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2026 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide

Where To Find Statistics

Millions of Americans are the victims of a crime each year. Statistics can be meaningful for your outreach, but it’s important to verify information before sharing it with your community. Be sure to get crime victimization statistics from reputable sources.

Here are a few sources for statistics about criminal victimization in the United States:

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Office for Victims of Crime

Many national hotlines also provide data about the contacts they receive. There may also be state- or municipal-level data available in your area. You may contact the records staff of your local law enforcement agency, statewide law enforcement agency or court system for accurate information about crime reports, arrests and criminal or civil justice court cases in your area. State Statistical Analysis Centers are another good source for data. Access a list of relevant contacts.

Always be sure to cite the original source for the data you quote, rather than a secondary source (like a newspaper or magazine article), and provide links where people in your community can find more information. Data can be used to bolster any public-facing content that you are producing or in which you are participating. For example, if you are:

  • asked to participate in an interview, you can prepare by researching beforehand to ensure that any information you provide is factual.
  • writing a blog, opinion piece or news article, you can use these sources to ensure accuracy.
  • creating memos, fliers or handouts with information about crime victimization or survivor resources, use these sources to check your facts.
  • asked to speak at a public event, you can research statistics beforehand.
  • making social media posts or videos, you can use these sources to ensure that the information you are sharing is up to date and accurate.
Date Created: April 2, 2026