Arrests by offense, age, and gender

Statistical Briefing Book > Law Enforcement & Juvenile Crime

Estimated number of arrests by offense and age group, 2020
Gender: All

Offenses	All ages	0 to 17	18 & older	10 to 17	0 to 14	15 to 17	18 to 20	21 to 24	25 & older
All offenses	7,632,470	424,300	7,208,180	422,640	121,930	302,370	592,260	894,730	5,721,190
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	12,440	930	11,510	930	90	840	1,820	2,140	7,550
Rape	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Robbery	67,900	12,000	55,900	12,000	2,490	9,510	10,610	9,420	35,880
Aggravated assault	381,190	19,140	362,050	19,050	5,560	13,580	26,590	46,300	289,160
Burglary	149,350	15,130	134,230	15,040	4,830	10,300	12,300	16,050	105,870
Larceny-theft	629,020	46,700	582,320	46,600	12,530	34,180	50,640	65,240	466,450
Motor vehicle theft	83,220	11,660	71,560	11,650	3,340	8,320	7,270	9,570	54,720
Arson	9,780	1,200	8,580	1,160	660	540	450	780	7,350
Simple assault	906,980	70,940	836,040	70,610	27,250	43,690	59,560	103,620	672,860
Forgery and counterfeiting	32,500	470	32,030	470	70	400	3,230	3,510	25,300
Fraud	79,520	2,620	76,900	2,620	670	1,950	5,660	8,790	62,440
Embezzlement	9,390	430	8,960	430	10	420	1,410	1,360	6,200
Stolen property (buying, receiving, possessing)	88,320	8,190	80,130	8,190	1,740	6,450	8,620	10,730	60,770
Vandalism	173,770	23,130	150,640	22,900	9,130	14,010	15,640	21,470	113,530
Weapons (carrying, possessing, etc.)	166,200	11,110	155,090	11,090	2,060	9,050	19,990	29,250	105,850
Prostitution and commercialized vice	16,770	110	16,660	110	20	90	1,940	3,110	11,610
Sex offenses (except rape & prostitution)	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Drug abuse violations	1,155,610	42,280	1,113,330	42,250	6,520	35,770	111,310	151,370	850,640
Gambling	1,630	70	1,550	70	10	60	90	130	1,330
Offenses against the family and children	59,400	2,420	56,980	2,390	780	1,630	2,630	5,350	49,000
Driving under the influence	778,910	5,870	773,040	5,870	90	5,780	44,020	107,610	621,400
Liquor laws	104,200	17,910	86,290	17,910	2,220	15,690	39,360	7,020	39,900
Drunkenness	194,250	2,390	191,860	2,390	380	2,010	9,370	20,200	162,290
Disorderly conduct	225,800	24,720	201,080	24,590	9,820	14,900	17,520	26,210	157,350
Vagrancy	13,650	250	13,400	250	60	190	1,010	1,220	11,170
All other offenses (except traffic)	2,228,330	85,970	2,142,360	85,520	24,400	61,570	136,500	239,180	1,766,680
Curfew and loitering	11,680	11,680	0	11,660	3,980	7,700	0	0	0
Violent Crime Index	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Property Crime Index	871,370	74,680	796,690	74,450	21,350	53,330	70,660	91,640	634,390
Violent crimes*	461,540	32,070	429,470	31,970	8,140	23,930	39,020	57,860	332,580

Violent Crime Index includes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Property Crime Index includes, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

NA: Beginning in 2013, the FBI broadened the definition of rape, removing the phrase "forcible" from the offense name and description. The new definition of rape is: Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. The new definition includes the NIBRS offenses of rape, sodomy, and sexual assault with an object.

Law enforcement agencies may submit data on rape arrests based on either the new or legacy definition of rape. Due to differences in agency reporting practices, national estimates for the offenses of "rape" and "sex offenses" are not available after 2012. Additionally, estimates for the Violent Crime Index (which included "forcible rape") are not shown after 2012 as this category is no longer compatible with prior years.

* The "violent crimes" category includes the offenses of murder, robbery, and aggravated assault and is presented as an alternative to the Violent Crime Index, which is not available as a result of the change to the definition of rape in 2013. In any given year prior to the change in the rape definition, these three offenses accounted for more than 95% of arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses.

2020 was the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, which may have impacted policies, procedures, and data collection activities. Additionally, stay-at-home orders likely impacted the volume and type of law-violating behavior that came to the attention of law enforcement in 2020.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Estimated number of arrests by offense and age group, 2020. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/ucr.asp?table_in=1. Released on July 08, 2022.

Data source: Arrest estimates for 1980-2014 developed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and disseminated through "Arrest Data Analysis Tool." Online. Available from the BJS website.

Arrest estimates for 2015-2020 were developed by the National Center for Juvenile Justice based on the FBI’s annual Master Arrest Files of 12-month reporting departments available from the Crime Data Explorer. Arrest estimates for 2015-2019 were revised in June 2022.