Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

August 2007, NCJ 214258

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Black Victims of Violent Crime 

by Erika Harrell, Ph.D.

BJS Statistician

Blacks were victims of an estimated 805,000 nonfatal 

violent crimes and of about 8,000 homicides in 2005. While 

blacks accounted for 13% of the U.S. population in 2005, 

they were victims in 15% of all nonfatal violent crimes and 

nearly half of all homicides. These findings are based on 

data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program 

(UCR), Supplementary Homicide Reports. 

Among blacks the risk of nonfatal violent victimization varied across demographic characteristics. During the 5-year 

period from 2001 to 2005, comparative nonfatal violent victimizations showed – 

• Black males were more vulnerable to violent victimization 

than black females. 

• Younger blacks were generally more likely than older 

blacks to be victims of violence. 

• Blacks who had never married were more likely than all 

other blacks to be victims of violence. 

• Blacks in households with lower annual incomes were at 

a greater risk of violence than those in households with 

higher annual incomes. 

• Blacks living in urban areas were more likely than those in 

suburban or rural areas to be victims of violence. 

Black victims of homicide were most likely to be male 

(85%) and between ages 17 and 29 (51%). Homicides 

against blacks were more likely than those against whites 

to occur in highly populated areas, including cities and suburbs. About 53% of homicides against blacks in 2005 took 

place in areas with populations of at least 250,000 people, 

compared to about 33% of homicides of white victims. 

Blacks were killed with a firearm in about 77% of homicides 

against them.

Overall, the rates of nonfatal violent victimization against 

blacks were stable between 2001 and 2005, after declining 

about 57% from 1993 to 2001. During the 5-year period 

from 2001 to 2005, the average annual rate of nonfatal 

violent victimization against blacks was 29 victimizations 

per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. For whites the rate was 

23 per 1,000, and for Hispanics, 24 per 1,000. Among all 

groups examined, only American Indians (57 per 1,000) 

had a higher average annual rate of nonfatal violent 

victimization than blacks.

Between 2001 and 2005, about half of all nonfatal violence 

against blacks was characterized as a serious violent 

crime, which includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, and 

aggravated assault and excludes simple assault. Robbery 

accounted for about 15% of violent crimes against blacks, a 

higher percentage than for whites (9%), but similar to that 

for Hispanics (15%). Aggravated assault made up more 

than a quarter of violence against black victims, compared 

to 18% of violence against white victims.

Of nonfatal violent crimes against blacks, nearly 14% 

involved an offender armed with a firearm and about a third 

resulted in an injury to the victim. About half of all nonfatal 

violent crimes against blacks were reported to police.

Nonfatal violent victimization declined for blacks/African 

Americans, whites, and Hispanics age 12 or older between 

1993 and 2005

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0

20

40

60

80

Rate of nonfatal violent victimization

Black*

White*

Hispanic

per 1,000 persons age 12 or older

*Not Hispanic or Latino.
2 Black Victims of Violent Crime

Violent victimization rates for blacks declined from 

1993 to 2001 but were stable from 2001 to 2005

The overall rate of nonfatal violent victimization against 

blacks declined by nearly 57% between 1993 and 2001 

(table 1). The rate for the overall population declined 54% 

during the period (not shown in table). Except for persons 

age 50 or older, the violent victimization rates declined for 

all subgroups of the black population that were examined. 

The decline for black males (61%) was somewhat greater 

than for black females (53%) (figure 1). By location of 

residence, from 1993 to 2001 the decline in the rates of 

violent victimization for blacks in urban areas was smaller 

than for blacks in rural areas and slightly larger than for 

those in suburban areas (figure 2). 

Between 2001 and 2005, the rate of nonfatal violent crimes 

against blacks did not change significantly despite 

apparent fluctuations for some subgroups. For the overall 

population the rate was stable. During this period, there 

were no significant changes in the rates of violent 

victimization by gender, age, or location of residence. 

In 2005 black males were somewhat more vulnerable to 

violent crimes than black females. Blacks age 24 and under 

had higher rates of violent victimization than blacks age 25 

or older. Blacks living in urban areas had the highest rates 

of violent victimization in 2005, and those in rural areas had 

the lowest rates. 

