FBI Crime Statistics 2024 – By Types, Reasons, Shooting Cases, All Violent Crimes and Total Number of Victims

Barry Elad

Updated · Feb 29, 2024

FBI Crime Statistics 2024 – By Types, Reasons, Shooting Cases, All Violent Crimes and Total Number of Victims

Introduction

FBI Crime Statistics: We rely on data to understand trends and patterns in various aspects of society, including crime. The FBI Crime Statistics provide a comprehensive overview of criminal activities across the United States, offering valuable insights into the prevalence and nature of different types of crimes. According to recent data from the FBI, there were approximately 6.5 million reported crimes in the United States in 2020.

These crimes encompass a wide range of offenses, including violent crimes such as murder, robbery, and assault, as well as property crimes like burglary, theft, and vandalism. The FBI Crime Statistics serve as a crucial resource for law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and researchers, helping to inform strategies for crime prevention, resource allocation, and policy development. By analyzing this data, we can identify emerging trends, allocate resources effectively, and develop targeted interventions to address the underlying factors driving crime rates.

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  • Violent crime decreased by 1.7% in 2024, indicating a positive trend in public safety.
  • Murder and non-negligent manslaughter saw a notable decrease of 6.1%.
  • Rape (revised definition) also decreased by 5.4% compared to the previous year.
  • Aggravated assault experienced a slight decrease of 1.1%.
  • However, robbery increased by 1.3%, highlighting an area of concern for law enforcement.
  • In 2021, around 34% of police agencies in the United States failed to submit crime data to the FBI, potentially impacting the accuracy of crime statistics.
  • Despite efforts to combat crime, challenges persist, such as the need for improved data reporting and collaboration among law enforcement agencies.
  • The FBI’s role in national security is crucial, but controversies surrounding its practices, such as the ability to lie to courts without penalty, raise ethical and legal concerns.
  • The use of innovative techniques, like tracking live locations via websites, demonstrates the evolving nature of law enforcement strategies in response to technological advancements.
  • In 2021, rape cases increased by 2.2%, while aggravated assault increased by 1.2%, indicating areas requiring targeted intervention.
  • On a positive note, burglary cases decreased by 2.2%, reflecting potential successes in crime prevention efforts.
  • The data also revealed disparities in victim demographics, with the highest number of victims being of white ethnic backgrounds in 2021, totaling 459,457 individuals.
  • Additionally, rates of robbery, motor vehicle theft, and larceny experienced respective increases of 0.6%, 4.5%, and 3.5%, highlighting areas for focused attention.
  • Encouragingly, 63% of law enforcement officers contributed to information for the use of force data collection in 2021, indicating improved transparency and accountability within the criminal justice system.

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Who is the FBI?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a department of the domestic security and intelligence service of the United States of America. The FBI has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. US. The mission as told by the FBI is to ‘protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States’. The Bureau was formed in 1908 and currently has around 35,000 employees working with them. The crucial branches are the Intelligence branch, Human Resources branch, Science and Technology, Information and Technology, National Security and Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services branch.

What do they do?

  • Protect civil rights at all costs.
  • Protect the United States of America against cyber operations and international intelligence operations.
  • Fight with criminal cyber activity.
  • Fight public corruption at every level.
  • Fight with a serious white collar as well as violent crimes
  • And more importantly, protect the United States of America from terror attacks.
  • Support international partners

Facts About FBI

  • For the sake of national security, The FBI and government can lie to the courts without any penalty.
  • Before the 9/11 attack, a counter-terrorism expert in the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned 5 to 6 years before about the incident but was later thrown out of the FBI in the year 2001.
  • FBI crime statistics state that an artist named Hasan Elahi who was fed up due to continuous investigations by the FBI on the suspicion of terrorism launched a website to track his live location at all times and experts say the website is still live.
  • Because J. Edgar Hoover abuses power, the directors in the FBI offices are set to step down in 10 years.
  • In the year 1965, the Federal Bureau of Investigations falsely boxed the 4 men to protect the informant. Out of these 4 men, 2 died in prison while 2 spent more than 30 years in prison before release.
  • In the year 1989, a Michigan farmer caught balloons attached to a camera having photos of mutilated corpses leading to yearlong investigations. But later the case was solved as the image turned out to be a music video belonging to Nine Inch Nails, which was filmed 200 miles away.
  • A pimp, who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, had set his mobile password in such a way that the FBI couldn’t unlock it, rather they took the help of Google with a warrant for the help.

