2017 NCVS Mail Materials Project

Comparing Crime Data

Reporting Crimes to the Police

A Word About Confidentiality

Other Publications

• By comparing the NCVS data over time, criminal
justice planners can determine whether or not
there are any meaningful changes in criminal
victimization patterns for certain types of crime.

• The NCVS was intended to complement the
Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform
Crime Reports – an annual compilation of the
information reported to police. The NCVS,
which also counts incidents not reported to
the police, provides a detailed picture of crime
incidents, victims, and trends from the victim’s
perspective.

• We use the information you provide for statistical
purposes only. Anyone who might see your
answers has to take an oath and is subject to
a fine and/or imprisonment for improperly
disclosing any information you provide (U.S.
Code, Title 13, Section 9 and 214).

• This factsheet contains only a few of the highlights
of the NCVS findings. The BJS publishes other
reports periodically to meet the needs of the many
interested people in law enforcement, government,
and the private sector who analyze the crime
problem and plan programs for combating it. By
participating in the NCVS, you are contributing to
the knowledge needed to plan effective programs
to combat crime.

• In 2013, the personal crime rate was 23.7
victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or
older, which is not statistically different from
20.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or
older in 2014 (see Figure 4).
• The overall property crime rate decreased from
131.4 victimizations per 1,000 households
in 2013 to 118.1 victimizations per 1,000
households in 2014.

• In 2014, 52.5 percent of personal crimes were
not reported to the police. Also in 2014, the
majority of property crimes, 61.7 percent, were
not reported to the police (see Figure 5).

Figure 5.

Figure 4.
Comparison of Crime from 2013 to 2014

Reporting Crimes to the Police in 2014
(In percent)

Personal Crimes
Not Reported 52.5

2003
2013

131.4

2014

118.1

Reported 45.9
Not Available 1.6

Reporting Crimes to the Police in 2014
23.7

(In percent)

20.5

Property Crimes
Not reported 61.7

Personal crimes
(Rate per 1,000 persons
age 12 or older)

Property crimes
(Rate per 1,000
households)

Note: For personal crimes, the rates are not statistically different
from each other.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2013–2014.

Reported 37.0
Not Available 1.3
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2014.

• The charts and graphs shown in this factsheet
were created from a compilation of data provided
by respondents like you and are examples of how
the data are used to provide information on many
topics related to crime and victimization. Your
name and address are NOT part of the statistical
totals released to the public.
• It is illegal for us to provide anyone, including
other government agencies, with information
about you as an individual.

Source and Accuracy
• Data presented in this factsheet are based on
people and households that responded to the
NCVS in 2013 and 2014. The resulting estimates
are representative of the entire population.
However, the data are subject to error arising
from sampling and nonsampling error. All
comparisons presented in this factsheet have
taken sampling error into account, and are
significant at the 90 percent confidence level,
unless otherwise stated. For information on
sampling error, nonsampling error, and survey
methology, please see the “National Crime
Victimization Survey: Technical Documentation”
.

2014

National Crime
Victimization Survey
Factsheet—2014 Data

• The BJS publishes a wide variety of special reports
on topics such as Black and Hispanic victims,
elderly victims, robbery victims, rape, motor
vehicle theft, and so forth. You may obtain the
most recent copies of these and other reports
based on the NCVS data by writing to or visiting
the BJS Web site at:
National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (NCJRS)
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
http://bjs.gov

Useful Information
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
www.thehotline.org/
National Center for Victims of Crime
1-202-467-8700
http://victimsofcrime.org/
Child Help®
National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD
www.childhelp.org/
Eldercare Locator
1-800-677-1116
www.eldercare.gov/
Victim Connect
1-855-4-VICTIM

Issued January 2016
NCVS-110 (01-16)

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

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What is the National Crime
Victimization Survey?
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a
nationwide survey based on a sample of households.
The survey is designed to obtain detailed information
about people victimized by certain types of crime,
such as theft, burglary, motor vehicle theft, robbery,
assault, rape, and purse snatching/pocket picking.

The NCVS:
• Reflects crimes that victims do not report to the
police, as well as those that are reported.
• Is the primary source of detailed information on
the characteristics of both the victim and the
crime and gives a more complete picture of the
extent and nature of crime in the United States.

Uses of the NCVS data:
• The NCVS provides information used by law
enforcement, judicial, and correctional agencies to
improve their effectiveness and planning.
• The U.S. Department of Education measures the
prevalence and nature of student victimizations
at school.
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development measures crime in public housing.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture measures how
crime affects farmers.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
identifies occupations and workplaces at high
risk for violence so that effective preventative
measures are developed.
• Academics and researchers in educational
institutions use the NCVS data to prepare reports
and scholarly publications, which are used in a
number of academic disciplines, including sociology,
criminology, psychology, and political science.