Table 1. Violent victimization rates of blacks/African 

Americans by gender, age, and location of residence, 

1993, 2001, and 2005

Characteristic 

of victim

Violent victimization rate Percent change

1993 2001 2005 1993-2001 2001-2005 

Total 69.3 29.7 28.6 -57.1%† -3.7%ns

Gender

Male 79.7 31.4 33.0 -60.7%† 5.3%ns

Female 60.6 28.4 25.0 -53.2† -11.9ns

Age

12-15 133.0 51.3 46.5 -61.4%† -9.4%ns

16-19 124.9 69.5 71.9 -44.4† 3.4ns

20-24 119.6 38.3 51.4 -68.0† 34.3ns

25-34 61.5 29.5 29.5 -52.0† 0.1ns

35-49 62.6 22.6 20.1 -64.0† -11.0ns

50-64 18.4 18.8 16.1 2.3ns -14.7ns

65 or older 11.0 4.7* 1.1* -57.1ns -77.8ns

Location of residence

Urban 86.7 38.2 37.3 -56.0%† -2.2%ns

Suburban 54.3 24.9 20.2 -54.2† -18.9 ns

Rural 37.2 9.3 18.2 -74.9† 95.0ns

nsNot statistically significant.

†Significant at 0.95.

*

Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

The National Crime Victimization Survey

The NCVS is the Nation’s primary source of information 

on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of 

criminal victimization. One of the largest continuous 

household surveys conducted by the Federal 

Government, the NCVS collects information about 

crimes both reported and not reported to police.

The survey provides the largest national forum for 

victims to describe their experiences of victimization, 

the impact of crime, and the characteristics of violent 

offenders.

For current overall estimates of criminal victimization in 

the United States, see Criminal Victimization, 2005, at 

<www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cv05.htm>. Other 

findings from the NCVS are also on the BJS website.

Violent victimization of blacks/African Americans 

by location of residence, 1993-2005

Figure 2

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0

20

40

60

80

100

Urban

Suburban

Rural

Rate of violent victimization per 1,000 black

 persons age 12 or older

Violent victimization of blacks/African Americans, 

by gender, 1993-2005

Figure 1

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0

20

40

60

80

100

Male

Female

Rate of violent victimization per 1,000 black

persons age 12 or older
Black Victims of Violent Crime 3

In 2005 nearly half of all homicide victims were black 

Blacks accounted for 49% of all homicide victims in 2005, 

according to the FBI's UCR.*

 Black males accounted for 

about 52% (or 6,800) of the nearly 13,000 male homicide 

victims in 2005. Black females made up 35% (or 1,200) of 

the nearly 3,500 female homicide victims. The number of 

black males murdered increased between 2004 and 2005, 

while the number of black females murdered remained the 

same (figure 3). A higher percentage of black homicide victims (36%) than white victims (26%) were ages 13 to 24. 

About half (51%) of black homicide victims were ages 17 to 

29, compared to about 37% of white victims. 

Homicides against blacks were more likely than those 

against whites to occur in highly populated areas, including 

cities and suburbs. About half (53%) of black homicides in 

2005 took place in areas with populations of at least 

250,000 people. A third (33%) of white homicides occurred 

in places with that size population.

In 2005 most homicides involving one victim and one 

offender were intraracial. About 93% of black homicide victims and 85% of white victims in single victim and single 

offender homicides were murdered by someone of their 

race. Women were the offenders in about 10% of single 

victim and single offender homicides of both blacks and 

whites. 

Intimate partners (current or former spouses, boyfriends, or 

girlfriends, including same-sex relationships) were responsible for relatively fewer homicides among blacks (6%) than 

among whites (12%) in 2005. Gang violence accounted for 

about 5% of black homicides and about 7% of white homicides. Blacks were killed with firearms in about 77% of 

homicides against them in 2005, compared to 60% of white 

homicide victims.

*

For overall estimates of homicides, see Homicide Trends in the United 

States <www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm>.

Violent crime rates between 2001 and 2005 were higher 

for blacks than for whites, Hispanics, and Asians

Between 2001 and 2005 blacks had higher rates of violent 

victimization than whites, Hispanics, and Asians (table 2). 

American Indians were the only group that had rates higher 

than blacks. 

Blacks were more likely to experience an aggravated 

assault than whites or Hispanics

Between 2001 and 2005 the average annual rate of aggravated assault for blacks (8 per 1,000 persons age 12 or 

older) was nearly twice that of whites (4 per 1,000) and 

slightly higher than that of Hispanics (5 per 1,000). While 

blacks were more likely than whites to experience aggravated assault, blacks and whites were equally likely to 

experience a simple assault during the 5-year period. 

