vs

Stalking

STALKING is largely defined as a pattern 

of behavior that would cause a reasonable 

person to feel fear. Though a crime throughout

the United States (including Territories and 

many Tribal Codes) and an offense under the 

Uniform Code of Military Justice, stalking 

varies widely in statute definition, scope, 

crime classification, and penalty.B Recent 

advances in technology (GPS, cellphones, 

cameras, computers, social networking sites) 

have made it easier for perpetrators to harass, 

monitor, and track victims. Stalking is linked 

to both intimate partner violence and sexual 

assault, and has a significant traumatic 

effect on its victims. Because stalking is often 

composed of individual acts that could, in 

isolation, seem benign or be noncriminal, it is 

underreported by victims and underidentified 

by the criminal justice system.

NOTE: BJS data from 2006; CDC figures from 2011. 

Hover for data hyperlinks to source material.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

7.5 million victims

are stalked in a year C

15.2% of women are stalked

during their lifetime women other C

5.7% of men C men other 

Percentage of stalking victims by sex and age at first onset C

11-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45+

16.2 13.5

27.2 21.3

28.8

17.9 11.5 13.1

5.9

37.5

men women 

Women (41.0%)

Report to Police: A

Men (36.8%)

Percentage of racial or ethnic group that is stalked,

by victim sex*

C

American Indian/

Alaska Native**

White Hispanic Black Multiracial

24.5

4.7 8.2 14.2 9.1 13.9 9.3

22.4

15.9

10-24 days (11.2%)

25+ days (14.5%)

5-9 days (14.3%)

1-4 days (32.7%)

Time Lost from Work: A

25+ 10

<1 day (14.1%)

Unknown (13.1%)

60.3% of victims took the

following protective actions:A

> 21.6% changed their daily activities

> 17.3% changed their telephone number

> 16.7% took time off work/school

> 13.4% changed their route to work/school

> 13.2% changed their locks/got a security system

> 9.5% changed or quit job/school

> 6.9% changed their email address

3 years (4.6%)

2 years (9.0%)

7-11 months (16.9%)

≤ 6 months (39.3%)

1 year (13.4%)

5+ years (11.1%)

4 years (2.8%)

Don’t know (2.9%)

For victims who have been stalked in the prior 12 months

<6 7-11mo 1 2 3 4 5+ don’t 

Stalking Duration: B

Women

Men

Women

Men
21.0 24.4

15.0 20.7

Percentage of victims whose stalkers commit other crimes against themA

12.1

Threats to kill victim

Threats to harm victim

Attack by stalker on victim

Property damage

Attack or attempted attack by 

stalker on another person or pet

Stalking continued

NOTES

*Lifetime prevalence. Totals may exceed 100%.

**Case counts for men too low to estimate.

SOURCES

A Katrina Baum et al., Stalking Victimization in the 

United States, (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice 

Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2009), 

http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ovw/

legacy/2012/08/15/bjs-stalking-rpt.pdf

The estimates in this report have since been 

revised (see Catalano, 2012). While the overall 

findings should remain the same, some figures 

may have changed. Updated estimates have been 

used where possible. 

B Shannan Catalano, Stalking Victims in the United 

States - Revised, (Washington, DC: Bureau of 

Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 

2012), http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/

svus_rev.pdf

C Mathew J. Breiding et al., Prevalence and 

Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and 

Intimate Partner Violence Victimization—National 

Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 

United States, 2011, (Atlanta, GA: Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, 2014), http://

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6308.pdf

D A.K. Klein et al., “A Statewide Study of Stalking and 

Its Criminal Justice Response,” final report to the 

National Institute of Justice (Washington, DC: NCJ 

228354, 2009), https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/

nij/grants/228354.pdf 

Men’s Relationship to Stalker:*C

Stranger (20.0%)

Current or former intimate partner (43.5%)

Family member (9.9%)

Acquaintance (31.9%)

partner acquaintance 

stranger family 

Women’s Relationship to Stalker:*C

Acquaintance (24.9%)

Current or former intimate partner (60.8%)

Stranger (16.2%)

Family member (6.2%)

partner acquaintance 

stranger family 

Percentage of stalking victims whose

stalkers use the following tactics*C Men Women

Make unwanted phone calls to victim, including 

hangups 58.2% 54.5%

Leave victim unwanted messages 56.7% 55.3%

Approach victim or show up places 

when not wanted 47.7% 61.7%

Watch, follow, or spy on victim with a device, 

camera, or GPS 32.2% 49.7%

Leave strange or threatening items for victim 14.7% 15.0%

Sneak into victim’s car or home in such a way 

that victim realizes stalker was there ** 26.8%

Leave victim items (flowers, cards) knowing the 

victim didn’t want them ** 24.7%

vs

As few as 1 in 22 domestic violence

cases that also qualify as stalking are 

identified as stalking by police D

Arrest offender

Provide self-protection 

advice 

Talk to or warn offender

Take a report

Suggest protection 

order

Other/don’t know

Refer to victim services

No action taken

Percentage of stalking victims by police action A

55.3

32.2

17.4

7.7 5.4

20.7 18.8 20.1

Death

Loss of freedom

Not knowing what 

would happen next

Harm to self, partner, family

Behavior would never stop

Don’t know

Other

Percentage of stalking victims with the following worst fears A

61.5

29.1 27.2

10.3 8.9 5.3

46.1