Who conducts this survey?
• The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the NCVS for
the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
• The Census Bureau collects and processes the
information and aids the BJS in the analysis of
the data.
• The BJS is responsible for the publication of the
results.

How is the information collected?

What are the Results from the NCVS?

Personal Crimes

Property Crimes

• The NCVS involves interviews of households
scientifically sampled in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia.

• The BJS releases the summary results of the
NCVS on an annual basis, as well as special
topical reports on a periodic basis.

Sex of victim:

• We classify property crimes reported to
the NCVS into three major types: burglary,
motor vehicle theft, and theft (includes both
attempted and completed crimes).

• Sample survey methods permit the study of
small numbers of people to obtain needed facts
about the entire population of the country. These
methods greatly reduce the cost of collecting
information.
• Interviews are conducted by Census Bureau
interviewers either in person or by telephone.

How was I selected for this survey?
• We scientifically select a cross-section of
addresses, not you personally, to represent all
households in the United States for this survey.
• Generally, we interview each selected address
once every 6 months over a 3-year period for a
total of 7 interviews.
• If you move away while your dwelling is still in the
survey, we will interview the family that moves in.

Your participation is important.
• Participation in this survey is voluntary and
there are no penalties for refusing to answer any
questions. However, whether you were victimized
or not, your cooperation is extremely important
to help ensure the completeness and reliability
of the survey results. Your answers not only
represent your household, but also hundreds of
other similar households.

What Information Do You Get from
This Survey?
• Types and amount of crimes committed.

• Results for 2014, the most recent year in which
annual estimates are available, showed that
assaults were the single most prevalent type of
personal crime committed against persons age
12 or older. They comprised 80.7 percent of all
personal victimizations in 2014 (see Figure 1).
• Assaults are defined as unlawful physical attacks
or threats of attack made directly toward a
person face-to-face. They are classified as
simple or aggravated, with the severity of attack
ranging from simple or minor to nearly fatal.
• The remainder of the personal crimes include
robbery, rape/sexual assault, and purse
snatching/pocket picking. These crimes
collectively account for the remaining 19.3
percent of personal victimizations in 2014.
• As illustrated in Figure 1, the most prevalent
type of property crime reported for 2014 was
theft. Thefts--such as lawn furniture stolen
from a backyard or a bicycle stolen from the
driveway--accounted for 76.9 percent of all
property crimes. Other property crimes included
burglary (19.6 percent) and motor vehicle theft
(3.5 percent).

Age of victim:
• A person’s age affects their likelihood of
becoming a victim of crime. In 2014, NCVS
findings show that people age 65 or older are
least likely to be victimized (see Figure 2).
People age 65 or older had 3.4 victimizations
per 1,000 persons.

Figure 2.
2014 Personal Crimes: Age of Victim
(Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older)
31.0
27.1

Figure 1.

18.2

Figure 3.
3.4

18–24

25–34

35–49

50–64

65+

Age of victim
Note: Not all groups are statistically different from each other.

2014 Personal Crimes
(Percent of total victimizations)

Assault 80.7
Robbery 12.2
Rape/sexual assault 5.2
Purse snatching/
pocket picking 1.9

• Offender characteristics.

29.0

• Burglary consists of the actual or attempted
unlawful entry of a house, apartment, or
other residential structure, such as a
homeowner’s garage.
• Motor vehicle theft includes theft and
attempted theft of cars, trucks, motorcycles,
and other vehicles legally entitled to use the
public roads and highways.
• Theft occurs when an offender takes or
attempts to take cash or property without
personal contact. Incidents involving theft of
property from within the sample household
would classify as a theft if the offender has a
legal right to be in the house, otherwise the
incident would classify as a burglary.
• As illustrated in Figure 3, renters had higher
rates of victimization in 2014 than
homeowners for each of the three major
types of property crimes.

21.9

12–17

• Characteristics of victims.
• Details of crimes, including:
• When and where crimes occur.
• Economic loss to the victim.
• Extent of injuries suffered by the victim.
• Whether the victim knew the offender
or whether they were strangers.
• Whether the offender used a weapon.
• Whether the police were notified.

• In 2014, for personal crimes, males age 12 or
older experienced 21.4 victimizations per 1,000
persons, which is not statistically different from
females age 12 or older who experienced 19.6
victimizations per 1,000 persons.

2014 Property Crimes:
Owners vs. Renters
(Rate per 1,000 households)

116.9
Owners
Renters
75.8

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2014.

31.9
18.1
2.8
Burglary

2014 Property Crimes
(Percent of total victimizations)

6.5

Motor vehicle
theft

Theft

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2014.

Theft 76.9
Burglary 19.6
Motor vehicle theft 3.5

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2014.

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