberies per 1,000 blacks -- at 5 times the rate for age 50 or older, 5 per 1,000.Blacks and to a lesser degree Hispanics were overrepresented among victims, relative to their proportion of the general population age 12 or older. (eee) The average age for robbery victims was about 30 for whites and blacks, and 28 for Hispanics. ************************** Aggravated assault, by race and Hispanic origin *************************** Slightly more than 1 in every 60 blacks, 1 in every 63 Hispanics, and 1 in every 96 whites were aggravated assault victims. Blacks and Hispanics -- 20% of the general population -- were about 28% of aggravated assault victims. The average age of aggravated assault victims was 25 for Hispanics, 26 for blacks, and 29 for whites. Minority victims of aggravated assault were relatively younger than white victims-- Aggravated assault victims' Percent of population Rates per race and age General Victim 1000 White 100 100 10 12 to 24 20 47 24 25 to 34 19 25 14 35 to 49 27 21 8 50 or older 33 7 2 Black 100 100 17 12 to 24 28 53 31 25 to 34 22 23 17 35 to 49 27 20 13 50 or older 23 5 3 Hispanic 100 100 16 12 to 24 33 61 29 25 to 34 26 19 12 35 to 49 24 17 11 50 or older 17 4 3 ********************** Murder, by sex of victim ********************** 1 in 10 murder victims were males, age 18 to 21. ********************** Serious violent crime, by sex of victim ********************** 1 in 41 males and 1 in 62 females were violent crime victims. ******************* Aggravated assault, by sex of victim ******************* For ages 15-24, men were twice as likely as women to be a victim. **************** Robbery, by sex of victim **************** Boys 12 to 14 and young women 18 to 21 reported the highest rates for robbery. About 1 in every 54 boys age 12 to 14 was a robbery victim, compared to 1 in every 473 men age 65 or older. The average ages for male and female robbery victims were at least 10 years younger than the average age of males and females in the general population. Average age Male Female General population 12 or older 40 yrs 42 yrs Robbery victims 30 31 *********** Methodology *********** Except for homicide data provided by the Uniform Crime Reports, the tables in this report include data from the redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) for 1992, 1993, and 1994. The NCVS obtains information about crimes, including incidents not reported to police, from a continuous, nationally representative sample of households in the United States. Approximately 50,000 individuals age 12 or older are interviewed for the survey annually. ************************** Calculations of NCVS rates ************************** The rates in this report were annual average rates for 1992-94. The numerator of a given rate was the sum of the estimated victimizations that occurred for all three years for each respective demographic group; the denominator was the sum of the annual population totals for these same years and demographic groups. *************************** Calculations of NCVS ratios *************************** The ratios in this report were annual average ratios. The numerator of the given ratio was the sum of the annual population totals for all 3 years for each respective demographic group; the denominator was the sum of the estimated victimizations that occurred for all 3 years for each demographic group. ****************************** Application of standard errors ****************************** The results presented in this report were tested to determine whether the observed difference between groups was statistically significant. Comparisons mentioned in the report passed a hypothesis test at the .05 level of statistical significance (or the 95-percent confidence level), meaning that the estimated difference between comparisons was greater than twice the standard error of the difference. Although the data in this report were collected over 3 years, some estimates were based on a relatively small number of sample cases, particularly for certain demographic groups. Caution should be used when comparing estimates not discussed in the text because since seemingly large differences may not be statistically significant. