U.S. Department of Justice

Offi ce of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

SPECIAL REPORT

MARCH 2013 NCJ 240655

From 1995 to 2005, the total rate of sexual 

violence committed against U.S. female 

residents age 12 or older declined 64% 

from a peak of 5.0 per 1,000 females in 1995 

to 1.8 per 1,000 females in 2005 (fi gure 1, 

appendix table 1). It then remained unchanged 

from 2005 to 2010. Sexual violence against 

females includes completed, attempted, or 

threatened rape or sexual assault. In 2010, 

females nationwide experienced about 270,000 

rape or sexual assault victimizations, compared 

to about 556,000 in 1995. 

Completed rape or sexual assault accounted 

for more than 50% of the total rape or sexual 

violent victimizations in 2010. Between 1995 

and 2010, the rate of completed rape or sexual 

assault declined from 3.6 per 1,000 females 

to 1.1 per 1,000. Over the same period, the 

rates of attempted rape or sexual assault and 

victimizations involving the threat of rape 

remained relatively stable.

Michael Planty, Ph.D., and Lynn Langton, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians

Christopher Krebs, Ph.D., Marcus Berzofsky, Dr.P.H., and Hope Smiley-McDonald, Ph.D., RTI International

HIGHLIGHTS

 From 1995 to 2010, the estimated annual rate of female 

rape or sexual assault victimizations declined 58%, from 

5.0 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older to 

2.1 per 1,000. 

 In 2005-10, females who were age 34 or younger, who lived 

in lower income households, and who lived in rural areas 

experienced some of the highest rates of sexual violence.

 In 2005-10, 78% of sexual violence involved an off ender 

who was a family member, intimate partner, friend, or 

acquaintance.

 In 2005-10, the off ender was armed with a gun, knife, 

or other weapon in 11% of rape or sexual assault 

victimizations. 

 The percentage of rape or sexual assault victimizations 

reported to police increased to a high of 59% in 2003 

before declining to 32% in 2009 and 2010.

 The percentage of females who were injured during a rape 

or sexual assault and received some type of treatment for 

their injuries increased from 26% in 1994-98 to 35% in 

2005-10.

 In 2005-10, about 80% of female rape or sexual assault 

victims treated for injuries received care in a hospital, 

doctor’s offi ce, or emergency room, compared to 65% in 

1994-98. 

 In 2005-10, about 1 in 4 (23%) rape or sexual assault victims 

received help or advice from a victim service agency.

Female Victims of Sexual 

Violence, 1994-2010

0

1

2

3

4

5

Threatened

Attempted

Completed

Total

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Rate per 1,000 females age 12 or older

FIGURE 1

Rape and sexual assault victimization rates among females, 1995–2010

Note: Estimates based on 2-year rolling averages centered on the most recent year. 

See appendix table 2 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010

Revised 5/31/2016 12:08p
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 2

Th e data in this report were drawn from the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS). Th e NCVS collects information on nonfatal crimes 

reported and not reported to the police from a nationally 

representative sample of persons age 12 or older who live 

in U.S. households. Persons are interviewed every 6 months 

over 3 years with the fi rst interview conducted in person 

and follow-up interviews conducted either in person or by 

phone.

Th e NCVS produces national rates and levels of violent 

and property victimization, as well as information on the 

characteristics of crimes and victims and the consequences 

of victimization. Because the NCVS collects information 

from victims, it does not measure homicide. 

Unless noted, this report presents estimates for the aggregate 

of rape or sexual assault victimizations. Th e term sexual 

violence is used throughout to refer to rape or sexual assault 

victimizations, including attempts and threats. Victimization 

is the basic unit of analysis used throughout the report, 

and the number of victimizations is equal to the number of 

victims present during a criminal incident. 

Trend estimates are based on 2-year rolling averages 

centered on the most recent year. For example, estimates 

reported for 2010 represent the average estimates for 2009 

and 2010. For other tables in this report, the focus is on 

aggregate data from 1994 through 1998, 1999 through 2004, 

and 2005 through 2010. Th ese methods of analysis improves 

the reliability and stability of comparisons over time and 

between subgroups. For additional estimates not included 

in this report, see the NCVS Victimization Analysis Tool 

(NVAT) on the BJS website.

Measuring sexual violence using the NCVS

This report focuses on sexual violence that includes 

completed, attempted, and threatened rape or sexual 

assault. NCVS survey respondents are asked to respond to 

a series of questions about the nature and characteristics 

of their victimization. The NCVS classifi es victimizations as 

rape or sexual assault even if other crimes, such as robbery 

or assault occur at the same time. The NCVS then uses the 

following rape and sexual assault defi nitions:

Rape is the unlawful penetration of a person against 

the will of the victim, with use or threatened use 

of force, or attempting such an act. Rape includes 

psychological coercion and physical force, and 

forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or 

oral penetration by the off ender. Rape also includes 

incidents where penetration is from a foreign object 

(e.g., a bottle), victimizations against male and female 

victims, and both heterosexual and homosexual rape. 

Attempted rape includes verbal threats of rape.

Sexual assault is defi ned across a wide range of 

victimizations, separate from rape or attempted rape. 

These crimes include attacks or attempted attacks 

generally involving unwanted sexual contact between 

a victim and off ender. Sexual assault may or may 

not involve force and includes grabbing or fondling. 

Sexual assault also includes verbal threats. 

The measurement of rape and sexual assault presents 

many challenges. Victims may not be willing to reveal 

or share their experiences with an interviewer. The 

level and type of sexual violence reported by victims is 

sensitive to how items are worded, defi nitions used, data 

collection mode, and a variety of other factors related to 

the interview process. In addition, the legal defi nitions of 

rape and sexual assault vary across jurisdictions. The NCVS 

presents one approach to measuring and enumerating 

these incidents as well as other forms of violence and 

property crime. (For more information about the technical 

aspects of the NCVS, see Methodology.) 
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 3

In 2005-10, females who were age 34 or younger, who 

lived in lower income households, and who lived in 

rural areas had some of the highest rates of sexual 

violence 

Th e rate of sexual violence against females declined with age. 

