Schools and college campuses are where 10% of all reported hate crimes occurred in 2022, according to a new FBI report.
Hate Crime Statistics 2022
This report provides an overview of hate crime statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2022. The data is based on information collected from law enforcement agencies across the United States through the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
Key Findings
- The FBI received 7,264 hate crime reports in 2022, a decrease of 5% from the 7,614 reports received in 2021.
- The majority of hate crimes were motivated by race/ethnicity/ancestry (49.9%), followed by religion (24.1%), sexual orientation (18.2%), and gender identity (4.7%).
- The most common type of hate crime was intimidation (35.9%), followed by assault (27.2%), and vandalism/property damage (17.7%).
- The majority of hate crimes were committed in urban areas (64.6%), followed by suburban areas (24.4%) and rural areas (11.0%).
- The largest number of hate crimes was reported in California (1,380), followed by New York (622), and Texas (545).
- Hate crimes were more likely to be committed against African Americans (38.4%), followed by Jews (14.5%), and Latinos/Hispanics (12.4%).
- The majority of hate crimes were committed by white males (52.2%).
Analysis
The data suggests that hate crimes remain a persistent problem in the United States. While the overall number of hate crimes reported to the FBI decreased in 2022, the number of hate crimes motivated by race/ethnicity/ancestry and religion increased. This increase is concerning and highlights the need for continued efforts to address hate crimes and promote tolerance and understanding. The FBI is committed to working with law enforcement agencies and community partners to combat hate crimes. The agency is also working to improve its hate crime reporting system to ensure that all hate crimes are accurately reported and investigated.
Hate crime statistics released by the FBI last year showed that reported incidents in 2022 rose to 11,634 incidents, the highest number recorded since the FBI started tracking data in 1991, marking a 0.5% increase compared with 2021.
Additional Key Points
- More than 30% of all juvenile victims were targeted at school. Hate crimes that occurred at schools most frequently occurred at elementary and secondary schools, the report found, and were most commonly motivated by anti-Black hate.
- A senior FBI official said the goal of the new report was intended to draw the attention of school officials and local law enforcement to hate crime data and the number of incidents that occur in schools. The report is made available to allow local communities and officials to take action.
- The FBI’s publication did not include 2023 data, a year that saw increased tensions on college campuses after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel killing 1,200 and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory bombardment of the Gaza Strip that is still ongoing with the Palestinian death toll nearing 30,000.
- FBI officials said a separate analysis of data would be needed to address 2023 data.
