BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

clear image
Home  |  About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Help  |  A-Z Topic List
 
 
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
clear image
Home | Victims | Victim characteristics
Victim characteristics
On This Page
About this Topic

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) provides information on characteristics of victims, including age, race or Hispanic origin, sex, marital status, and household income. For violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) the characteristics are based on the victim who experienced the crime. For property crimes (burglary/trespassing, motor-vehicle theft, and other types of theft) the characteristics are based on the household respondent who provided information about these crimes for the household. Property crimes are defined as affecting the entire household.

Back to Top
Data Collections & Surveys

Back to Top
Publications & Products


Violent Victimization by Race or Ethnicity, 2005-2019 This report provides official estimates of criminal victimizations from BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey. It provides the rate and number of violent victimizations from 2005 to 2019 by victim race or ethnicity.
  Full report (PDF 310K) | Data tables (Zip format 5K)

Criminal Victimization, 2019 This report is the 47th in a series that began in 1973. It provides official estimates of criminal victimizations reported and not reported to police from BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey.
  Press Release (30K) | Summary (PDF 197K) | Full report (PDF 1.4K) | Data tables (Zip format 78K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization Series

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2019 This report is the 22nd in a series of annual publications produced jointly by BJS and the National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, in the Department of Education.
  Full report (PDF 6M) | Tables (available at NCES) (Other)
Part of the Indicators of School Crime and Safety Series

Criminal Victimization, 2018 This report is the 46th in a series that began in 1973. It provides official estimates of criminal victimizations reported and not reported to police from BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey.
  Press Release (199K) | Summary (PDF 480K) | Full report (PDF 730K) | Data tables (Zip format 49K) | Supplemental Tables (PDF 100K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization Series

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2018 This annual report, produced jointly by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, presents data on school crime and safety from national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and postsecondary institutions.
  Full report (PDF 4.9M)
Part of the Indicators of School Crime and Safety Series

Criminal Victimization, 2017 Provides 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey data on violent and property crime victimizations reported and not reported to police and the annual change in criminal victimization from 2016.
  Press Release (198K) | Summary (PDF 193K) | Full report (PDF 620K) | Data tables (Zip format 39K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization Series

Criminal Victimization, 2016: Revised Provides revised official estimates, which replace previously released 2016 estimates that did not permit year-to-year-comparisons.
  Press Release (297K) | Summary (PDF 208K) | Full Report (PDF 478K) | Data Tables (Zip format 28K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization Series

Race and Hispanic Origin of Victims and Offenders, 2012-15 Presents estimates of violent victimization (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) by the race and Hispanic origin of victims and offenders during the 4-year period from 2012 through 2015.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 190K) | Full report (PDF 557K) | ASCII file (39K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 25K)

Repeat Violent Victimization, 2005-14 Presents national data on the prevalence of repeat violent victimization and the characteristics of repeat violence.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 182K) | Full report (PDF 556K) | ASCII file (26K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 29K)
Part of the Criminal Victimization: National Crime Victimization Survey Series

Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-2015 - Statistical Tables Presents estimates of nonfatal violent crime (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) against persons age 12 or older with disabilities.
  Summary (PDF 197K) | Full report (PDF 1M) | ASCII file (27K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 46K)
Part of the Crime Against People with Disabilities Series

Back to Top
Terms & Definitions

Age category The appropriate age category is determined by the respondent's age on the last day of the month preceding the interview.
 
Annual household income The total household income for the 12 months preceding the interview. Includes wages, salaries, net income from businesses or farms, pensions, interest, dividends, rent, and any other source of monetary income of the head of household and all household members.
 
Ethnicity A classification based on Hispanic culture and origin, regardless of race. Persons are asked directly if they are Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino before being asked about their racial category.
 
Hispanic A person who describes himself or herself as Mexican American, Chicano, Mexican, Mexicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American, South American, or from some other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
 
Marital status Every person is assigned to one of the following classifications: (1) married, which includes persons in common-law unions and those who are currently living apart for reasons other than marital discord (e.g., employment or military service); (2) separated or divorced, which includes married persons who are legally separated and those who are not living together because of marital discord; (3) widowed; and (4) never married, which includes persons whose marriages have been annulled and those who are living together and not in a common-law union.
 
Back to Top
Related Links

Back to Top