U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey Criminal Victimization, 2003 September 2004, NCJ 205455 --------------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cv03.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#cv ---------------------------------------------------------------- By Shannan M. Catalano Ph.D BJS Statistician -------------------------------------- Highlights The National Crime Victimization Survey reveals that violent and property crime rates in 2003 did not change from the previous year * Though the downward trend in crime rates has stabilized, violent and property crime rates in 2003 remained at the lowest levels recorded since the survey's inception in 1973. * Rates for robbery and assault did not change in 2002-03, while the rate for rape/sexual assault declined marginally. * The rate of violent crime dropped 14% from the period 2000-01 to the period 2002-03. * For the decade the rate for crimes of violence was down 55%, from 50 to 23 victimizations per 1,000 persons. * During 2003, 24% of all violent crime incidents were committed by an armed offender; 7%, by an offender with a firearm. * As in previous years, males were most vulnerable to violence by strangers (54% of the violence against males), while females were most often victimized by nonstrangers (67%). * Persons who have been historically the most vulnerable to violent crime -- males, blacks, and youths -- continued to be victimized at higher rates than others in 2003. * During 2003, 48% of all violent victimizations and 38% of all property crimes were reported to the police -- representing significant increases in reporting to the police over the last decade. --------------------------------------------- In 2003 U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced an estimated 24.2 million violent and property victimizations, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). (See Survey methodology, page 11.) These criminal victimizations included an estimated 18.6 million property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft), 5.4 million violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault), and 185,000 personal thefts (pocket picking and purse snatching). Except for rape/sexual assault, which showed a marginal decline, 2003 victimization rates for every major type of crime measured were unchanged from their 2002 levels. However, for every major category of crime except rape/sexual assault, aggregated rates for the period 2002-03 were lower than those for 2001-02. Taken together, the 1-year (2002-03) and 2-year average (2000-01 to 2002-03) change estimates indicate that crime rates have stabilized. The rates are the lowest experienced in the last 30 years. Between 1993 and 2003 the violent crime rate decreased 55%, from 50 to 23 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. Property crime declined 49% from 319 to 163 per 1,000 households. In 2003, according to victims, 48% of violent crimes and 38% of property crimes were reported to the police. The proportion of crime reported to the police has increased since 1993, when victims indicated that 43% of the violent crimes and 34% of the property crimes had been reported. Criminal victimization, 2002-03 The NCVS collects data on nonfatal crimes against persons age 12 or older, reported and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Information on homicide is obtained from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program of the FBI. Crimes measured by the NCVS Violent crimes refer to rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault taken as a whole. Property crimes refer to household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft considered together. The violent and property crime rates remained stable, 2002-03, and the rates for individual types of violence did not change, except for rape/sexual assault, the rates of which decreased marginally. Murder/nonnegligent manslaughter Based on preliminary 2003 data from the FBI, the number of persons murdered in the United States increased 1.3% between 2002 and 2003. In 2002, 16,200 persons were murdered; the estimate for 2003 is about 16,420 victims of murder. Based on these preliminary data, the homicide rate for 2003 is about 5.6 per 100,000 persons, unchanged from 2001 and 2002. Preliminary data suggest that increases in the number of murders occurred in the Northeast (+5.1%), South (+2.8%), and West (+1.8%). A decline in the number of murders was measured in the Midwest (-4.7%). ----------------------------------------- Murder and victim characteristics, 2002 In 2002, the year in which the most recent comprehensive data are available, the FBI reported a total of 16,200 murders or nonnegligent manslaughters. The total represents a 1% increase from the 16,040 murders recorded in 2001. The FBI defines murder in its annual Crime in the United States as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. Not included are deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident; justifiable homicides; and attempts to murder or assaults to murder, which are scored as aggravated assaults. The FBI's UCR program gathers statistics on murder from over 17,000 city, county, and State law enforcement agencies. Though the rate and level of homicide change year to year, the relationship between victim characteristics and homicide tends to remain the same. For example, as in previous years, in 2002 -- * Most murder victims were male (77%). * When the race of the murder victim was known, about half were white (49%), and about half were black (49%). About 3% of murder victims were of another race. * When information on the victim/offender relationship was available, 76% of the offenders were known to the victim, while 24% were a stranger to the victim. * Firearms were used in the majority of murders (71%). * Offenders were most often male (90%), and most often adults (92%). * Homicide is generally intraracial. * Arguments were the most often cited circumstance leading to murder (28%). * Homicides occurred in connection with another felony (such as rape, robbery, or arson) in 17% of incidents. ---------------------------------------------- Criminal victimization, 2000-01 and 2002-03 Comparing 2-year average annual rates shows that for every major category of crime except rape/sexual assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft the average annual rates were significantly