In 2005-10, sexual violence was committed against females 

ages 12 to 34 at a rate of about 4 victimizations per 1,000, 

compared to a rate of 1.5 victimization per 1,000 for females 

ages 35 to 64 and 0.2 per 1,000 for age 65 or older (table 1). 

Th is pattern was consistent across all three aggregate time 

periods. Over time, the rate of sexual violence declined for 

both the 12-to-17 and 18-to-24 age groups. Females ages 12 

to 17 had the largest decline, from 11.3 per 1,000 in 1994-98 

to 4.1 in 2005-10.

For all racial and ethnic groups, the rate of sexual violence 

was lower in 2005-10 than it was in 1994-98. Within each 

time period, few diff erences existed in the rates of sexual 

violence across racial and ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic 

white females and black and Hispanic females had a similar 

rate of sexual violence over time. However, Hispanic females 

had lower rates of sexual violence than black females in 

1999-04 and in 2005-10. Although American Indians and 

Alaska Natives appeared to experience rape or sexual assault 

victimization at rates higher than other racial and ethnic 

groups, these rates were based on small sample sizes and are 

not reliable. 

Across all three time periods between 1994 and 2010, 

females who had never been married or who were divorced 

or separated at the time of the interview had higher rates of 

rape or sexual assault victimization than females who were 

married or widowed.1 From 1994 to 2010, females who had 

never been married, those who were divorced or separated, 

and those who were married experienced about a 50% 

decline in the rate of sexual violence.

1Th e NCVS collects information on respondent’s marital status at the time 

of the interview, but it does not obtain marital status at the time of the 

incident or whether a change in marital status occurred aft er the incident.

TABLE 1

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females, by 

victim characteristics, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–

2010

Rate per 1,000 females age 12 or older

Victim characteristic 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 4.2 3.1 2.1 

Age

12–17 11.3 7.6 4.1 

18–34 7.0 5.3 3.7 

35–64 2.3 1.8 1.5 

65 or older 0.1 ! 0.2 ! 0.2 !

Race/Hispanic origin

Whitea 4.3 3.1 2.2 

Blacka 4.2 4.1 2.8 

Hispanic/Latina 4.3 1.8 1.4 

American Indian/Alaska Nativea 6.4 ! 4.8 ! 4.5 !

Asian/Pacifi c Islandera 2.5 1.2 0.7 !

Two or more racesa ~ 6.6 ! 5.1 !

Marital statusb

Never married 8.6 6.6 4.1 

Married 1.3 0.7 0.6 

Widowed 0.8 0.2 ! 0.8 

Divorced or separated 9.0 6.3 4.4 

Household income

Less than $25,000 6.1 5.6 3.5 

$25,000–$49,999 3.3 2.7 1.9 

$50,000 or more 2.9 2.0 1.8 

Unknown 3.5 2.1 1.8 

Location of residence

Urban 5.1 4.0 2.2 

Suburban 3.9 2.7 1.8 

Rural 3.9 2.5 3.0 

Note: See appendix table 5 for standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

~Not applicable.

aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin. 

bThe NCVS collects information on respondent’s marital status at the time of 

the interview, but it does not obtain marital status at the time of the incident or 

whether a change in marital status occurred after the incident.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

Note: Estimates based on 2-year rolling averages centered on the most recent year. 

See appendix table 4 for standard errors. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Male

Female

‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10

Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older

FIGURE 2

Rape and sexual assault victimizations, by sex of victim, 1995–2010

Males had lower rates of rape or 

sexual assault than females from

1995 to 2010

From 1995 to 2010, approximately 9% of all rape or sexual 

assault victimizations recorded in the NCVS involved male 

victims (fi gure 2). In 2010, the male rate of rape or sexual 

assault was 0.1 per 1,000 males compared to a rate of 2.1 

per 1,000 for females (appendix table 3). Due to the relatively 

small number of sample cases, coupled with a low rate of 

victimization, estimates of male sexual violence from the NCVS 

cannot be used reliably for further disaggregation by victim 

and incident characteristics. Therefore, this report focuses 

exclusively on females.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 4

Consistently across all three time periods, females living in 

households in the lowest income bracket (less than $25,000 

annually) experienced rape or sexual assault victimization 

at higher rates than females in higher income brackets. In 

2005-10, females in households earning less than $25,000 

per year experienced 3.5 rape or sexual assault victimizations 

per 1,000 females, compared to 1.9 per 1,000 in households 

earning between $25,000 and $49,999 and 1.8 per 1,000 in 

households earning $50,000 or more.

In 1994-98, the rate of rape or sexual assault victimization 

for females living in urban areas (5.1 per 1,000) was higher 

than the rate for females in suburban (3.9 per 1,000) and 

rural (3.9 per 1,000) areas. In 2005-10 this pattern reversed, 

and the rate of sexual violence for females in rural areas 

(3.0 per 1,000) was higher than the rate of sexual violence 

for females in urban (2.2 per 1,000) and suburban (1.8 per 

1,000) areas. 

The percentage of rape or sexual assault victimizations 

that occurred at or near the victim’s home increased 

over time

In 2005-10, about 55% of rape or sexual assault 

victimizations occurred at or near the victim’s home, and 

another 12% occurred at or near the home of a friend, 

relative, or acquaintance (table 2). Th e percentage of sexual 

violence that occurred at or near the home of the victim 

increased from 49% in 1994-98 to 55% in 2005-10. In 

comparison, the percentage of sexual violence that occurred 

at or near the home of a friend or in a commercial place 

or parking lot declined between 1994-98 and 2005-10. Th e 

number of rape or sexual assault victimizations occurring at 

or near the victim’s home declined at a slower rate over time 

compared to the number of victimizations that occurred 

outside the home (not shown in table).

Over all three periods, between 41% and 48% of victims 

of sexual violence were undertaking activities at or around 

their homes at the time of the incident. In 2005-10, 12% 

of rape or sexual assault victimizations against females 

occurred while the victim was working, and 7% occurred 

while the victim was attending school. Another 29% of 

sexual violence occurred while the victim went to or from 

work or school, was out shopping, or was engaged in leisure 

activities away from the home.

About 3 in 4 victims of sexual violence knew the 

off ender

About 90% of rape or sexual assault victimizations involved 

one off ender, a percentage that was stable across the three 

periods (table 3). In 2005-10, most rape or sexual assault 

victims (78%) knew the off ender. About 34% of all rape or 

sexual assault victimizations were committed by an intimate 

partner (former or current spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend), 

6% by a relative or family member, and 38% by a friend or 

acquaintance. Strangers committed about 22% of sexual 

violence, a percentage that was also unchanged from 1994 to 

2010. 

TABLE 3 

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females, 

by number of off enders and victim-off ender relationship, 

1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Off ender characteristic 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Number of off enders 100% 100% 100%

One 93 91 90

Two or more 7 9 10 

Victim-off ender relationshipa 100% 100% 100%

Stranger 21 25 22

Nonstranger 79 75 78

Intimate partnerb 28 30 34 

Relative 9 3 6 

Well-known/casual acquaintance 42 42 38 

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 7 for 

standard errors. 

aDoes not include a small percentage of victimizations in which the victimoff ender relationship was unknown.

bIncludes former or current spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

TABLE 2

Activity and location of female victims when rape or sexual 

assault victimization occurred, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 

2005–2010

Location and activity 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Location where crime occurred 100% 100% 100%

At or near victim’s home 49 42 55

At or near home of friend/relative/

 acquaintance 17 18 12 

Commercial place/parking lot 

 or garage 16 15 10 

School 5 12 8 

Open areas/public transportation/

 other* 14 14 15 

Activity when crime occurred 100% 100% 100%

Working 12 9 12

Attending school 4 9 7 

Sleeping/other activities at home 46 41 48 

Traveling to or from work, school, 

 other place/shopping or errands/

 leisure activity away from home 30 35 29 

Other/unknown 8 6 5 

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 6 for 

standard errors. 

*Includes locations such as an apartment yard; a park, fi eld, or playground not on 

school property; a location on the street other than that immediately adjacent to 

home of the victim, a relative, or a friend; on public transportation; in a station or 

depot for bus or train; on a plane; or in an airport.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 5

In 2005-10, about half of rape or sexual assault 

victimizations were committed by an off ender age 30 or 

older (table 4). Fift een percent of off enders were age 17 or 

younger and 34% were ages 18 to 29. Th ese percentages were 

stable across the three periods from 1994 to 2010.

Across all three periods, white males committed the majority 

of sexual violence.2 Over time, the percentage of sexual 

violence committed by white off enders declined from 70% 

in 1994-98 to 57% in 2005-10. Th e percentage of black 

off enders increased from 18% in 1994-98 to 27% in 2005-10. 

White males consistently accounted for more than 82% of 

the total U.S. male population and black males accounted for 

11%. Th e NCVS did not collect information on the ethnicity 

of the off ender. Th erefore, Hispanic off enders make up an 

unknown portion of the white, black, and other race of 

off ender categories.

Consistent across all three periods, about 40% of victims 

believed the off ender had been drinking or using drugs prior 

to the victimization. In 2005-10, in 30% of the victimizations 

the victim did not believe the off ender had been drinking or 

using drugs, and in 30% the victim did not know whether 

there had been substance use.

About 1 in 10 rape or sexual assault victimizations 

involved a weapon

Across all three periods, the off ender in the majority of 

rape or sexual assault victimizations did not have a weapon 

(table 5). In 2005-10, victims reported that the off ender 

possessed or used a weapon in 11% of all sexual violence. 

Th e victim reported that the off ender had a fi rearm in 6% of 

victimizations and a knife in 4%. Th e percentage of off enders 

armed with a weapon increased from 6% in 1994-98 to 11% 

in the two later periods. Th e NCVS does not ask victims 

if they were incapacitated in some manner, such as being 

drugged or intoxicated.

2Males committed about 95% of all sexual violence against females.

TABLE 5 

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females, by 

off ender weapon possession, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 

2005–2010

Weapon present 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 100% 100% 100%

No weapon 88% 83% 83%

Weapon 6% 11% 11% 

Firearm 3 2 6 

Knife 2 5 4 

Other/unknown type 1 ! 4 ! 1 !

Don’t know 5% 6% 6%

Note: See appendix table 9 for standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

TABLE 4

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females, by 

perceived off ender characteristics, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, 

and 2005–2010

Off ender characteristics 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Age 100% 100% 100%

17 or younger 12 14 15

18–20 9 11 9 

21–29 24 28 25 

30 or older 51 43 48 

Othera 3 2 2 

Raceb 100% 100% 100%

White 70 60 57

Black 18 26 27 

Other 8 10 6 

Mixed group 1 1 ! 1 !

Unknown 2 3 8 

Alcohol/drug use at time of incident 100% 100% 100%

Yes 40 37 39

No 38 31 30 

Unknown 22 32 30 

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 8 for 

standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. aIncludes multiple off enders of varying ages and off enders of unknown age. bThe NCVS did not collect information on the ethnicity of the off ender. Therefore, 

Hispanic off enders make up some portion of the white, black, and other race of 

off ender categories.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

Revised 6/11/2013
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 6

The percentage of female victims of sexual violence 

who received medical treatment increased between 

1994-98 and 2005-10

In 2005-10, 58% of female victims of sexual violence suff ered 

a physical injury during the victimization, such as cuts, 

bruises, internal injuries, broken bones, gunshot wounds, 

or rape injuries (table 6). Of the females who suff ered an 

injury in 2005-10, 35% said that they received some type of 

treatment for their injuries, an increase from 26% in 1994-

98. About 80% of victims who received treatment for their 

injuries in 2005-10 received this care in a hospital, doctor’s 

offi ce, or emergency room. Th e other 20% were treated at 

the scene, in their home, at a neighbor or friend’s house, or 

in some other location. In comparison, in 1994-98, 65% of 

treated victims received care in a hospital, doctor’s offi ce, or 

emergency room, while 35% received fi rst aid or treatment 

at the scene, at home, at a neighbor or friend’s house, or in 

some other location. 

In 2005-10, about 1 in 4 victims of sexual violence received 

help or advice from a private or public victim service agency 

(table 7). Th is percentage remained stable over the three 

periods.