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is director. BJS Special Reports address a specific topic in depth from one or more datasets that cover many topics. Craig A. Perkins wrote this report. Patsy Klaus provided analytical and programming assistance; Cathy Maston provided statistical review; and Diane Craven reviewed the computer programs. Rhonda Keith produced and edited the report, supervised by Tom Hester. Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by Jayne Robinson and Yvonne Boston, administered final production. September 1997, NCJ-162031 The numerical tables for the graphed information may also be gained by calling the BJS Statistics Clearinghouse, operated by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, 1-800-732-3277. ----------------------------------------------- **************** Data from graphs **************** Violent crime rates by age Adjusted victimization rate per 1,000 persons, age 12 and older Year Age of victim 12-15 16-19 20-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65+ 1973 81.8 81.7 87.6 52.4 38.8 17.2 9.1 1974 77.5 90.6 83.5 58.6 37.5 15.5 9.5 1975 80.3 85.7 80.9 59.5 36.9 17.8 8.3 1976 76.4 88.8 79.7 61.5 35.9 16.1 8.1 1977 83.0 90.2 86.2 63.5 35.8 16.8 8.0 1978 83.7 91.7 91.1 60.5 35.8 15.0 8.4 1979 78.5 93.4 98.4 66.3 38.2 13.6 6.2 1980 72.5 91.3 94.1 60.0 37.4 15.6 7.2 1981 86.0 90.7 93.7 65.8 41.6 17.3 8.3 1982 75.6 94.4 93.8 69.6 38.6 13.8 6.1 1983 75.4 86.3 82.0 62.2 36.5 11.9 5.9 1984 78.2 90.0 87.5 56.6 37.9 13.2 5.2 1985 79.6 89.4 82.0 56.5 35.6 13.0 4.8 1986 77.1 80.8 80.1 52.0 36.0 10.8 4.8 1987 87.2 92.4 85.5 51.9 34.7 11.4 5.2 1988 83.7 95.9 80.2 53.2 39.1 13.4 4.4 1989 92.5 98.2 78.8 52.8 37.3 10.5 4.2 1990 101.1 99.1 86.1 55.2 34.4 9.9 3.7 1991 94.5 122.6 103.6 54.3 37.2 12.5 4.0 1992 111.0 103.7 95.2 56.8 38.1 13.2 5.2 1993 118.4 114.2 91.2 57.9 42.1 17.0 5.6 1994 113.0 120.5 97.7 60.4 39.1 15.1 5.1 Note: Violent crimes included are homicide, rape, robbery, and both simple and aggravated assault. The light gray area indicates that because of changes made to the victimization survey, data prior to 1992 are adjusted to make them comparable to data collected under the redesigned methodology. The adjustment methods are described in Criminal Victimization 1973-95. All serious violent crimes: Murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault Rates of serious violent crime per 1,000 persons Victims' age Rate 12 to 14 37 15 to 17 47 18 to 21 50 22 to 24 40 25 to 29 27 30 to 34 21 35 to 39 16 40 to 49 14 50 to 64 6 65 or older 3 The average age of U.S. residents age 12 or older was almost 41. The average age of victims of serious violent crimes other than murder was 30 or under. Mean Median Overall U.S. population 40.9 39 Murder 34.6 30 Rape/sexual assault 26.6 23 Robbery 29.9 26 Aggravated assault 27.8 25 Murder Rates of murder per 1,000 persons Victims' age Rate 12 to 14 0.03 15 to 17 0.13 18 to 21 0.26 22 to 24 0.23 25 to 29 0.18 30 to 34 0.14 35 to 39 0.11 40 to 49 0.08 50 to 64 0.05 65 or older 0.04 Murder, the least frequent violent crime, victimized fewer than 1 in 1,000 persons, age 12 or older. Violent crime Total Murder 0.11 Rape/sexual assault 2.4 Robbery 6.1 Aggravated assault 11.6 Rape or sexual assault Rates of rape or sexual assault per 1,000 persons Victims' age Rate 12 to 14 3.6 15 to 17 5.9 18 to 21 7.6 22 to 24 6.4 25 to 29 2.2 30 to 34 3.0 