lower in 2002-03 than in 2000-01. The average annual rate of rape/sexual assault was slightly lower in 2002-03 than in 2000-01, and there was no difference in the rate of burglary and motor vehicle theft. ----------------------------------------- Estimating change in crime victimization rates Since 1995, the NCVS has undergone sample reductions because of the escalating costs of data collection. At the same time, the rate of violence has continued to decline. The combination of the two -- fewer survey respondents and less crime -- has resulted in a diminished ability to detect statistically significant year-to-year changes in rates. Comparing 2-year average rates gives the reader a picture of the continuing decline in rates seen over the last few years. For those who rely upon the annual detailed table of victimization counts and per capita rates, those data are located on the BJS website at . ------------------------------------------ The average annual overall violent victimization rate declined 14% from 27 to 23 victimizations per 1,000 persons per year, 2000-01 to 2002-03. During the same time robbery rates fell 21%, aggravated assault rates fell 20%, and simple assault rates fell 11%. Property crime rates declined 7% from 172 to 161 crimes per 1,000 households per year, comparing 2000-01 to 2002-03. Over the same period of comparison, property theft rates declined 8%. Characteristics of the crime victim, from 2000-01 to 2002-03 Violent crime Violent crime rates for both genders dropped 14% from 2000-01 to 2002-03: from 30 to 26 victimizations per 1,000 males and from 23 to 20 victimizations per 1,000 females. Changed category definitions of race and ethnicity from 2000-01 to 2002-03 prevent comparisons. (See Methodology on page 11 for further details.) Rates of violence against persons in every marital category declined at least somewhat from 2000-01 to 2002-03. For persons between ages 12 and 15, violent crime fell significantly from 58 to 48 victimizations per 1,000 persons. Rates of violent victimization fell significantly for all persons between ages 25 and 49. For persons between ages 25 and 49, rates declined 18%. No clear pattern in short-term changes for income was measured. A decline in the rate of violent victimization against persons in households earning between $7,500 and $14,999 was indicated between 2000-01 and 2002-03. A slight decline in the rate of violence was indicated for those in households earning between $35,000 and $49,999. The differences in rates for households earning between $15,000 and $34,999 and households earning more than $50,000 were not statistically significant. Violent crime decreased 16% in the South from 24 to 20 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. Violent victimizations declined 18% in the West from 33 to 27 victimizations per 1,000 persons. Rates of violent victimization did not change significantly in the Northeast or Midwest. Significant declines in the rate of violent victimization were noted for persons residing in suburban and rural areas while a slight decline was indicated for urban residents. Property crime Between 2000-01 and 2002-03, significant declines in property crime were observed for households with an annual income of $50,000 or more. Apparent rate declines for households earning less were not statistically significant. A decline of 11% in property crimes was measured in the Northeast and Midwest, 2000-01 to 2002-03. Rates of property crime for households in the Northeast declined from 134 to 120 per 1,000 households, and rates of property crime in the Midwest dropped from 177 to 158 per 1,000 households. Apparent declines in the South and West were not statistically significant. Rates of property crime declined 10% in rural areas from 142 to 128 per 1,000 households. Households in suburban areas experienced a decline of 9% from 160 to 145 property victimizations per 1,000 households. From 2000-01 to 2002-03, average annual property crime rates declined significantly for resident owners and somewhat for renters. -------------------------------------- Victimization trends, 1993-2003 The rate of every major violent and property crime measured in the NCVS -- rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft -- fell significantly between 1993-2003. The overall violent crime rate fell 55% from 50 to 23 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older between 1993 and 2003. Among significant declines measured were those for rates of attempted rape (down 71%), rape/sexual assault (down 68%), robbery (down 58%), aggravated assault (down 62%), and simple assault (down 50%). The rate of overall property crime declined significantly from 1993 to 2003, as did the rate for each major type of property crime considered. The household burglary rate fell 49%; the motor vehicle theft rate fell 53%; and the rate of theft fell 49%. Attempted motor vehicle theft was marked by one of the largest percentage rate decreases (65%) of all property crime categories examined, 1993-2003. ---------------------------------------- Characteristics of victims, 1993-2003 Declines in violent victimization were experienced by persons within gender and household income, 1993-2003. While violence decreased for both males and females between 1993 and 2003, the rate for males declined faster than that for females. The rate of violence against males declined 56%, from 60 to 26 violent victimizations per 1,000 males. The rate of violence against females declined 53%, from 41 to 19 victimizations per 1,000 females. Changes in survey methodology prevent comparisons for race and ethnicity of victims. See Methodology on page 11 for further details. Violent crime rates declined at least 40% in every income category examined, 1993-2003. Property crime rates fell for every demographic group considered, 1993-2003. Property crime rates for households that owned their homes showed a decline of 49%, and rates of households of renters declined 46%. Households with an annual income greater than $50,000 experienced larger drops in property crime rates than did households with lower annual incomes. Households with annual incomes of between $35,000 and $49,999 experienced a larger decrease than households with incomes of less than $25,000 annually. The rate of urban property crime declined 41%, 1993-2003. Property crime in rural areas decreased 45% during this period. The greatest decline in property