The percentage of sexual violence reported to police 

increased to a high of 59% in 2003 before dropping to 

32% in 2009 and 2010

In 1995, 28% of rape or sexual assault victimizations against 

females were reported to police (fi gure 3). Th is percentage 

increased to 59% in 2003 before declining to 32% in 2009 

and 2010. 

TABLE 7

Female victims of rape and sexual assault who received 

assistance from a victim service agency, 1994–1998, 

1999–2004, and 2005–2010

1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 100% 100% 100%

Received assistance 24% 28% 23% 

Did not receive assistance 76 72 77 

Note: Victim service agencies include publicly or privately funded organizations 

that provide victims with support and services to aid their recovery, off er 

protection, guide them through the criminal justice system process, and assist 

with obtaining restitution. See appendix table 11 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

TABLE 6

Injured female victims of rape and sexual assault who 

received treatment, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Injury 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

No injury 47% 46% 42%

Injury 53 54 58

Treatment for injurya 100% 100% 100%

No treatment 74 59 65

Any treatment 26 41 35 

Treatment settingb 100% 100% 100%

At scene or home of victim/ 

 neighbor/friend 33 35 19

In doctor’s offi ce/hospital 

 emergency room/overnight hospital 65 62 80 

In other location/unknown 2 ! 3 ! 1 !

Note: See appendix table 10 for standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. aIncludes only victims who were injured.

bIncludes only victims who were injured and received treatment.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

0

20

40

60

80

100

’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10

Percent

FIGURE 3

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females 

reported to police, 1995–2010

Note: Estimates based on 2-year rolling averages centered on the most recent 

year. See appendix table 12 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

Revised 5/19/2016
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 7

Of the 36% of rape or sexual assault victimizations reported 

to police in 2005-10, about 64% were reported directly by 

the victims, an increase from 50% in 1994-98 (table 8). Th e 

percentage of victimizations known to police because they 

were reported by another household member declined from 

26% in 1994-98 to 10% in 2005-10, while the percentage 

reported by an offi cial other than the police increased from 

4% to 14%. 

Of the rape or sexual assault victimizations that were 

reported to police in 2005-10, 28% were reported in an 

attempt to protect the victim from future victimizations, and 

25% were reported to try to stop or prevent escalation of the 

victimization as it was occurring (table 9). Among rape or 

sexual assault victimizations that went unreported, the most 

common reason victims gave for not reporting the crime 

during 2005-10 was fear of reprisal (20%). Th e percentage 

of victimizations that went unreported because the victim 

considered the incident a personal matter declined from 

23% in 1994-98 to 13% in 2005-10.

TABLE 8 

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females 

reported and not reported to police, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, 

and 2005–2010

Reporting to police 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 100% 100% 100%

Not reported 71% 59% 64%

Reported 29% 41% 36%

Source of report 100 100 100

Victim 50 57 64

Other household member 26 14 10 

An offi cial other than police 4 10 14 

Someone else 11 10 10 

Police were at crime scene 1 ! 4 ! 1 !

Other 7 5 ! 1 !

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 13 for 

standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

TABLE 9 

Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females reported and not reported to police, by most important reason for 

reporting or not reporting, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 100% 100% 100%

Reported 29% 41% 36%

Reason reported 100% 100% 100%

To stop incident or prevent recurrence or escalation 17 15 25

To get help or recover loss 2 ! 2 ! 3 !

To protect respondent and household from further crimes by the off ender 18 18 28 

To catch/punish/prevent off ender from reoff ending 14 20 17 

To improve police surveillance/duty to tell police/because it was a crime 27 22 21 

Other/unknown/not one most important reason 21 22 6 !

Not reported 71% 59% 64%

Reason not reported 100% 100% 100%

Reported to diff erent offi cial 10 10 8

Personal matter 23 19 13 

Not important enough to respondent 7 7 8 

Police could not do anything to help 2 2! 2!

Police would not do anything to help 6 8 13 

Did not want to get off ender in trouble with law 5 4 7 

Advised not to report 1 ! -- ! -- !

Fear of reprisal 17 16 20 

Other/unknown/not one most important reason 29 34 30 

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Reason for reporting or not reporting represents the reason the victim stated was most important. See appendix 

table 14 for standard errors.

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

--Less than 0.5%.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 8

A lower percentage of sexual violence reported to 

police resulted in arrests in 2005-10 (31%) than in 

1994-98 (47%)

Th e police may take a variety of actions in response to 

reported rape or sexual assault victimizations. During 

2005-10, about 84% of victims stated that police came to the 

victim aft er being called, up from 75% during 1994-98 (table 

10). About 1 in 10 victims who reported went directly to the 

police to report the incident, a percentage that has remained 

stable over time (not shown in table). 

Across all three periods, when police responded aft er being 

notifi ed, the most common police activity was to 

take a report from the victim, followed by questioning 

witnesses or conducting a search for the off ender 

(table 11). In 2005-10, police took the victim’s report in 

86% of victimizations reported to police, and the police 

questioned witnesses or conducted a search in 48% of cases. 

During the same period, about 19% of victims reported that 

the police collected evidence, up from 8% in 1994-98. 

Th e percentage of reported rape or sexual assault 

victimizations against females that resulted in an arrest 

either at the scene or during a follow-up investigation 

decreased, from 47% in 1994-98 to 31% in 2005-10 (not 

shown in table). Out of the 283,200 annual average rape or 

sexual assault victimizations in 2005-10 both reported and 

not reported to the police, approximately 12% resulted in an 

arrest at the scene or during a follow-up investigation. 

TABLE 11

Initial police response to rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 

2005–2010

Initial police response 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Made arrest at scene 20% 12% 19% 

Promised to investigate and/

 or promised surveillance 20 38 13 

Questioned witnesses and/or searched 44 47 48 

Took evidence 8 10 19 

Took report 82 72 86 

Other 21 17 19 

Note: Includes reported rape or sexual assault victimizations to which police 

responded or the victim went to the police. See appendix table 16 for standard 

errors. Each period, a small percentage (between 0.5% and 5.1%) of victims 

stated that they did not know if police performed any activity during the initial 

response. An additional 2.7% to 4.2% of victims did not provide a valid response 

regarding the initial police response. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

TABLE 10

Rape or sexual assault victimizations against females with 

police response, by type of response, 1994–1998, 1999–

2004, and 2005–2010

1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 100% 100% 100%

Not reported 71% 59% 64%

Reported 29% 41% 36%

Police came when notifi ed* 100% 100% 100% 

Yes 75 84 84

No 19 13 14 

Unknown/other 6 ! 4 ! 2 !

