Hate Crime Statistics: The Rise of Crimes & Where Justice Needs to be Served

What we do know is that people commit violence based on prejudices related to people’s way of life or how they present themselves. The 2016 Orlando nightclub massacre was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. and was targeted towards the LGBTQ+ community. The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018 was fueled by ill motivations against Jews. This is interesting because Florida tends to have fewer acts against the people of the LGBTQ community. Likewise, there doesn’t tend to be a lot of religion-based data in Pennsylvania.

As the following hate crime statistics show, criminal justice, and victim privacy programs are severely lacking in this country. While the FBI tries to gather as much law data as possible, there are still holes left in the research. The next best thing is to identify which states and cities have the highest number of communicated incidents.

Hate Crime Statistics: Comparison Among Top 50 States

Here is an easy-to-read chart that compares the six key metrics within each of the 50 states. This makes it simpler to search for the primary issues that are the most prevalent in certain areas.

Hate Crime Statistics: Our Methodology

Our team scoured countless resources and did in-depth research to find information about laws surrounding hate and violence. After compiling all of the information, it was time to summarize the findings into an easy-to-read format. We identified six key metrics and scored them from 0 to 5. Then the average value is calculated, and the total estimations contributed to their position on this list. In addition to our research, we utilized outside sources, namely The Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Google Spreadsheet Hate Crimes Comparison [Full Report]

This Bureau receives victim data from local and federal police enforcement agencies through a national database program. Of course, the majority of incidences remain a mystery, so we also searched through data from local universities, police departments, and advocacy groups. This helped us see more hate crimes by a number of personal factors.

These incidents can be violent or non-violent, involving assault, property damage, vandalism, theft, murder, and more. Therefore, we had to carefully consider the number of incidents per bias motivation within each state and determine the proper definition of a hate crime.

1. Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry (REA)

A person’s skin color is the most common motivation for such offensive acts. Long-held prejudices and racist beliefs drive individuals (or groups) to terrorize those of a different racial or ethnic background. In the U.S., African Americans are the most likely victims of such assaults, making up just about half of all documented incidents.

2. Religion

Religious beliefs have long been a motivator for political movements, acts of violence, and abuse. It makes up nearly a fifth of all motivated hate crimes. Jews are most likely to experience such maliciousness, followed by Muslims. Religiously-charged incidents often manifest as attacks on groups rather than individuals.

3. Sexual Orientation

Attacks on members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to rise and are among the most frequently documented. Gay men are about four times as likely to be victims of such offenses as are lesbians. That said, incidents targeted at groups are quite common, as was the case in the Orlando nightclub shooting of 2016.

4. Disability

Although it’s a smaller percentage, the number of attacks on people with disabilities is nothing to turn a blind eye to. This statistic is indeed increasing each year. There were 116 single-bias incidents involving people with disabilities in 2017. That figure shot up 159 in 2018.

5. Gender

Violent acts that are motivated by woman/man-hating continue to plague the country. Issues surrounding rape and harassment and assault are the primary concerns in this category. Organizations such as the American Association of University Women was founded in 1881 and focused on equity among women and men as well as greater law enforcement to handle such violence at colleges.

6. Gender Identity

One of the most prevalent topics in society today is the number of harmful attacks on people who identify as trans or queer. This judgment-motivation category jumped from 119 in 2017 to 168 in 2018. If the 2021 figures are to be any better, a justice system overhaul is necessary.

Fortunately, the FBI hate crime statistics take all of these demographics and categories into consideration. Also, several of its findings are open to the public, including the hate crime incidents “Per Bias Motivation and Quarter” table. This compiles state, federal, and agency filings from 2018.

By gathering that data, we could combine those metric scores and reveal a more conclusive summary of violence across the board. After that, we summarized the results for each state and identified the top 10 offenders in the country. Alabama and Wyoming didn’t file any such incidents in 2018, so our list included the remaining 48 states. It’s worth noting that Alaska, Mississippi, and Montana each submitted fewer than 10 incidents. Also, each state has a varying number of legal enforcement agencies, ranging from one to several hundred.

Hate Crimes in America: 10 States With the Most Offenses

To find where most hate crimes take place, we compiled all of our findings into a definitive chart. It also reflected our overview of the Top 50 U.S. State Statistics, which was created on the grounds of FBI data. We calculated each metric based on the city population because that’s how the Federal Bureau of Investigations did it.

