| Violent Crime Victimization |
| Q: |
How many youth are victims of murder in the United States? |
| A: |
Between 1980 and 2020, an estimated 72,525 youth under age 18 were murdered in the United States – 1,777 in 2020. |
Youth homicide victims, 1980-2020
| Year |
Juvenile
offender
involved |
Adult
offender
only |
Offender
unknown |
| 1980 |
294 |
1,089 |
430 |
| 1981 |
321 |
1,082 |
286 |
| 1982 |
240 |
1,106 |
341 |
| 1983 |
274 |
947 |
315 |
| 1984 |
240 |
934 |
289 |
| 1985 |
261 |
1,013 |
299 |
| 1986 |
322 |
1,054 |
343 |
| 1987 |
309 |
1,026 |
378 |
| 1988 |
358 |
1,132 |
448 |
| 1989 |
444 |
1,198 |
513 |
| 1990 |
481 |
1,212 |
602 |
| 1991 |
522 |
1,360 |
693 |
| 1992 |
539 |
1,308 |
715 |
| 1993 |
620 |
1,388 |
833 |
| 1994 |
635 |
1,285 |
743 |
| 1995 |
533 |
1,363 |
726 |
| 1996 |
478 |
1,276 |
650 |
| 1997 |
370 |
1,112 |
576 |
| 1998 |
319 |
1,111 |
497 |
| 1999 |
267 |
1,068 |
462 |
| 2000 |
220 |
1,010 |
351 |
| 2001 |
208 |
1,035 |
396 |
| 2002 |
185 |
1,036 |
351 |
| 2003 |
203 |
981 |
359 |
| 2004 |
205 |
960 |
400 |
| 2005 |
230 |
1,020 |
384 |
| 2006 |
241 |
1,059 |
484 |
| 2007 |
262 |
1,064 |
475 |
| 2008 |
241 |
1,055 |
434 |
| 2009 |
213 |
946 |
367 |
| 2010 |
165 |
947 |
334 |
| 2011 |
148 |
906 |
326 |
| 2012 |
154 |
854 |
291 |
| 2013 |
145 |
821 |
255 |
| 2014 |
154 |
872 |
259 |
| 2015 |
170 |
827 |
307 |
| 2016 |
174 |
852 |
322 |
| 2017 |
169 |
854 |
357 |
| 2018 |
222 |
811 |
280 |
| 2019 |
200 |
813 |
353 |
| 2020 |
305 |
955 |
517 |
[ Graph version ]
[ CSV file ]
- Homicides of youth peaked in 1993 at about 2,840. The number of youth homicide victims in 2020 was 37% below the 1993 peak. Youth under age 18 represented about 8% of all murder victims in 2020.
- In 2020, 26% of youth homicide victims were female, 55% were Black, and 66% were killed with a firearm. Of the youth murder victims with known offenders in 2020, 43% were killed by family members, 44% by acquaintances, and 13% by strangers.
- Between 2011 and 2020, juvenile offenders participated in nearly 1 of every 5 (18%) homicides of youth in which the offenders were known to law enforcement. In nearly 3 of every 10 (29%) youth homicides in which known juvenile offenders participated, adult offenders were also involved.
- In 2019, 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: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02304.asp?qaDate=2020.
Released on December 09, 2021. Adapted from Puzzanchera, C., Chamberlin, G. and Kang, W. (2021). Easy Access to the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports. Available on-line at: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezashr/.
Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1980–2020 [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 June 2020 from www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars].
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