crime rates was 53% from 1993 to 2003 in the suburbs. Households in all regions experienced decreases in property crime rates of at least 46%, 1993-2003. Characteristics of violent crime victims, 2003 Persons who have been historically the most vulnerable to violent victimization -- males and youths -- continued to be victimized at higher rates than others in 2003. Gender of victim Males were victims of overall violent crime, robbery, total assault, simple assault, and aggravated assault at rates higher than those of females. Females were more likely than males to be victims of rape/sexual assault. Race of victim Beginning in 2003 survey respondents were able to self-identify with more than one race. Persons of two or more races were victims of overall violence at significantly higher rates than those for whites, blacks, and persons of other races. Blacks were victims of overall violence, robbery, aggravated assault, and personal theft at rates higher than those for whites in 2003. Blacks and whites were equally likely to experience rape/sexual assault in 2003. Blacks were also more likely than persons of other races to be victims of overall violence, robbery, and simple assault. Hispanic origin of victim Hispanics and non-Hispanics were victims of violence at similar rates during 2003, with one exception: non-Hispanics were more likely than Hispanics to be victims of rape and sexual assault. Age of victim During 2003 there was a general pattern of decreasing crime rates for persons of older age categories. Persons age 12 to 19 experienced overall violence at rates higher than rates for persons age 25 or older. Persons age 20 to 24 experienced violent victimization at rates somewhat lower than rates for persons in the age category 16 to 19. Household income During 2003 persons in households with an annual income under $7,500 were more likely to be victims of robbery and assault than members of households with higher incomes. Individuals in households earning less than $15,000 annually were victims of aggravated assault at a significantly higher rate than those of persons in households at higher income levels. Members in households earning $15,000 to $24,999 and $25,000 to $34,999 experienced rape/sexual assault, aggravated and simple assault, and personal theft at similar rates. Persons residing in households earning more than $75,000 were victims of violent crime at a significantly lower rate than those of persons in households earning less. Marital status Persons who were never married experienced overall violent victimization at rates higher than those for married, widowed, or divorced/ separated persons. Region Western residents experienced assault at significantly higher rates than the rates of residents in the Northeast and South in 2003. Northeastern, Southern, and Midwestern residents were victims of violent crime overall at similar rates, 2003. There were no regional differences in rates of robbery. Residence Urban residents were victimized at rates higher than rates for suburban and rural residents during 2003. Suburban and rural residents were victims of violence at statistically similar rates during 2003. Characteristics of victims of property crime, 2003 Annual household income With one exception, overall property crime rates did not differ by annual household income. Households earning less than $7,500 experienced total property victimizations at a rate higher than those of households with higher annual incomes. The relationship between annual household income and crime rates did vary for specific types of property crime. Households with an annual income below $35,000 were burglarized at rates higher than those of households with larger incomes. Households earning $7,500 to $14,999 experienced theft at rates significantly lower than rates of households earning $35,000 or more annually. Households earning $25,000 to $34,999 were more likely to experience motor vehicle theft than households earning $50,000 to $74,999. Region, locality, and home ownership Western households were victims of overall property crime at the highest rate; Northeastern households, at the lowest, in 2003. Southern and Midwestern households were victims of property crimes at similar rates. Northeastern households were less likely to be burglarized than households in other regions. The Midwest, South, West had similar 2003 rates of burglary. Western households were victims of motor vehicle theft at rates higher than those in other regions. Western households experienced theft at the highest regional rate; Northeastern households, at the lowest. Theft rates for Southern and Midwestern households were similar during 2003. Urban households were victims of each type of property crime at rates higher than those for suburban and rural households, 2003. Except for burglary, suburban households were victims of each type of property crime at rates higher than rural household rates. Rural households were burglarized at a rate higher than that for suburban households but lower than the urban burglary rate. In 2003 households that rented were more likely than households that owned their home to experience all types of property crime. Characteristics of the crime incident Victim-offender relationship in violent crimes Females were most often victimized by someone they knew while males were more likely to be victimized by a stranger during 2003. Of those offenders victimizing females, 38% were described as friends/ acquaintances, 19% as intimates, and 10% as some other relative. Strangers to the victim committed 32% of the violence against females. In contrast, of those offenders victimizing males, 35% were described as friends/ acquaintances, 3% as intimates, and 5% as other relatives. Strangers committed 54% of the violence against males. Robbery was the crime most likely to be committed by a stranger for both male and female victims. Presence of weapons in violent crimes During 2003, 24% of all violent crime incidents were committed by an armed offender. The presence of a weapon during a violent crime was related to the type of crime. For example, rape and sexual assault incidents were the least likely (11%)and robberies the most likely (45%) to occur with an armed offender. The type of weapon also varied by the type of violence. Three percent of rape/sexual assault incidents occurred with a firearm present, compared to 25% of robbery incidents. The rate of firearm