Blacks were at a greater risk of rape or sexual assault than 

any other racial/ethnic group except American Indians.

Serious violent crime made up nearly half of nonfatal 

violent crimes against blacks between 2001 and 2005

Serious violent victimization consists of rape or sexual 

assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. It usually 

involves serious injury to the victim or an offender armed 

with a weapon. These offenses comprised about 48% of 

the violent crimes against blacks between 2001 and 2005, 

a percentage higher than that for whites, American Indians 

and Hispanics but similar to that of Asians.

Race/Hispanic 

origin

Serious violent crime as a percent of all nonfatal violent crime, 

2001-2005

Black/African American* 48.0%

White* 31.0

American Indian/Alaska 

Native* 30.5

Asian/Pacific Islander* 42.1

Hispanic/Latino 40.1

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Homicide victims by race and gender of the victim, 

1993-2005

Figure 3 

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

12,500

Number of homicide victims

Black male

White male

Note: Excludes victims of other races and unknown race.

Data include Hispanic or Latino persons.

White female

Black female

Table 2. Average annual violent victimization rate by race/

Hispanic origin and type of crime, 2001-2005

Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older

Race/Hispanic 

origin

Total violent crimeRape/sexual 

assault Robbery

Assault

Aggravated Simple

Black/African 

Americana 28.7 1.7 4.3 7.7 14.9

Whitea 22.8 0.9 2.0 4.2 15.7

American Indian/

Alaska Nativea 56.8 0.9b 4.8b 11.6 39.5

Asian/Pacific 

Islandera 10.6 0.5b 2.3 1.7 6.2

Hispanic/Latino 24.3 0.8 3.6 5.3 14.5

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.
4 Black Victims of Violent Crime

Among blacks, males and those in urban areas were 

the most vulnerable to robbery victimization 

Between 2001 and 2005, blacks were victims of an average of about 121,000 robberies per year, representing an 

average annual robbery victimization rate of about 4 per 

1,000 blacks age 12 or older. This was higher than the rate 

for whites and similar to that for Hispanics. Between 2001 

and 2005, robberies made up about 15% of all violent 

crime against blacks, a percentage higher than that for 

whites and similar to that for Hispanics (see appendix

table 5). 

Between 2001 and 2005, blacks ages 12 to 19 made up 

about 37% of all black robbery victims, a percentage similar 

to that for Hispanics (table 3). Males made up the majority 

of robbery victims among blacks, whites and Hispanics. 

About a third of black robbery victims lived in households 

with annual incomes of less than $15,000. 

Black robbery victims were less likely than white victims 

and as likely as Hispanic robbery victims to live in households with annual incomes of at least $50,000. Black robbery victims (65%) were more likely than white robbery victims (41%) to live in urban areas. 

About 40% of black robbery victims faced an offender 

armed with a firearm (table 4). They were more likely than 

white and Hispanic robbery victims to face an offender with 

a firearm. Blacks were as likely as Hispanics and whites to 

be injured during a robbery.

The rate of robbery victimization for blacks decreased from 

about 13 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 1993 to 

about 4 per 1,000 in 2001 (figure 4). There was no difference between the 2001 and 2005 rates of robbery for 

blacks. 

Table 3. Robbery victimization by gender, age, annual 

household income, and location of residence, by race/

Hispanic origin, 2001-2005

Characteristic

of robbery victim

Percent of robbery crimes

Black/African 

Americana Whitea Hispanic/Latino

Total 100% 100% 100%

Gender

Male 66.7% 64.5% 65.9%

Female 33.3 35.5 34.1

Age 

12-19 36.9% 21.9% 27.4%

20-24 11.9 18.0 18.1

25-34 20.2 18.5 27.9

35-49 17.6 24.1 16.3

50-64 10.1 12.0 7.4

65 or older 3.2b 5.5 2.9b

Annual household income

Less than $7,500 17.2% 10.7% 5.3%b

$7,500 to $14,999 18.0 11.7 15.4

$15,000 to $24,999 21.4 12.8 27.7

$25,000 to $34,999 15.6 12.1 17.6

$35,000 to $49,999 10.7 14.1 16.6

$50,000 or more 17.0 38.5 17.4

Location of residence

Urban 64.7% 41.0% 68.8%

Suburban 27.6 47.8 30.7

Rural 7.7 11.2 0.5b

Note: Detail may not add to 100% due to rounding. 

