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National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Series

Investigator(s): Bureau of Justice Statistics

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) series was designed to achieve three primary objectives: to develop detailed information about the victims and consequences of crime, to estimate the number and types of crimes not reported to police, and to provide uniform measures of selected types of crime.

All persons in the United States 12 years of age and older were interviewed in each household sampled. Each respondent was asked a series of screen questions to determine if he or she was victimized during the six-month period preceding the first day of the month of the interview. Screen questions cover the following types of crimes, including attempts: rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

The data include type of crime; severity of the crime; injuries or losses; time and place of occurrence; medical expenses incurred; number, age, race, and sex of offender(s); and relationship of offender(s) to the victim (stranger, casual acquaintance, relative, etc.). Demographic information on household members includes age, sex, race, education, employment, median family income, marital status, and military history. A stratified multistage cluster sample technique was employed, with the person-level files consisting of a full sample of victims and a 10 percent sample of nonvictims for up to four incidents.

The NCVS data are organized by collection quarter, and six quarters comprise an annual file. For example, for a 1979 file, the four quarters of 1979 are included as well as the first two quarters of 1980.

NACJD has prepared a resource guide on NCVS.

Years Produced: Updated annually

Online Analysis

Data in the Series

View all data in the series (~63)

Related Publications

Most Recent Publications

2016
Barker, Christina N. Policing Postsecondary Education: University Police Legitimacy and Fear of Crime on Campus. Thesis, East Tennessee State University.
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2016
Bender, Annah K. Ethics, methods, and measures in intimate partner violence research: The current state of the field. Violence Against Women.
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2016
Cecen-Celik, Hatice,  Keith, Shelley . Analyzing predictors of bullying victimization with routine activity and social bond perspectives. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
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2016
Clay-Warner, Jody,  Bunch, Jackson M.,  McMahon-Howard, Jennifer . Differential vulnerability: Disentangling the effects of state dependence and population heterogeneity on repeat victimization. Criminal Justice and Behavior. 43, (10), 1406-1429.
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2016
Delden, Jayn von . Sex, gender, sexuality, and victimology. Sex, Sexuality, Law, and (In)justice. New York, NY: Routledge.
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2016
Eggers, Amy S. Delving into the Heart of Victimization Risk: Examining the Interactive Relationship between Demographic Factors and Context. Thesis, University of South Florida.
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2016
Fetzer, Matthew D.,  Pezzella, Frank S. The nature of bias crime injuries: A comparative analysis of physical and psychological victimization effects. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
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2016
Fisher, Benjamin W.,  Tanner-Smith, Emily E. Examining school security measures as moderators of the association between homophobic victimization and school avoidance. Journal of School Violence. 15, (2), 234-257.
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2016
Gadson, Lorenzo . Examining Citizen?s Perception of Police Contact. Thesis, North Carolina Central University.
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2016
Gardella, Joseph H.,  Tanner-Smith, Emily E.,  Fisher, Benjamin W. Academic consequences of multiple victimization and the role of school security measures. American Journal of Community Psychology.
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