Note: See appendix table 15 for standard errors. 

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or 

coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

*Excludes about 10% of victimizations in which the victim went directly to 

police and between 1% and 4% in which the police were already on the scene or 

learned about the victimization in some other way.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 9

Methodology

Survey coverage

Th e National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is an 

annual data collection conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau 

for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Th e NCVS is a selfreport survey in which interviewed persons are asked about 

the number and characteristics of victimizations experienced 

during the prior 6 months. Th e NCVS collects information 

on nonfatal personal crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, 

aggravated and simple assault, and personal larceny) and 

household property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft , 

and other theft ) both reported and not reported to police. 

In addition to providing annual level and change estimates 

on criminal victimization, the NCVS is the primary source 

of information on the nature of criminal victimization 

incidents. Survey respondents provide information about 

themselves (such as age, sex, race and ethnicity, marital 

status, education level, and income) and whether they 

experienced victimization. Th e survey collects information 

for each victimization incident, including data about the 

off ender (such as age, race and ethnicity, sex, and victimoff ender relationship), characteristics of the crime (including 

time and place of occurrence, use of weapons, nature of 

injury, and economic consequences), whether the crime was 

reported to police, reasons why the crime was or was not 

reported, and experiences with the criminal justice system. 

Trained interviewers administer the NCVS to persons 

age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample 

of households in the United States. Th e NCVS defi nes 

a household as a group of members who all reside at a 

sampled address that is their usual place of residence at the 

time of the interview and when they have no other usual 

place of residence. Once selected, households remain in the 

sample for 3 years, and eligible persons in the households are 

interviewed every 6 months for a total of seven interviews. 

New households rotate into the sample on an ongoing basis 

to replace outgoing households that have been in the sample 

for the 3-year period. Th e sample includes persons living in 

group quarters, such as dormitories, rooming houses, and 

religious group dwellings. Persons living in military barracks 

and institutional settings, such as correctional or hospital 

facilities, and the homeless are excluded from the sample. 

(For more detail, see the Survey Methodology in Criminal 

Victimization in the United States, 2008, NCJ 231173, BJS 

website, May 2011.)

In 2010, about 81,950 households and 146,570 individuals 

age 12 or older were interviewed for the NCVS. Th e 

response rate was 92.3% of households and 87.5% of eligible 

individuals. Victimizations that occurred outside of the 

United States were excluded from this report. 

Weighting adjustments for estimating household 

victimization

Estimates in this report use data from the 1994 to 2010 

NCVS data fi les. Th ese fi les can be weighted to produce 

annual estimates of victimization for persons age 12 or older 

living in U.S. households. Because the NCVS relies on a 

sample rather than a census of the entire U.S. population, 

weights are designed to infl ate sample point estimates to 

known population totals and to compensate for survey 

nonresponse and other aspects of the sample design. 

Th e NCVS data fi les include both person and household 

weights. Person weights provide an estimate of the 

population represented by each person in the sample. 

Household weights provide an estimate of the total U.S. 

household population. Both household and person weights, 

aft er proper adjustment, are also typically used to form the 

denominator in calculations of crime rates.

Victimization weights used in this analysis account for the 

number of persons present during an incident and for repeat 

victims of series incidents. Th e weight counts series incidents 

as the actual number of incidents reported by the victim, 

up to a maximum of 10 incidents. Series victimizations are 

similar in type but occur with such frequency that a victim 

is unable to recall each individual event or describe each 

event in detail. Survey procedures allow NCVS interviewers 

to identify and classify these similar victimizations as series 

victimizations and to collect detailed information on only 

the most recent incident in the series. In 2010, about 3% 

of all victimizations were series incidents. Weighting series 

incidents as the number of incidents up to a maximum 

of 10 incidents produces more reliable estimates of crime 

levels, while the cap at 10 minimizes the eff ect of extreme 

outliers on the rates. Additional information on the series 

enumeration is detailed in the report Methods for Counting 

High Frequency Repeat Victimizations in the National Crime 

Victimization Survey, NCJ 237308, BJS website, April 2012.

Trend estimates are based on 2-year rolling averages 

centered on the most recent year or three 6-year periods. For 

example, estimates reported for 2010 represent the average 

estimates for 2009 and 2010. For other tables in this report, 

aggregate data for the time from 1994 through 1998, 1999 

through 2004, and 2005 through 2010 are the focus. Th ese 

methods of analysis improves the reliability and stability of 

estimate comparisons over time. 

Standard error computations

When national estimates are derived from a sample, as 

is the case with the NCVS, caution must be taken when 

comparing one estimate to another estimate or when 

comparing estimates over time. Although one estimate may 

be larger than another, estimates based on a sample have 

some degree of sampling error. Th e sampling error of an 

estimate depends on several factors, including the amount 
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 10

of variation in the responses, the size of the sample, and the 

size of the subgroup for which the estimate is computed. 

When the sampling error around the estimates is taken into 

consideration, the estimates that appear diff erent may not 

actually be statistically diff erent.

One measure of the sampling error associated with an 

estimate is the standard error. Th e standard error can vary 

from one estimate to the next. In general, for a given metric, 

an estimate with a smaller standard error provides a more 

reliable approximation of the true value than an estimate 

with a larger standard error. Estimates with relatively large 

standard errors are associated with less precision and 

reliability and should be interpreted with caution.

In order to generate standard errors around numbers and 

estimates from the NCVS, the Census Bureau produces 

generalized variance function (GVF) parameters for BJS. 

Th e GVFs take into account aspects of the NCVS complex 

sample design and represent the curve fi tted to a selection of 

individual standard errors based on the Jackknife Repeated 

Replication technique. Th e GVF parameters were used to 

generate standard errors for each point estimate (such as 

counts, percentages, and rates) in the report.