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Robbery victimization by victim race/Hispanic origin, 

1993-2005

Figure 4 

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0

5

10

15

20

Rate of robbery victimization per 1,000

persons age 12 or older

Hispanic Black*

White*

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Table 4. Weapons present and injuries sustained by victim 

during robbery, by victim race/Hispanic origin, 2001-2005

Percent of robbery crimes

Characteristic 

of robbery incident

Black/African 

Americana Whitea Hispanic/ 

Latino

Total 100% 100% 100%

Presence and type of weapon

No weapon 28.4% 43.1% 37.8%

Weapon 57.3 45.2 47.5

Firearm 39.8 21.4 24.4

Knife 7.9 12.0 14.9

Other 6.6 9.8 7.7

Unknown 3.1b 2.0 0.5b

Do not know if offender had 

weapon 14.2 11.7 14.7

Injury

Not injured 66.1% 61.6% 64.5%

Injured 33.9 38.4 35.5

Note: Excludes persons who did not know if they had been injured. 

Detail may not add to total due to rounding.

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.
Black Victims of Violent Crime 5

Most nonfatal violence against blacks was intraracial; 

victim/offender relationship varied by victim gender

About four-fifths of black victims of nonfatal violence perceived the offenders to be black (table 5). About 12% of 

black victims perceived the offender to be white, while 

about 8% thought the offender was neither black nor white 

(categorized as other races on table 5). Blacks (78%) were 

more likely to be victims of intraracial violence than whites 

(70%).

Black males were more likely to be violently victimized by 

strangers than black females (table 6). Black female victims 

of violent crime were more likely than black male victims to 

be victimized by an intimate partner. Intimate partner violence accounted for 21% of violent victimizations against 

black females, compared to about 5% of victimizations 

against black males. The gender disparity for intimate partner violence among blacks was similar to that for other victims.

Rate of nonfatal gang violence against blacks was 

about 3 per 1,000 between 2001 and 2005

The rate of violent crimes against blacks that were 

committed by offenders who were perceived to be gang 

members was higher than that for whites and Asians but 

similar to that for Hispanics and American Indians. 

Between 2001 and 2005 blacks perceived the offender to 

be a member of a street gang in about 9% of violent crimes 

against them. In 43% of violence against blacks, the victim 

did not know if the offender was a gang member.

A quarter of violence against blacks was committed by 

offenders under the influence of alcohol or drugs 

Black victims were less likely than white victims, somewhat 

less likely than American Indian victims, and as likely as 

Asian and Hispanic victims to face an offender under the 

influence of alcohol or drugs. About 25% of nonfatal 

violence against blacks involved an offender perceived to 

be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The victim did 

not know if the offender was under the influence of alcohol 

or drugs in 48% of violence against blacks (not shown on 

table).

Race/Hispanic origin of victims 

who perceived offender to be a 

gang member

Rate per 1,000 persons 

age 12 or older, 2001-2005

Black/African Americana 2.5

Whitea 0.9

American Indian/Alaska Nativea 1.8b

Asian/Pacific Islandera 0.5b

Hispanic/Latino 2.7

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Victims perceived offender

to be a gang member

Percent of nonfatal 

violent crime against 

blacks, 2001-2005 

Gang member 9.1%

Not a gang member 47.8

Unsure of gang membership 43.0

Note: Detail may not add to 100% due to rounding.

Race/Hispanic origin of victims 

who perceived offender to be 

under the influence of

alcohol or drugs

Percent of violent crime,

2001-2005

Black/African American* 25.3%

White* 31.2

American Indian/Alaska Native* 39.5

Asian/Pacific Islander* 23.4

Hispanic/Latino 26.9

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Table 6. Victim/offender relationship of black/African 

American victims and other victims, by gender, 2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization

Victim/offender 

relationship

Black/African 

American victimsa Other victimsb

Male Female Male Female

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

Intimate 4.6 20.9 3.5 21.6

Other relatives 3.9 7.9 4.7 9.1

Well known/casual 

acquaintance 35.6 37.9 34.1 35.9

Stranger 55.9 33.4 57.7 33.4

Note: Excludes data in which the victim/offender relationship was 

unknown. Detail may not add to 100% due to rounding.

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bIncludes non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic American Indians, nonHispanic Asians and other Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic or Latino 

persons of any race.