35 to 39 2.1 40 to 49 1.5 50 to 64 0.3 65 or older 0.1 Rape or sexual assault 1 in 89 females 12-24 were rape/sexual assault victims Rates per 1,000 females Victims' age Rates 12 to 14 6.7 15 to 17 12.0 18 to 21 13.8 22 to 24 11.8 25 to 29 3.7 30 to 34 5.4 35 to 39 4.0 40 to 49 2.6 50 to 64 0.6 65 or older 0.3 Robbery Rates of robbery per 1,000 persons Victims' age Rate 12 to 14 12.6 15 to 17 12.4 18 to 21 12.8 22 to 24 10.3 25 to 29 7.9 30 to 34 7.2 35 to 39 4.9 40 to 49 4.4 50 to 64 2.5 65 or older 1.5 Age patterns of robbery victims fall into 5 distinct ranges: The 12-21 robbery rate is 6 times that of 50 or older. Approximate robbery rates per 1,000 persons Victim's age Rate 12 to 21 13 22 to 24 10 25 to 34 8 35 to 49 5 50 or older 2 Aggravated asault Rates of aggravated assault per 1,000 persons Victims' age Rate 12 to 14 21.1 15 to 17 28.9 18 to 21 29.3 22 to 24 22.9 25 to 29 16.7 30 to 34 11.0 35 to 39 9.2 40 to 49 8.3 50 to 64 3.4 65 or older 1.2 Annual average number of victimizations, 1992-94 Age Aggravated Rape/ assault Robbery sexual assault Murder 12 to 24 1,225,517 575,131 284,402 8,021 25 to 49 1,075,742 582,215 209,027 12,129 50+ 151,236 129,798 15,006 2,743 Serious violent crime, by race and Hispanic origin Rates of serious violent crime per 1,000 persons Victims' age White Black Hispanic 12 to 14 31.0 58.6 51.2 15 to 17 42.9 56.7 57.0 18 to 21 46.4 71.5 50.3 22 to 24 38.6 50.0 36.5 25 to 29 25.3 33.8 31.7 30 to 34 19.0 40.0 17.0 35 to 39 13.6 27.2 23.3 40 to 49 12.7 23.7 18.8 50 to 64 5.5 10.9 10.5 65 or older 2.3 6.2 8.2 Serious violent crime, by sex of victim 1 in 41 males and 1 in 62 females were violent crime victims Rates per 1,000 persons Victims' age Male Female 12 to 14 45.4 28.7 15 to 17 55.8 38.4 18 to 21 58.0 41.9 22 to 24 44.7 35.0 25 to 29 31.1 23.0 30 to 34 23.2 19.5 35 to 39 19.6 13.0 40 to 49 17.9 10.7 50 to 64 7.9 4.8 65 or older 4.1 2.1 Murder, by race Rates of murder per 1,000 persons Victims' age White Black 12 to 14 0.02 0.09 15 to 17 0.07 0.47 18 to 21 0.11 1.08 22 to 24 0.10 0.97 25 to 29 0.09 0.73 30 to 34 0.08 0.57 35 to 39 0.07 0.42 40 to 49 0.05 0.30 50 to 64 0.04 0.16 65 or older 0.03 0.14 Murder, by sex of victim 1 in 10 murder victims were males, 18 to 21 Rates per 1,000 persons Victims' age Male Female 12 to 14 0.04 0.02 15 to 17 0.22 0.04 18 to 21 0.45 0.07 22 to 24 0.37 0.07 25 to 29 0.29 0.07 30 to 34 0.22 0.07 35 to 39 0.17 0.05 40 to 49 0.12 0.04 50 to 64 0.08 0.02 65 or older 0.05 0.03 Robbery, by race and Hispanic origin Rates of robbery per 1,000 persons Victims' age White Black Hispanic 12 to 14 9.9 20.5 18.4 15 to 17 9.0 17.2 20.0 18 to 21 10.4 24.3 15.2 22 to 24 9.2 16.7 10.1 25 to 29 6.1 10.4 13.5 30 to 34 4.6 23.8 5.3 35 to 39 3.4 11.2 8.3 40 to 49 3.3 9.9 8.1 50 to 64 1.9 5.3 6.9 65 or older 1.0 4.6 4.7 Robbery, by sex of victim Almost 1 in 10 robbery victims were males 18 to 21 Rates per 1,000 persons Victims' age Male Female 12 to 14 18.4 6.5 15 to 17 16.5 8.2 18 to 21 16.6 9.0 22 to 24 12.1 8.5 25 to 29 8.9 7.0 30 to 34 10.1 4.4 35 to 39 6.5 3.4 40 to 49 5.9 2.9 50 to 64 3.5 1.6 65 or older 2.1 1.1 Aggravated assault, by race and Hispanic origin Rates of aggravated assault per 1,000 persons Victims' age White Black Hispanic 12 to 14 18.0 31.4 29.1 15 to 17 27.2 35.3 32.9 18 to 21 28.2 33.5 30.8 22 to 24 22.6 23.6 25.2 25 to 29 16.5 21.8 16.4 30 to 34 11.5 13.3 7.2 35 to 39 8.0 12.5 13.4 40 to 49 7.7 12.6 9.4 50 to 64 3.3 4.7 3.2 65 or older 1.1 1.5 3.5 Aggravated assault, by sex of victim For 18 to 21, men twice as likely as women to be victimized Rates per 1,000 persons Victims' age Male Female 12 to 14 26.4 15.5 15 to 17 39.1 18.2 18 to 21 39.5 19.1 22 to 24 31.2 14.6 25 to 29 21.1 12.3 30 to 34 12.3 9.7 35 to 39 12.8 5.5 40 to 49 11.6 5.1 50 to 64 4.4 2.5 65 or older 1.9 0.7