General FBI Crime Statistics

  • As of 2021, FBI Crime statistics reported that around 34% of the police agencies spread across the United States of America failed to submit crime data to the FBI.
  • 63% of Law enforcement officers contributed to information to use of force data collection in the year 2021.
  • Furthermore, FBI Crime Statistics say that 50.7% of the use of force cases reported to the department caused serious bodily injury, 17% of cases involved the discharge of a firearm and 33.2% of cases resulted in the death of a person.

FBI Crime Statistics by Types

  • FBI Crime Statistics say that in the year 2021 rape cases increases by 2.2% while aggravated assault increased by 1.2%.
  • Furthermore, robbery, motor vehicle theft, and larceny increased respectively by 0.6%, 4.5%, and 3.5%.
  • On the other hand, burglary cases in the United States of America decreased by 2.2%.

(Reference: Internet Crime Complaint Center)

  • According to the above chart, the various types of crimes that took place in the year 2021 were recorded by FBI Crime Statistics as follows:
  • Phishing (323,972), Non-payment/non-delivery (82,478), Personal data breach (51,829), Identity theft (51,629), Extortion (39,360), Confidence fraud/ romance (24,299), Tech support (23,903), Investment (20,561), BEC/EAC (19,954), Spoofing (18,522), Credit Card Fraud (16,750), Employment (15,253), Other (12,346), Terrorism/Threats of violence (12,346) and Real estate/rental (11,578).
  • Government Impersonation (11,335), Advanced Fee (11,034), Overpayment (6,108), Lottery/Inheritance/Sweepstakes (5,991), IPR/ Copyright/Counterfeit (4,270), Ransomware (3,729), Crime against Children (2,167), Corporate Data breach (1,287), Civil Matter (1,118), Denial of Service/TDoS (1,104), Computer Intrusion (979), Malware/Scareware/Virus (810), Health care related (578), Re-shipping (516) and Gambling (395).
  • Cybercrimes through social media and virtual currency resulted in around 36,034 and 34,202 respectively.

By The Total Number Of Victims

(Reference: Internet Crime Complaint Center)

  • Looking at the Cybercrime reports from FBI Crime statistics following countries’ registered number of cyberattacks in the year 2021:
  • Japan (419), Turkey (422), Malaysia (443), Italy (517), Pakistan (530), Argentina (538), Spain (560), China (571), Greece (585), Netherlands (673), Philippines (1,051), Brazil (1,053), Mexico (1,326), Germany (1,429), South Africa (1,790), France (1,972), Australia (2,204), India (3,131), Canada (5,788), United Kingdom (303,949) and United States of America (466,788).

Countries with the largest number of prisoners Dec 2022

(Reference: Statista.com)

  • As of December 2022, FBI Crime statistics say that China has the highest number of prisoners resulting in 1,690,000.
  • Further, the list of countries with the most prisoners as of December 2022 is followed by the United States of America and Brazil resulting in 1,675,400 and 835,643.
  • In addition, by countries with the following numbers India (554,034), Russian Federation (439,453), Turkey (314,502), Thailand (285,572), Indonesia (275,518), Mexico (230,000), Iran (189,000), Philippines (166,912), South Africa (144,912), Vietnam (125,697), Egypt (119,000), Argentina (114,074), Ethiopia (110,000), Myanmar (100,324), Colombia (98,242), Algeria (94,749) and Peru (90,293).

By Reasons

  • FBI Crime Statistics state in the year 2021 56.8% of reports were due to officers involved in suspicious or unlawful activities.
  • 11% of the cases were reported from traffic stops.
  • 6% and 3.2% of cases occurred due to court orders/ warrant services and due to mental health, medical, and welfare checks performed on individuals.
  • Furthermore, 3.2% of cases occurred during routine patrols, and 2.7% happened during follow-up of investigations.