Table 5. Percent of violent victimization, by victim race/

Hispanic origin and offender race, 2001-2005

Victim race/Hispanic origin

Offender 

racea Black/African

Americanb Whiteb

American Indian/

Alaska Nativeb

Asian/Pacific Islanderb Hispanic/

Latino

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

White 11.5 69.7 47.3 37.1 46.9

Black/African 

American 77.7 15.1 12.4 26.8 19.4

Other races 8.2 12.0 37.9 34.3 30.0

Two or more 

races 2.6 3.2 2.6c 1.8c 3.7

Note: The other offender race category includes American Indians, Alaska 

Natives, Asians, and other Pacific Islanders. The two or more race category 

includes offenders who were of more than one race. Excludes data in which 

race of the offender was unknown. 

aIncludes Hispanic or Latino persons.

bNot Hispanic or Latino.

c

Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.
6 Black Victims of Violent Crime

About 1 in 7 black victims of nonfatal violence were 

confronted by an offender with a firearm

Between 2001 and 2005, about 35% of all violent crime 

against blacks involved offenders with a weapon. Weapons 

included firearms, knives, and other objects used as a 

weapon. Black victims were more likely than whites, 

American Indians, and Hispanics to face an offender with a 

weapon. They were somewhat more likely than Asians to 

face an offender with a weapon. 

Black victims were as likely as Asian victims and more 

likely than victims of other racial or ethnic groups to face an 

offender with a firearm. Black victims faced an offender 

armed with firearms in about 14% of nonfatal violence 

against them. 

About a third of black victims of nonfatal violence were 

injured during the crime

Black victims sustained an injury in about 31% of all 

nonfatal violent crime between 2001 and 2005. About 54% 

of injured black victims of violence did not receive 

treatment for their injuries (table 7). About a quarter of 

injured black victims were treated as outpatients in a 

hospital or hospital emergency department. 

Injured black victims of serious violent crime (52%) were 

more likely to be treated than those injured in a simple 

assault (37%) (table 8). Simple assault usually involves 

less serious injuries than serious violent crime.

Race/Hispanic 

origin

Percent of violent crime, 2001-2005

Weapon Firearm

Black/African Americana 35.1% 14.3%

Whitea 21.3 6.6

American Indian/Alaska 

Nativea 21.4 2.2b

Asian/Pacific Islandera 25.8 10.2

Hispanic/Latino 28.8 9.7

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Table 7. Injury and treatment of black/African American 

victims of violent crime, 2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization

Injury and treatment All Injured 

Total 100%

Not injured 68.9%

Injured 31.1% 100%

Not treated 16.9 54.3

Treated 14.2 45.7

At scene, home, neighbors, 

or friends 4.2 13.4

Doctor's office, clinic, health 

unit, stadium, park 0.9 3.0

Hospital

Not admitted 7.4 23.7

Overnight stay 1.6 5.0

Other locations 0.2* 0.6*

Note: Excludes persons who did not know if they had been 

injured or treated for an injury. Detail may not add to total due to 

rounding.

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Table 8. Treatment of injuries sustained by black/African 

American violent crime victims, by crime seriousness, 

2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization 

resulting in injury

Treatment

Serious 

violent crime

Simple 

assault

Total 100% 100%

Not treated 47.9% 62.8%

Treated 52.1% 37.2%

At scene, home, neighbors, or friends 12.6 14.5

Doctor's office, clinic, health unit, 

stadium, park 2.3* 4.0*

Hospital

 Not admitted 28.3 17.4

 Overnight stay 8.3 0.6*

Other locations 0.4* 0.7*

Note: Excludes persons who did not know if they received treatment. 

Detail may not add to total due to rounding

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.
Black Victims of Violent Crime 7

Use of a weapon in nonfatal serious violence against 

blacks did not change between 1993 and 2005

In 2005 about 72% of serious violent crime against blacks 

involved an offender armed with a weapon (figure 5). This 

percentage was equivalent to that for whites and Hispanics. 

A similar pattern was found in 1993.

Among black victims, in 2005 about 40% of serious violent 

crime involved injury to the victim (figure 6). There was no 

difference in the percentages between blacks, Hispanics, 

and whites. Despite some fluctuations, the percent of serious violent crime in which the victim sustained an injury did 

not substantially change between 1993 and 2005. A similar 

pattern was found among Hispanics, while whites had a 

slight increase in the percent injured.

