Juvenile homicide victims by age, 1980-2010

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Violent Crime Victimization

Q:	Does juvenile homicide victimization vary by age?
A:	Murder is most common among the oldest and the youngest juveniles. In 2010, 42% of juvenile murder victims were under age 6 and 45% were ages 15–17.

Juvenile homicide victims by age, 1980-2010

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Murder is most common among the oldest and the youngest juveniles. Of the estimated 1,450 juveniles murdered in 2010, 42% were under age 6, 6% were ages 6–11, 7% were ages 12–14, and 45% were ages 15–17.
However, the characteristics of juvenile murder victims vary with age. In 2010, a substantially larger proportion of victims under age 6 were killed by family members than victims ages 15–17 (61% vs. 2%). Another major difference between the murder of older and younger juveniles was the relative involvement of firearms. In 2010, firearms were used in 14% of murders of juveniles under age 12 but 86% of the murders of juveniles ages 12–17.
The large increase in juvenile homicides between 1984 and 1993 and the subsequent decline were nearly all attributable to changes in homicides of older juveniles. Victims ages 15–17 accounted for 68% of the increase of juveniles murdered between 1984 and 1993 and 60% of the decline between 1993 and 2010.
In 2009, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (within the Centers for Disease Control) listed homicide as the fourth leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 11 and third for youth ages 12 to 17.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02301.asp?qaDate=2010. Released on July 31, 2012.

Adapted from Puzzanchera, C. and Kang, W. (2012). Easy Access to the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports: 1980-2010. Available on-line at: http://ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezashr/.

Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1980–2010 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: FBI.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [accessed July 2012 from www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars].