Criminal Victimization, 2021

• NCJ Number: 305101
• Date Published: September 2022
• Author(s): Alexandra Thompson; Susannah N. Tapp
• Length: 31 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Bulletins
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication; Statistics

Abstract

This report presents official estimates of criminal victimizations reported and not reported to police from BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The report is the 49th in a series that began in 1973 and includes statistics on nonfatal violent (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) and property crimes (burglary or trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other types of household theft). The report also describes the characteristics of crimes and victims.

To access more NCVS data, see BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Dashboard (N-DASH) Tool.

Highlights:

• From 1993 to 2021, the rate of violent victimization declined from 79.8 to 16.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older.
• About 46% of violent victimizations were reported to police in 2021, higher than 2020 (40%).
• From 2020 to 2021, the violent victimization rate increased from 19.0 to 24.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons in urban areas while remaining unchanged in suburban or rural areas.
• A larger share of violent victimizations in 2021 (9%) than in 2020 (6%) resulted in the victim receiving assistance from a victim service provider.