U.S. homicide rates have declined by nearly half, but young males still are the highest-risk group and Blacks are more likely to be murdered than are Whites, according to a federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report.
Homicide in the U.S. is at its lowest level since 1963, according to BJS findings based on the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data. It has dropped by 49 percent, from 9.3 homicides per 100,000 U.S. residents in 1992 to 4.7 in 2011.
Young Black males remain the highest-risk group. The average murder numbers for males was 3.6 times higher than for females and 6.3 times higher for Blacks than Whites. Young adults ages 18-24 years old have the highest homicide rate of any age group, despite a 22 percent decline in murders from 2002 to 2011, according to the report.
The peak homicide rate for Black males was nine times that of White males, the BJS reported.
SHR reported 6,830 Whites and 7,380 Blacks were murdered in 2011 at a rate of 2.8 for Whites and 17.3 for Blacks per 100,000 U.S. residents.
In 2011, the per-100,000 residents rate was 2.7 for ages 12-17; 11.9 for ages 18-24; 9.2 for ages 25-34; 5.2 for ages 35-49; 2.8 for ages 50-64 and 1.7 for those 65 or older. The median age for being murdered was 30. The homicide rate for Blacks age 60 or older is four times higher than Whites age 60 or older.
In 2011, firearms killed victims in 66 percent of the cases involving single victims and 79 percent of those with multiple victims.
The study dated December 2013 was conducted by Erica L. Smith and Alexia Cooper, Ph.D. and was titled Homicide in the U.S. Known to Law Enforcement, 2011.
SHR compiles homicide reports from local law enforcement that includes details such as victim and suspected offender demographic characteristics, the type of murder weapon and the number of victims.
The report did not separate Hispanics from non-Hispanic Whites.
–By Rahsaan Thomas
