54.2

34.0

nonstranger

58.2

stranger

38.1

Percentage of aggravated assault cases by victim sex 

and relationship to offender, where knownB

Men

Women

The rate in 

non-metro counties is 

133.8/100,000 peopleF

The rate of aggravated assault 

in metropolitan counties is 

239.8/100,000 people

22.4

39.3

nonstranger

52.0

stranger

Percentage of simple assault cases by victim sex 

and relationship to offender, where knownE

Men

Women 72.2

vs

Assault

Assaults are categorized as either 

aggravated or simple. AGGRAVATED 

ASSAULT is defined as an attack with 

a weapon, an attack that causes serious 

bodily harm, or threatened assault with a 

weapon. SIMPLE ASSAULT is defined as 

an unlawful attack or threat of an attack that 

does not cause serious bodily harm. Assault 

victimization varies largely by sex and 

geography. Some professions, including law 

enforcement and emergency room nurses, 

are also at increased risk. A

NOTE: Data for 2014 unless otherwise indicated. 

Hover for data hyperlinks to source material.

Aggravated Simple

22.5% of WOMEN who report 

an aggravated assault indicate their 

assailant was an intimate partner

4.1%

of 

MENB

> 58.4% of aggravated assaults are reported to 

police, compared to 55.8% of all serious violent crimeF

> 293,005 arrests for aggravated assault, or

117.1 arrests/100,000 peopleF

> Aggravated assault rate declined by 21.2%

from 2005-2014, to 4.1 incidents/1,000 peopleF

> 40% of simple assaults are reported to policeF

> 859,214 arrests for other assaults, or

343.4 arrests/100,000 peopleF

Simple assault rate declined by 35.4%

from 2005-2014, to 12.4 incidents/1,000 peopleF

-21% -35%

18.5% of WOMEN who report 

a simple assault indicate their 

assailant was an intimate partner

3.7%

of 

MENE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Rocks, clubs, other weapons (35.2%)

Firearms (29.7%)

Knives (20.7%)

Unidentified weapons (6.0%)

Unidentified weapons (6.0%) No weapon (8.2%)

Rock, clubs, other (35.2%)

No weapon (8.2%)

Knives (20.7%)

Firearms (29.7%)

1,092,091

aggravated 

assaults

Victims report:C

3,318,923

simple assaults

Victims report: D

vs vs
28.3%injured uninjured of assaulted officers are injured G

14.3% are assaulted between 

midnight and 2 am (the largest percentage), 

consistent across the previous decade G

SOURCES

A Bureau of Justice Statistics, Violent Crime, http://

www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=31#terms_def

B ---Number of Aggravated Assaults by Sex and 

Victim-Offender Relationship, 2014, NCVS 

Victimization Analysis Tool, http://www.bjs.gov/

index.cfm?ty=nvat

C ---Number of Aggravated Assaults by Weapon 

Category, 2014, NCVS Victimization Analysis Tool, 

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nvat

D ---Number of Simple Assaults, 2014, NCVS 

Victimization Analysis Tool, http://www.bjs.gov/

index.cfm?ty=nvat

E ---Number of Simple Assaults by Sex and VictimOffender Relationship, 2014, NCVS Victimization 

Analysis Tool, http://www.bjs.gov/index.

cfm?ty=nvat

F Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the 

United States, 2014, (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of Justice, 2015), https://www.fbi.gov/

about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-inthe-u.s.-2014

G ---Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 

2014, (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Justice, 2015), https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/

ucr/leoka/2014

Law Enforcement Officers

Law enforcement officers in the line 

of duty are assaulted at a rate of

9 assaults per 100 officers G

> 30.8% of police officers are assaulted 

responding to disturbance calls

> 17.5% while attempting arrest

> 13.0% handling or transporting 

prisoners G

79.9% are assaulted with hands, fists, or feet; 

4.0% are assaulted with firearms G

62.2% of assaulted officers are assigned to

one-officer vehicle patrols 

17.7% are assigned to two-officer vehicle patrols G

injured uninjured 

vs