United States of America

The United States regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. The United States publishes hate crime data annually.

The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics conducts a regular National Crime Victimization Survey, with data covering the period from 2005 to 2020. In 2020, the Department of Justice issued a comprehensive "Law Enforcement Roundtable Report on Hate Crimes", setting forth key recommendations and action steps to combat hate crime.

Following a 2021 review by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), hate crimes were included in the top-level category of priorities (Band 1 National Threat Priority), resulting in an increase in resources allocated to tackle hate crime. By collaborating with the national Hate Crime Coalition, the FBI consults closely with civil society organizations (CSOs), including to develop and update the FBI Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines and Training Manual. During an update of the Guidelines, the Department of Justice invited comments from the public and held two virtual consultations with CSOs.

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2021	Not available	Not available	Not available
2020	11,129	-	-
2019	8,559	-	-
2018	8,496	27	20
2017	8,437	Not available	Not available
2016	7,321	Not available	Not available
2015	6,885	Not available	Not available
2014	6385	Not available	Not available
2013	6933	22	Not available
2012	6718	Not available	Not available
2011	7254	Not available	Not available
2010	7699	Not available	Not available
2009	7789	Not available	Not available

About 2013 Data

US data reports by incidents, offenses, victims and ‘known’ offenders. FBI reports overall total using ‘offenses’ label, therefore, these are the figures included. Only offenses with one recorded bias are shown in the breakdown below. Prosecution data refers to prosecutions carried out under federal law by the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys Offices throughout the country. The vast majority of hate crimes in the United States are prosecuted at the state and local level, for which no figures are currently compiled. Figures refer to the fiscal year running from April 2013 to March 2014.

Download official data

National developments

Following a gun attack against a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the Community Relations Service (CRS) brought together representatives from 22 religious and interfaith organizations to discuss data collection relating to religion-based attacks on individuals and places of worship. Following this meeting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) data collection system was amended to include anti-Sikh, anti-Hindu and anti-Arab categories both in the coding sheets filled out by police following an attack and in the hate crime reports that the FBI produces each year. Reporting under the new categories will begin in January 2015. As part of this initiative, the Civil Rights Division will be conducting a series of five regional trainings on hate crime prosecutions and data collection in 2015.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that the United States has not reported information on sentenced hate crime cases to ODIHR.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Reports

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The Ephesus Initiative reported one case of racist graffiti.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported 31 physical assaults, including four carried out by groups; 315 cases of vandalism and damage to property, including a case where a man found the word “Jew” scratched on his car in large letters; numerous incidents of graffiti and the desecration of graves in Jewish cemeteries, including an incident where approximately 30 gravestones were knocked over.

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

The Ephesus Initiative reported the murder and dismemberment of two Coptic Christians, one plot to bomb 48 churches in Oklahoma, one attempted arson attack and 16 incidents of the desecration of places of worship.