By Shooting Cases

By the time of the day

(Reference: FBI)

  • The highest number of shooter incidents caught in the United States of America were between 12 pm to 5:59 pm resulting in 23.
  • 11 incidents handled by the FBI were reported from 12 am to 5:59 am, while 16 cases were reported from 6 am to 11:59 am.
  • Furthermore, the time between 6 pm to 11:59 pm reported 11 shooter incidents.

Day of the week

(Source: FBI)

  • Furthermore, FBI Crime statistics observed that in the year 2021, Saturday reports the highest number of shooting incidents were handled by them.
  • Other days in the week reported the following incidents: Sunday (6), Monday (7), Tuesday (12), Wednesday (7), Thursday (11), and Friday (4).

By Month

(Source: FBI)

  • As of 2021, in the United States of America, the highest number of cases observed which were handled by the FBI occurred in June resulting in 12.
  • Furthermore, the following number of cases were observed in the respective months of 2021: January (3), February (2), March (5), April (10), May (5), July (4), August (7), September (6), October (2), November (4) and December (1).

Shooters by age

(Reference: FBI)

  • FBI Crime statistics say that the most active group of shooters is aged 25 years to 34 years resulting in 18 recognized shooters in the year 2021.
  • There were 2 offenders below the age of 18, while 14 shooters were aged between 19 years to 24 years.
  • There were around 10, 9, and 6 shooters from the age groups of 35 years to 44 years, 45 years to 54 years, and 55 years to 64 years respectively.
  • And respective 1 offender as well as 1 shooter reported to age above 65 and from an unknown age group.

By All Violent Crimes

Location Type

Residence Home 418,874
Highway/Alley/Street/Sidewalk 174,414
Parking Garage/Lot 56,710
Unknown 25,234
Convenience Store 22,838
Total 855,013

(Source: Crime Data Explorer)

  • As per the FBI Crime Statistics, around 855,013 violent crimes occurred in the year 2021 that were reported or known.
  • Out of these, 418,874 occurred at the victim’s residence home, and 174,414 took place on the highway/sidewalk/Street or alley.
  • 56,710 and 25,234 of all violent crimes were reported to occur at the parking garage/Lot or some unknown places.
  • On the other hand, 22,838 cases occurred at a convenience store.

Offender Vs Victim Age

Offender Age Victim Age
20-29 211,996 20-29 226,004
30-39 169,221 30-39 187,830
Unknown 111,528 10-19 131,038
10-19 107,231 40-49 116,398
40-49 84,829 50-59 75,984
Total 758,749 Total 831,933

(Source: Crime Data Explorer)

  • Considering the FBI Crime Statistics of 2021, the highest number of all violent crimes performed by the age of 20 years 29 years resulting in 211,996.
  • There were around 1,69,221 offenders aged between 30 years to 39 years in the United States of America.
  • 111,528 offenders of all violent crimes were unknown by their age. As a surprising fact, offenders with a minority were around 107,231 aged 10 years to 10 years.
  • And 84,829 offenders belonged to the age group of 40 years to 49 years.

By Victim Age

  • As of 2021, in the United States of America, the highest number of victims belonged to the age of 20 years to 29 years.
  • Further records reported the following numbers of victims: 187,830 (30 to 39 years), 131,038 (10 years to 19 years), 116,398 (40 years to 49 years), and 75,984 (50 years to 59 years).
  • The FBI crime statistics say that there were a total of 758,749 offenders and 831,933 victims recognized in the year 2021 in the United States of America.

By Ethnic Background

Offender Race Victim Race
Black or African American 335,507 White 459,457
White 328,817 Black or African American 312,822
American Indian or Alaska Native 11,984 American Indian or Alaska Native 13,205
Asian 6,278 Asian 13,021
Total 756,634 Total 829,806

(Source: Crime Data Explorer)

  • According to the FBI Crime Statistics, subjecting to all crimes, in the year 2021, the United States of America experienced a total offender number of 7,56,623 and 8,29,806 recorded victims.

By Offender Race:

  • Offenders conducting all times of crimes were found from every ethnic background, the highest number of them belonged to black or African American resulting in 335,507.
  • There were 328,817 offenders from white ethnic backgrounds and 74,048 didn’t disclose race-related information.
  • 11,984 and 6,278 reported belonging to American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian respectively.