BJS conducted tests to determine whether diff erences in 

estimated numbers and percentages in this report were 

statistically signifi cant once sampling error was taken into 

account. Using statistical programs developed specifi cally 

for the NCVS, all comparisons in the text were tested for 

signifi cance. Th e primary test procedure used was Student’s 

t-statistic, which tests the diff erence between two sample 

estimates. To ensure that the observed diff erences between 

estimates were larger than might be expected due to 

sampling variation, the signifi cance level was set at the 95% 

confi dence level.

Data users can use the estimates and the standard errors of 

the estimates provided in this report to generate a confi dence 

interval around each estimate as a measure of the margin of 

error. Th e following example illustrates how standard errors 

can be used to generate confi dence intervals:

According to the NCVS, from 2005 to 2010, 36.4% of 

rape or sexual assault victimizations were reported to the 

police (see table 8). Using the GVFs, BJS determined that 

the estimate has a standard error of 2.7% (see appendix 

table 14). A confi dence interval around the estimate was 

generated by multiplying the standard errors by ±1.96 (the 

t-score of a normal, two-tailed distribution that excludes 

2.5% at either end of the distribution). Th erefore, the 

confi dence interval around the 36.4% estimate is equal to 

36.4% ± 2.7% X 1.96 (or 31.1% to 41.7%). In other words, 

if diff erent samples using the same procedures were taken 

from the U.S. population during the period from 2005 

to 2010, 95% of the time the percentage of rape or sexual 

assault victimizations that were reported to police would 

fall between 31.1% and 41.7%. 

In this report, BJS also calculated a coeffi cient of variation 

(CV) for all estimates, representing the ratio of the standard 

error to the estimate. CVs provide a measure of reliability 

and a means to compare the precision of estimates across 

measures with diff ering levels or metrics. In cases where the 

CV was greater than 50%, or the unweighted sample had 

10 or fewer cases, the estimate was noted with a “!” symbol 

(interpret data with caution; estimate is based on 10 or fewer 

sample cases, or the coeffi cient of variation exceeds 50%). 

Many of the variables examined in this report may be related 

to one another and to other variables not included in the 

analyses. Complex relationships among variables in this 

report were not fully explored and warrant more extensive 

analysis. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences 

based on the results presented.

Methodological changes to the NCVS in 2006

Methodological changes implemented in 2006 may have 

aff ected the crime estimates for that year to such an extent 

that they are not comparable to estimates from other years. 

Evaluation of 2007 and later data from the NCVS conducted 

by BJS and the Census Bureau found a high degree of 

confi dence that estimates for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 are 

consistent with and comparable to estimates for 2005 and 

previous years. Th e reports, Criminal Victimization, 2006, 

NCJ 219413, December 2007; Criminal Victimization, 2007, 

NCJ 224390, December 2008; Criminal Victimization, 2008, 

NCJ 227777, September 2009; Criminal Victimization, 2009, 

NCJ 231327, October 2010; and Criminal Victimization, 

2010, NCJ 235508, September 2011, are available on the BJS 

website. Although caution is warranted when comparing 

data from 2006 to other years, the aggregation of multiple 

years of data in this report diminishes the potential variation 

between 2006 and other years. In general, fi ndings do not 

change signifi cantly if the year 2006 is excluded from the 

analyses.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 11

APPENDIX TABLE 1

Female rape and sexual assault victimization rates, 1995–2010

Total Completed Attempted Threatened

Year

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

1995 555,600 5.0 402,000 3.6 83,900 0.8 69,800 0.6

1996 443,300 4.0 304,300 2.7 56,400 0.5 82,600 0.7

1997 450,100 4.0 301,400 2.7 55,200 0.5 93,500 0.8

1998 436,400 3.8 322,100 2.8 62,600 0.5 51,700 0.5

1999 458,900 4.0 346,000 3.0 82,300 0.7 30,600 0.3

2000 452,100 3.9 352,200 3.0 71,300 0.6 28,600 0.2

2001 390,700 3.3 286,400 2.4 67,400 0.6 36,800 0.3

2002 366,200 3.1 244,100 2.1 70,700 0.6 51,400 0.4

2003 304,300 2.5 212,200 1.7 57,900 0.5 34,200 0.3

2004 277,600 2.2 204,500 1.7 55,000 0.4 18,000 0.1

2005 221,100 1.8 158,700 1.3 42,900 0.3 19,500 0.2

2006 276,300 2.2 183,500 1.5 60,200 0.5 32,600 0.3

2007 298,400 2.3 194,200 1.5 68,500 0.5 35,700 0.3

2008 273,500 2.1 168,500 1.3 76,200 0.6 28,900 0.2

2009 297,900 2.3 168,800 1.3 86,300 0.7 42,900 0.3

2010 269,700 2.1 143,300 1.1 89,300 0.7 37,000 0.3

Note: Estimates based on 2-year rolling averages centered on the most recent year. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.

*Per 1,000 females age 12 or older. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 2

Standard errors for fi gure 1 and appendix table 1: Female rape and sexual assault victimization rates, 1995–2010

Total Completed Attempted Threatened

Year

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

1995 43,100 0.3 35,800 0.2 15,200 0.1 13,800 0.1

1996 38,300 0.3 31,000 0.2 12,400 0.1 15,200 0.1

1997 41,000 0.3 32,800 0.2 13,100 0.1 17,300 0.1

1998 43,000 0.3 36,100 0.2 14,600 0.1 13,200 0.1

1999 42,600 0.3 36,100 0.2 16,100 0.1 9,400 0.1

2000 40,600 0.3 35,200 0.2 14,500 0.1 8,900 0.1

2001 40,400 0.3 33,800 0.2 15,200 0.1 11,000 0.1

2002 38,500 0.2 30,600 0.2 15,500 0.1 13,000 0.1

2003 32,700 0.2 26,700 0.2 13,200 0.1 10,000 0.1

2004 33,600 0.2 28,400 0.2 14,000 0.1 7,800 --

2005 34,500 0.2 28,800 0.2 14,400 0.1 9,600 0.1

2006 37,000 0.2 29,600 0.2 16,300 0.1 11,800 0.1

2007 40,800 0.2 32,200 0.2 18,300 0.1 12,900 0.1

2008 37,200 0.2 28,400 0.2 18,500 0.1 11,100 0.1

2009 38,900 0.2 28,500 0.2 19,800 0.1 13,700 0.1

2010 37,000 0.2 26,000 0.1 20,100 0.1 12,500 0.1

*Per 1,000 females age 12 or older.