About half of all nonfatal violence against blacks was 

reported to police between 2001 and 2005

Between 2001 and 2005, about 55% of all violent crimes 

committed against blacks were reported to police. Violence 

against black victims was more likely than violence against 

white victims and as likely as violence against victims of 

other racial/ethnic groups to be reported to police. Among 

black victims, robbery (62%) and aggravated assault (67%) 

were the violent crimes most likely to be reported (table 9).

Race/Hispanic origin

Percent of violent crime 

reported to police, 

2001-2005

Black/African American* 54.7%

White* 47.7

American Indian/Alaska Native* 58.2

Asian/Pacific Islander* 51.3

Hispanic/Latino 52.1

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Serious violent crime in which the victim was injured, 

by victim race/Hispanic origin, 1993-2005

Figure 6

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Percent of serious violent crime

Hispanic

Black*

White*

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Serious violent crime in which the offender had a 

weapon, by victim race/Hispanic origin, 1993-2005

Figure 5

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Percent of serious violent crime

Hispanic

Black*

White*

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Table 9. Percent of violent victimization reported 

to police by black/African American victims, 

by type of crime, 2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization

Type of crime Total

Reported 

to police

Not reported 

to police

Rape/sexual assault 100% 28.4 71.6

Robbery 100% 61.5 38.5

Aggravated assault 100% 66.7 33.3

Simple assault 100% 49.5 50.5

Note: Excludes cases for which police reporting was unknown.
8 Black Victims of Violent Crime

Violence against blacks that was reported to police varied 

by victim’s gender and age (table 10). Violence against 

black females was more likely than violence against black 

males (63% compared to 47%) to be reported to police. 

Violent crime against the oldest blacks was more likely to 

be reported than violent crime against the youngest. About 

73% of violence against blacks age 65 or older were 

reported to police, compared to about a third of violent 

crime against black victims ages 12 to 15.

Police responded quickly to the majority of reported 

nonfatal violence against blacks

According to black victims, police responded within an hour 

in about 91% of reported violent victimizations. Police 

response to nonfatal violence against blacks was similar to 

that for whites and Hispanics.

Black victims of violence were slightly more likely than 

Hispanics to use services of nonpolice victim agencies

In about 9% of violent crimes against blacks, the victim 

sought help from nonpolice agencies that provided services 

to victims of crime. Black victims of rape or sexual assault 

were as likely as victims of other types of violent crime to 

seek assistance from such agencies (table 11). Overall, 

blacks were as likely as whites, but slightly more likely than 

Hispanics to seek help from nonpolice victim agencies.

The percentage of black victims of nonfatal violent crime 

who contacted a nonpolice agency for help fluctuated 

between 1993 and 2005. It reached 11% in 2005 which was 

similar to the percentage in 1998 and 2003 (figure 7).

Race/Hispanic origin of victim 

who reported violent crime to 

police

Percent of violent crime in which 

police responded within an hour, 

2001-2005

Black/African American* 90.7%

White* 88.7

Hispanic/Latino 90.9

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Race/Hispanic origin

Percent of violent crime in which victims 

received help from nonpolice victim 

agencies, 2001-2005

Black/African American* 9.1%

White* 8.5

Hispanic/Latino 6.5

*Not Hispanic or Latino.

Percent of violent crime against blacks/African Americans 

in which victim received services from nonpolice victim 

agencies, 1993-2005

Figure 7

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Percent of violent crime

Table 10. Violent crime against blacks/African Americans 

reported to police, by victim gender and age, 2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization

Victim characteristics Total

Reported to 

police 

Not reported to 

police 

Gender

Male 100% 46.8 53.2

Female 100% 63.2 36.8

Age

12-15 100% 33.3 66.7

16-19 100% 56.3 43.7

20-24 100% 52.7 47.3

25-34 100% 63.7 36.3

35-49 100% 64.6 35.4

50-64 100% 56.3 43.7

65 or older 100% 72.5 27.5*

Note: Excludes cases for which police reporting was unknown.

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Table 11. Services received by black/African American 

victims of violent crime from nonpolice victim agencies, 

by type of crime, 2001-2005

Percent of violent victimization

Rape/sexual 

assault

Assault

Assistance received Robbery Aggravated Simple 

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

Received help 14.5* 9.2 13.6 6.0

Did not receive help 85.5 90.8 86.4 94.0

Note: Excludes data for which contact with nonpolice victim-assistance 

agencies was unknown.

*Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.
Black Victims of Violent Crime 9

Methodology

Data sources

This report presents data on rape, sexual assault, robbery, 

aggravated assault, and simple assault against non-Hispanic blacks age 12 or older as measured by the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS gathers 

data on crimes against persons age 12 or older, reported 

and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. The NCVS provides information about victims (age, gender, race, Hispanic origin, 

marital status, income, and educational level), offenders 

(gender, race, approximate age, and victim-offender relationship) and the nature of the crime (time and place of 

occurrence, use of weapons, nature of injury, and economic consequences).

Homicide data are from the Supplementary Homicide 

Reports (SHR) to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, 

collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Between 1993 and 2005, about 2 million individuals age 12 

or older were interviewed for the NCVS. For the overall 

population, for the years measured, response rates varied 

between 84% and 93% of eligible individuals. In 2005 

about 134,000 persons were interviewed for the NCVS, of 

which about 14,000 were non-Hispanic blacks. 

Classification by race and Hispanic origin

Because the racial categories were changed in 2003, caution is warranted when examining race over time. Since 

2003, two questions on the NCVS are asked to obtain information on the respondent's race and Hispanic origin: (1) 

whether they are of Hispanic origin and (2) which race or 

races they identify with. Respondents may chose white, 

black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, 

Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and Other. 

Respondents who select Other are asked to specify their 

race. More than one race may be selected. 

Prior to 2003, respondents were first asked to identify the 

racial group they identified with, including white, black, 

American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo, Asian/Pacific Islander, or 

Other. Respondents who selected Other were not able to 

specify a race. They were also not able to select more than 

one racial group. After the question on race, respondents 

were asked if they were of Hispanic origin. 

When nonfatal violence was discussed in this report, black 

and black/African American refer to non-Hispanic persons 

who chose the black category prior to 2003 and the black/

African American category thereafter. Whites are non-Hispanic persons who selected the white category. Hispanic 

and Hispanic/Latino categories refer to persons of any 

race. American Indians and American Indian/Alaska 

Natives are non-Hispanic persons who selected the American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo category prior to 2003 or the 

American Indian/Alaska Native category since 2003. 

Asians refer to non-Hispanics persons who chose the 

Asian/Pacific Islander category prior to 2003 or the Asian or 

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander category since 

2003.

In this report, for homicide data from the Supplementary 

Homicide Reports, black and white race categories include 

both Hispanic and non-Hispanic persons. 

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," or marginally" is used to note the nature of the difference.

Significance testing calculations were conducted at the 

Bureau of Justice Statistics using statistical programs 

developed specifically for the NCVS by the U.S. Census 

Bureau. These programs take into consideration many 

aspects of the complex NCVS sample design when 

calculating estimates.

Estimates based on 10 or fewer sample cases have high 

relative standard errors. Care should be taken when 

comparing such estimates to other estimates when both 

are based on 10 or fewer sample cases.
10 Black Victims of Violent Crime

Appendix table 1. Violent victimization rate per 1,000 persons, by gender, age, and marital status, 

by race/Hispanic origin of victims, 2001-2005

Characteristic 

of victim

Black/African 

Americana Whitea American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Pacific Islandera Hispanic/Latino

Total 28.7 22.8 56.8 10.6 24.3

Gender

Male 32.9 26.0 58.8 13.3 28.0

Female 25.2 19.8 55.2 8.1 20.5

Age 

12-15 54.1 52.7 64.3b 15.3 41.0

16-19 65.4 55.6 99.0 26.1 39.7

20-24 48.5 51.1 122.3 19.5 35.8

25-34 29.4 28.1 44.4 12.9 24.5

35-49 19.5 20.4 57.3 7.0 17.0

50-64 14.8 11.0 31.8b 5.6 11.0

65 or older 4.0 2.5 --b 2.1b 4.5

Marital status

Never married 42.9 44.7 84.7 17.8 36.4

Married 12.5 10.8 38.1 6.2 12.0

Widowed 6.5 5.3 49.2b 3.1b 9.3

Divorced or separated 28.1 37.6 37.7b 19.7 37.8

--Less than 0.05.