By Victim Race:

  • Furthermore, the highest number of victims belonged to white ethnic backgrounds resulting in 459,457 in the year 2021.
  • Similarly, 312,822 and 31,301 respectively belonged to black or African American and unknown races.
  • 13,205 and 13,021 reported victims were from American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian backgrounds.

Recent Developments in FBI Crime

  • The FBI Crime Statistics for 2024 reveal a 1.7% decrease in violent crime compared to the previous year, indicating positive progress in public safety efforts.
  • However, murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased by 6.1%, suggesting improvements in homicide prevention strategies.
  • Rape cases, under the revised definition, saw a notable 5.4% decrease, reflecting potential advancements in addressing sexual violence.
  • Aggravated assault experienced a slight decline of 1.1%, signaling continued efforts to reduce violent incidents.
  • In contrast, robbery increased by 1.3%, highlighting a concerning trend that may require targeted interventions by law enforcement agencies.
  • Notably, around 34% of police agencies in the United States failed to submit crime data to the FBI in 2021, potentially impacting the accuracy of crime statistics and necessitating improvements in data collection and reporting protocols.
  • Challenges persist in ensuring accurate and comprehensive crime reporting, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the FBI to address gaps in data submission.
  • Ethical concerns regarding the FBI’s role in national security have been raised, particularly regarding its ability to provide misleading information to courts without facing penalties, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices.
  • Innovative approaches to law enforcement, such as leveraging technology to track live locations via websites, demonstrate the evolving nature of crime prevention strategies in response to emerging threats.
  • While certain crime categories saw increases, such as rape and robbery, targeted interventions and community partnerships may be effective in addressing underlying factors contributing to these trends.
  • The recent developments underscore the importance of ongoing efforts to enhance data collection, improve collaboration among law enforcement agencies, and adopt innovative approaches to combat crime effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the latest FBI Crime Statistics for 2024 present a mixed picture of crime trends in the United States. While overall violent crime decreased by 1.7%, indicating progress in enhancing public safety, certain categories saw fluctuations. For instance, murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased by 6.1%, showcasing improvements in homicide prevention efforts. Conversely, robbery increased by 1.3%, highlighting areas where targeted interventions may be necessary to address emerging challenges.

Rape cases, under the revised definition, decreased by 5.4%, suggesting potential advancements in combating sexual violence. However, around 34% of police agencies failed to submit crime data to the FBI in 2021, impacting the accuracy of crime statistics and underscoring the need for enhanced data collection protocols. Additionally, ethical concerns regarding the FBI’s role in national security, such as its ability to provide misleading information to courts, raise questions about transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices.

Despite these challenges, innovative approaches, such as leveraging technology to track live locations via websites, demonstrate evolving strategies in crime prevention. Moving forward, addressing gaps in data submission, improving collaboration among law enforcement agencies, and adopting targeted interventions will be crucial in effectively combating crime. Overall, the FBI Crime Statistics provide valuable insights for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and stakeholders to inform evidence-based strategies aimed at enhancing public safety and reducing criminal activity.

FAQ.

How many people are working for the FBI?

As of today, around 35,000 people along with technology specialists, language specialists, support professionals, special guests, and information technology specialists. If you are looking for a career in the FBI department, you can check out the open positions here: FBIJobs.gov.

What are the primary functions of the FBI?

The investigative authority has been divided into various departments such as foreign counterintelligence, civil rights, white-collar crime, international terrorism, public corruption, and domestic and international terrorism depending upon the type of the case investigations are conducted.

At what age can you become an FBI agent?

You are eligible to become an FBI agent between 23 years to 37 years.

What are the common civil rights violation cases stated by the FBI?

The FBI states the following as common civil rights violation cases: verbal or written threats, physical assaults, homicides, racial violence, and desecration of property.

Barry Elad
Barry Elad

Barry is a lover of everything technology. Figuring out how the software works and creating content to shed more light on the value it offers users is his favorite pastime. When not evaluating apps or programs, he's busy trying out new healthy recipes, doing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his little one.

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