 --Less then 0.05.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 12

APPENDIX TABLE 3 

Rape and sexual assault victimization rates, by sex of victim, 1995–2010

All persons Female Male

Year

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

Average 

annual count Rate*

1995 618,800 2.9 555,600 5.0 63,100 0.6 

1996 500,200 2.3 443,300 4.0 56,900 0.5 

1997 495,400 2.3 450,100 4.0 45,200 0.4 

1998 472,300 2.1 436,400 3.8 35,900 0.3 

1999 491,300 2.2 458,900 4.0 32,400 0.3 

2000 479,100 2.1 452,100 3.9 27,100 0.2 

2001 421,700 1.8 390,700 3.3 31,000 0.3 

2002 413,200 1.8 366,200 3.1 47,000 0.4 

2003 337,600 1.4 304,300 2.5 33,300 0.3 

2004 290,500 1.2 277,600 2.2 12,900 ! 0.1 !

2005 231,800 1.0 221,100 1.8 10,600 ! 0.1 !

2006 335,700 1.4 276,300 2.2 59,400 0.5 

2007 355,900 1.4 298,400 2.3 57,500 0.5 

2008 299,000 1.2 273,500 2.1 25,400 0.2 

2009 327,600 1.3 297,900 2.3 29,700 0.2 

2010 287,100 1.1 269,700 2.1 17,400 0.1 

Note: Estimates based on 2-year rolling averages centered on the most recent year. See appendix table 4 for standard errors.

! Interpret with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or coeffi cient of variation is greater than 50%. 

*Per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 4

Standard errors for fi gure 2 and appendix table 3: Rape and sexual assault victimization rates, by sex of victim, 1995–2010

All persons Female Male

Year Average annual count Rate* Average annual count Rate* Average annual count Rate*

1995 45,800 0.2 43,100 0.3 13,100 0.1

1996 41,000 0.1 38,300 0.3 12,500 0.1

1997 43,300 0.1 41,000 0.3 11,800 0.1

1998 45,100 0.2 43,000 0.3 10,900 0.1

1999 44,300 0.1 42,600 0.3 9,700 0.1

2000 42,000 0.1 40,600 0.3 8,600 0.1

2001 42,200 0.1 40,400 0.3 10,000 0.1

2002 41,300 0.1 38,500 0.2 12,400 0.1

2003 34,700 0.1 32,700 0.2 9,800 0.1

2004 34,500 0.1 33,600 0.2 6,600 --

2005 35,400 0.1 34,500 0.2 7,000 0.0

2006 41,200 0.1 37,000 0.2 16,200 0.1

2007 45,100 0.1 40,800 0.2 16,700 0.1

2008 39,100 0.1 37,200 0.2 10,400 0.1

2009 41,100 0.1 38,900 0.2 11,300 0.1

2010 38,400 0.1 37,000 0.2 8,400 --

*Per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. 

--Less than 0.05.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 13

APPENDIX TABLE 5 

Standard errors for table 1: Rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females, by victim characteristics, 

1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Rate per 1,000 females

Victim characteristic 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total 0.2 0.1 0.1

Age

12–17 0.8 0.6 0.5

18–34 0.4 0.3 0.3

35–64 0.2 0.1 0.1

65 or older 0.1 0.1 0.1

Race/Hispanic origin

White 0.2 0.2 0.2

Black 0.4 0.4 0.4

Hispanic/Latina 0.5 0.3 0.3

American Indian/Alaska native 2.6 2.1 2.3

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 0.6 0.4 0.3

Two or more races ~ 3.1 1.8

Marital status

Never married 0.5 0.3 0.3

Married 0.1 0.1 0.1

Widowed 0.2 0.1 0.2

Divorced or separated 0.7 0.5 0.5

Household income

Less than $25,000 0.3 0.3 0.4

$25,000–$49,999 0.3 0.2 0.3

$50,000 or more 0.3 0.2 0.2

Unknown 0.4 0.2 0.2

Location of residence

Urban 0.3 0.3 0.2

Suburban 0.2 0.2 0.2

Rural 0.3 0.2 0.4

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 6 

Standard errors for table 2: Activity and location of female 

victims when rape and sexual assault occurred, 1994–1998, 

1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Location and activity 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Location when crime occurred ~ ~ ~ 

At or near victim’s home 1.9% 1.9% 2.8% 

At or near home of friend/relative/

 acquaintance 1.4 1.4 1.8 

Commercial place/parking lot 

 or garage 1.3 1.4 1.7 

School 0.8 1.2 1.5 

Open areas/public transportation/

 other 1.3 1.3 2.0 

Activity when crime occurred ~ ~ ~

Working 1.2% 1.1% 1.8% 

Attending school 0.7 1.1 1.4

Sleeping/other activities at home 1.9 1.9 2.8 

Traveling to or from work, school, 

 other place/shopping or errands/

 leisure activity away from home 1.7 1.8 2.5 

Other/unknown 1.0 0.9 1.2 

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 14

APPENDIX TABLE 7

Standard errors for table 3: Rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females, by number of off enders and 

victim-off ender relationship, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 

2005–2010

Off ender characteristic 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Number of off enders ~ ~ ~

One 1.0% 1.1% 1.8%

Two or more 0.9 1.1 1.7

Victim-off ender relationship ~ ~ ~

Stranger 1.5% 1.7% 2.4%

Nonstranger 1.6 1.8 2.4 

Intimate partner 1.7 1.8 2.8 

Relative 1.1 0.6 1.4 

Well-known/casual aquaintance 1.9 2.0 2.8 

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 8

Standard errors for table 4: Rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females, by perceived off ender 

characteristics, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Off ender characteristics 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Age ~ ~ ~