violence declined significantly between 1993 and 2003, from 5.9 to 1.9 victimizations per 1,000. Reporting to the police During 2003, 48% of all violent victimizations and 38% of all property crimes were reported to the police. The percentage of violent crime reported differed among the specific types of crime. Robbery (61%) and aggravated assault (59%) were most frequently reported to police. Thirty-nine percent of victims of rape/sexual assault and 42% of the victims of simple assault indicated that their victimization had been reported to the police. Motor vehicle theft continued to be the property crime most frequently reported to the police (77%). Fifty-four percent of burglaries and 32% of thefts were reported to the police in 2003. Reporting and victim characteristics In 2003 males and females were equally likely to report violent and property victimizations to the police. Apparent differences in the rate of reporting between these two groups were not significant. Differences between males and females in the reporting of violent crime were observed across racial and ethnic categories. Black and Hispanic females were more likely to report a violent victimization to the police than black or Hispanic males. Among male victims the percentage of violence reported to the police did not differ across racial and ethnic categories, 2003. With one exception among female victims, percentages of crimes reported to the police did not differ across racial categories. Violent crimes against black women were more likely to be reported to the police than crimes against white women. Hispanic and non-Hispanic women were equally likely to report violent victimizations to the police in 2003. Reporting crime to the police, 1993-2003 Overall reporting of violent and property crime increased significantly from 1993 to 2003. Increases in reporting varied by type of crime. For both robbery and rape/ sexual assault there was a decrease in the percentage of crime reported to police between 2002 to 2003, interrupting a generally upward trend and returning to levels of reporting similar to those of 1993. Reporting of aggravated and simple assault remained statistically similar to reporting levels in 2002. Reporting to police of burglary (from 50% in 1993 to 54% in 2003) increased somewhat. Increases in the reporting of theft were statistically significant from 1993 to 2003. (For further discussion see Reporting Crime to the Police, 1992-2000, ) Survey methodology This Bulletin presents data on nonlethal violence and property crimes from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), and data on homicide from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. In 2003, 83,660 households and 149,040 people age 12 or older were interviewed. For the 2003 NCVS data presented here, the response rate was 91.6% of eligible households and 86.3% of eligible individuals. In 1997 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) introduced new guidelines for the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data in government surveys. These methodological changes were implemented for all demographic surveys as of January 1, 2003. Individuals are now allowed to choose more than one racial category. In prior years they were asked to select a single primary race. ---------------------------------------------- Impact of 2000 Census population controls Estimates for 2003 incorporate population controls based on the 2000 decennial Census. The new controls increased the estimated level of the U.S. population age 12 or older. These increases may have impacted the estimates for numbers of crimes of violence and theft but have only minimal effect on the rate estimates presented in this report. When estimates for 2002 were recalibrated using 2000 Census population controls, neither the counts nor the rates of violent or property crimes changed significantly: The Census Bureau did not revise the published estimates of population or crimes for 2000, 2001, and 2002, based on the 2000 decennial Census. Such revisions would have had only small impact on the estimates of crime for victim subgroups or for characterizing crime incidents. --------------------------------------------- Racial categories presented in this report now consist of the following: white only, black only, other race only (American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander if only one of these races is given), and two or more races (all persons of any race indicating two or more races). About 0.9% of persons in the NCVS sample and about 2.6% of victims of crimes of violence identified two or more races. Individuals are now asked whether they are of Hispanic ethnicity before being asked about their race, and are now asked directly if they are Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Standard error computations Comparisons of percentages and rates made in this report were tested to determine if observed differences were statistically significant. Differences described as higher, lower, or different passed a hypothesis test at the .05 level of statistical significance (95% confidence level). The tested difference was greater than twice the standard error of that difference. For comparisons that were statistically significant at the 0.10 level(90% confidence level), "somewhat," "slightly," "marginally," or " there is some indication that" is used to note the nature of the difference. Caution is required when comparing estimates not explicitly discussed in this Special Report. What may appear to be large differences may not test as statistically significant at the 95% or the 90% confidence level. Significance testing calculations were conducted at the Bureau of Justice Statistics using statistical programs developed specifically for the NCVS by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. These programs take into consideration many aspects of the complex NCVS sample design when calculating generalized variance estimates. See for additional information on methodology, standard error calculations, and definitions. ------------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is director. Shannan Michelle Catalano, BJS Statistician, wrote this report under the supervision of Michael Rand. Cathy T. Maston provided statistical review. Marianne Zawitz produced the Highlight figures. Tom Hester produced and edited the report. 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