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Appendix table 2. Violent victimization rate per 1,000 persons, by annual household income, 

location of residence, and region, by race/Hispanic origin of victims, 2001-2005

Characteristic 

of victim

Black/African 

Americana Whitea American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Pacific Islandera Hispanic/Latino

Total 28.7 22.8 56.8 10.6 24.3

Annual household income

Less than $7,500 45.1 50.2 77.3 17.0 33.0

$7,500 to $14,999 39.2 37.0 46.6 13.6b 25.1

$15,000 to $24,999 43.3 27.8 54.6 11.4 25.6

$25,000 to $34,999 29.1 26.0 65.7 17.2 27.0

$35,000 to $49,999 25.6 25.1 44.7b 10.1 22.4

$50,000 to $74,999 21.9 22.7 65.7 11.1 23.8

$75,000 or more 22.7 17.9 51.9b 8.4 24.0

Location of residence

Urban 36.3 31.7 82.2 10.9 29.7

Suburban 23.6 20.5 62.6 10.4 19.5

Rural 13.2 20.1 37.0 11.3b 20.4

Region

Northeast 30.3 18.0 76.4b 8.5 26.0

Midwest 42.6 23.6 34.9 10.6 25.4

South 22.0 20.6 67.8 13.1 23.1

West 37.0 30.7 65.9 10.6 24.6

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.
Black Victims of Violent Crime 11

Appendix table 3. Serious violent victimization rate per 1,000 persons, by gender, age, 

annual household income, and location of residence, by race/Hispanic origin of victims, 2001-2005 

Characteristic 

of victim

Black/African 

Americana Whitea American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Pacific Islandera Hispanic/Latino

Total 13.8 7.1 17.3 4.5 9.7

Gender

Male 16.2 8.2 21.2 5.5 12.0

Female 11.8 6.0 14.1 3.5 7.4

Age

 12-15 15.5 12.7 9.0b 3.4b 13.5

 16-19 38.9 17.8 14.9b 10.4b 18.0

 20-24 21.6 18.3 40.5b 9.2 14.8

 25-34 16.4 8.9 10.9b 4.7 9.7

 35-49 9.3 6.3 18.8b 3.5 6.9

 50-64 7.7 3.1 20.8b 2.8b 4.5

 65 and older 2.4 1.1 --b 1.6b 2.3b

Annual household income

Less than $7,500 23.3 22.6 21.4b 5.7b 16.0

$7,500 to $14,999 19.6 13.0 26.3b 3.3b 11.7

$15,000 to $24,999 22.1 9.6 9.5b 4.2b 10.7

$25,000 to $34,999 14.0 7.9 35.7b 6.9b 9.5

$35,000 to $49,999 11.2 7.5 6.3b 5.4b 9.8

$50,000 to $74,999 10.7 6.4 6.8b 4.8 8.4

$75,000 or more 7.9 4.6 13.7b 3.9 9.3

Location of residence

Urban 17.4 10.8 27.4 4.9 12.1

Suburban 11.2 6.2 16.7b 4.3 7.7

Rural 6.7 5.7 12.2b --b 7.3

Note: Serious violent victimization consists of rape/sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault and 

excludes simple assault.

--Less than 0.05.

aNot Hispanic or Latino.

bBased on 10 or fewer sample cases.

Appendix table 4. Average annual number of 

violent victimizations against blacks/African 

Americans, by type of crime, 2001-2005

Type of crime

Number of victimizations

Homicide 7,750

Rape/sexual assault 47,250

Robbery 120,550

Aggravated assault 215,790

Simple assault 415,430

Appendix table 5. Percentage of nonfatal violent 

victimization against blacks/African Americans, 

by type of crime, 2001-2005

Type of crime Percent

Total 100%

Rape/sexual assault 5.9

Robbery 15.1

Aggravated assault 27.0

Simple assault 52.0
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

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12 Black Victims of Violent Crime

This report in portable document format and in 

ASCII and its related statistical data and tables 

are available at the BJS World Wide Web 

Internet site: <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

abstract/bvvc.htm>.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical 

agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jeffrey L. 

Sedgwick is director.

Erika Harrell, Ph.D., wrote this report, under the 

supervision of Michael R. Rand. Wendy Lin-Kelly, 

Cathy Maston and Patsy Klaus verified the report. 

Tina Dorsey and Carolyn C. Williams produced and 

edited the report, and Jayne Robinson prepared the 

report for final printing, under the supervision of 

Doris J. James.

August 2007, NCJ 214258

Office of Justice Programs

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