17 or younger 1.2% 1.2% 1.8% 

18–20 1.1 1.2 1.8

21–29 1.7 1.9 2.7 

30 or older 2.0 2.1 3.1 

Other 0.5 0.6 1.1 

Race ~ ~ ~ 

White 1.8% 1.9% 2.8% 

Black 1.4 1.7 2.5

Other 1.0 1.1 1.3 

Mixed group 0.4 0.3 0.5 

Unknown 0.5 0.7 1.5

Alcohol/drug use at time of incident ~ ~ ~ 

Yes 1.9% 1.9% 2.8% 

No 1.8 1.8 2.7 

Unknown 1.5 1.8 2.6 

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 9

Standard errors for table 5: Rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females, by off ender weapon 

possession, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Weapon present 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total ~ ~ ~

No weapon 1.2% 1.5% 2.2% 

 Weapon 0.9 % 1.2 % 1.7%

Firearm 0.6 0.5 1.3 

Knife 0.5 0.8 1.1 

Other/unknown type 0.3 0.8 0.5

Don’t know 0.8% 0.9% 1.3%

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 10

Standard errors for table 6: Injured female victims of rape 

and sexual assault who received treatment, 1994–1998, 

1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Injury 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

No injury 1.9% 1.9% 2.8%

Any injury 1.9% 2.0% 2.8%

Treatment for injury ~ ~ ~ 

No treatment 2.2% 2.6% 3.5%

Any treatment 2.2 2.5 3.5 

Treatment setting ~ ~ ~ 

At scene or home of victim/

 neighbor/friend 4.5% 3.8% 4.7%

In doctor’s offi ce/hospital/

 emergency room/overnight hospital 4.6 3.9 4.8 

In other location/unknown 1.4 1.3 1.1

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 15

APPENDIX TABLE 11 

Standard errors for table 7: Female victims of rape and 

sexual assault who received assistance from a victim service 

agency, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total ~ ~ ~ 

Received assistance 1.6% 1.7% 2.4%

Did not receive assistance 1.6 1.8 2.4 

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 12 

Standard errors for fi gure 3: Rape and sexual assault 

victimizations against females reported to police, 

1995–2010

Year Percent Standard error

1995 28.2% 2.3% 

1996 28.6 2.6 

1997 28.3 2.7 

1998 26.9 2.8 

1999 28.5 2.7 

2000 32.5 2.7 

2001 37.8 3.3 

2002 45.5 3.5 

2003 58.9 3.6 

2004 45.6 4.1 

2005 32.3 4.9 

2006 36.1 4.3 

2007 37.5 4.4 

2008 40.9 4.5 

2009 31.6 4.1 

2010 32.1 4.2 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 13 

Standard errors for table 8: Rape and sexual victimizations 

against females reported and not reported to police, 

1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Reporting to police 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total ~ ~ ~

Not reported 1.7% 1.9% 2.7%

Reported 1.7% 1.9% 2.7%

Source of report ~ ~ ~ 

Victim 3.4 3.0 4.4

Other household member 2.9 2.0 2.7 

An offi cial other than police 1.3 1.7 3.1 

Someone else 2.1 1.8 2.7 

Police were at crime scene 0.6 1.1 1.0

Other 1.7 1.3 0.7

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

Revised 5/19/2016
FEMALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, 1994–2010 | MARCH 2013 16

APPENDIX TABLE 14

Standard errors for table 9: Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females reported and not reported to police, 

by most important reason for reporting or not reporting, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010 

1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total ~~ ~

Reported 1.7% 1.9% 2.7%

Reason reported ~~ ~

To stop incident or prevent recurrance or escalation 3.5% 2.8% 4.9% 

To get help or recover loss 1.4 1.2 2.0

To protect respondent and household from further crimes by this off ender 3.6 2.9 5.1 

To catch/punish/prevent off ender from reoff ending 3.3 3.1 4.2 

To improve police surveillance/duty to tell police/because it was a crime 4.2 3.2 4.6 

Other/unknown/not one most important reason 3.8 3.2 2.6

Not reported 1.7% 1.9% 2.7%

Reason not reported ~ ~ ~

Reported to diff erent offi cial 1.3% 1.5% 1.8% 

Personal matter 1.8 1.9 2.3 

Not important enough to respondent 1.1 1.3 1.8 

Police could not do anything to help 0.6 0.6 0.9

Police would not do anything to help 1.0 1.3 2.3 

Did not want to get off ender in trouble with law 0.9 0.9 1.8 

Advised not to report 0.3 -- --

Fear of reprisal 1.6 1.8 2.8 

Other/unknown/not one most important reason 2.0 2.3 3.2 

~Not applicable.

--Less than 0.05%. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 15

Standard errors for table 10: Rape or sexual assault 

victimization against females, with police response, by type 

of response, 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Responses 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Total ~ ~ ~

Not reported 1.7% 1.9% 2.7% 

Reported 1.7 1.9 2.7 

Police came when notifi ed

Yes 3.2% 2.4% 3.5% 

No 2.8 2.1 3.2 

Unknown/other 1.7 1.2 1.3

~Not applicable.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.

APPENDIX TABLE 16

Standard errors for table 11: Initial police response to rape 

and sexual assault victimizations against females, 

1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010

Initial police response 1994–1998 1999–2004 2005–2010

Made arrest at scene 3.1% 2.1% 3.8% 

Promised to investigate and/

 or promised surveillance 3.1 3.2 3.2 

Questioned witnesses and/or searched 3.9 3.3 4.9 

Took evidence 2.1 1.9 3.8 

Took report 3.0 3.0 3.4 

Other 3.2 2.4 3.8 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 

1994–2010.
Offi ce of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

NCJ240655

Th e Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of 

Justice. William J. Sabol is the acting director.

Th is report was written by Michael Planty and Lynn Langton of BJS and 

Christopher Krebs, Marcus Berzofsky, and Hope Smiley-McDonald from RTI 

International. RTI International and Jennifer Truman verifi ed the report.

Catherine Bird and Jill Th omas edited the report, and Barbara Quinn and Tina 

Dorsey produced the report under the supervision of Doris J. James.

March 2013, NCJ 240655