#1 California: Hundreds of Bias-Motivated Crimes Each Year

One of the largest states in the country, California, has a diverse blend of ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and LGBTQ identities. A quarter of its residents are of Mexican ancestry, and about a third of the nation’s Asian population lives there. The region has the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ adults, too. Unfortunately, this is also one of the states with the most hate crimes based on gays, lesbians, and racial minorities.

#2 Washington: How This Wealthy, Progressive State Stacks Up

This region is known as one of the most socially-progressive and justice-focused in the U.S. Unemployment tends to be on the lower end, and health outcomes are fairly good. The state was also one of the first to legalize same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana. Besides that, it’s one of the richest states in the nation. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s immune to criminal activity.

#3 Texas: Everything's Bigger Here, Even Violence?

Texas is the second-largest state in the country, both by area and population size. The city of Houston, TX, is the fourth-biggest in the nation, while Austin is the most-populous U.S. capital. Over 1.5 million immigrants live in this region, and a large portion of Texans claim to have Latino or Hispanic ethnic backgrounds. The saying is that everything is bigger in Texas, but that might also be true of the crime statistics.

#4 Massachusetts: The Least-Friendly Region of New England

Massachusetts is the only New England state on our list. More than 80% of its residents live in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, and the entire region is known for its better-than-average school and quality of life. The state is also one of the richest in the U.S. Even though it’s small, it is the third-most densely populated state, and about 15% of its citizens are foreign-born.

#5 Ohio: Losing Its Midwestern Charm?

Part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio is the seventh-most populous state in the U.S. Its resident size grew by 10% each decade from 1800 to 1970, and today it is home to over 11 million people. Over a quarter of its babies belong to minority groups, and 23% of the population is under the age of 18.

#6 New Jersey: A Reputation That Goes Beyond Bad Drivers

New Jersey is jokingly known for its aggressive (and sometimes clueless) drivers, but that’s not all people should be paying attention to. This Mid-Atlantic state is an interesting combination of prosperity and despair. It has some of the nation’s wealthiest residents as well as high-performing schools. On the other hand, over a quarter of the capital’s residents live below the poverty line, and that figure jumps to 40% in Camden.

#7 Michigan: Diversity in Ethnicities & Economic Development

Another state within the Great Lakes region, Michigan, has about 10 million residents, making it the tenth-most populous U.S. state. About 80% of Michiganders are white, according to the 2010 Census, although the city of Detroit has a predominantly black population. This is due to the Great Migration of the early 1900s. Nearly 8,000 Hmong people live in the state; this is an ethnic group from Southeast Asia.

#8 New York: Big Trouble in the Big Apple

New York has about 19.5 million people living in it, making it one of the most crowded states in the U.S. About two-thirds of those residents make their home in NYC. The region’s variety of landmarks and geography is almost as diverse as its citizens. This is a place with a robust blend of ethnic and religious groups, as well as different languages and lifestyles.

#9 Tennessee: Sparks of Violence in the Smoky Mountain State

Eight other states border landlocked Tennessee, and its capital city of Nashville is home to over a million people. It has a Confederate history, supplying more soldiers than most regions in the South. Considered part of the “Bible Belt,” it has a predominantly Christian population, half of which are evangelical Protestants. About three-quarters of its residents are white, and less than 10% are Hispanic.

#10 Arizona: Bad News in the Southwest

The Grand Canyon State is the only region in the southwestern U.S. that made it to our list of the worst 10 places to live. Arizona has a vast and varied climate, yet most people live in the Phoenix area, followed by Tucson. The growing population here is putting increased stress on the water supply, which could pose greater problems in the future. About 61% of babies are born to parents in minority groups.

Cities by Percentage Change in Hate Crimes (2017-2018)

2017 was a bad year for Phoenix, Arizona. The city experienced a 170% increase in prejudice-motivated criminal activity compared to 2013 figures. Its most prevalent issues centered around racial and ethnic discrimination. Seattle and Los Angeles saw spikes in racial conflicts as well as assaults based on religion and sexual orientation.

Between 2017 and 2018, some cities decreased their frequency of such assaults, while others saw a spike. For instance, Seattle’s acts of violence increased by 163% in that one year. There was also a rise in such offenses in Boston and Los Angeles. In 2017, Ohio had three high-ranking cities on the list, but the following year, Akron and Butler Township fell off the list.

Of course, it’s important to make the area’s population and relative size into account. For instance, 50% of Ohio is not going to be the same as 50% of California. Even so, both of those states experienced setbacks in terms of racial and ancestral conflicts and exploitation.

Hate Crime Laws by State

A good number of U.S. states are non-inclusive in their protection against discrimination, abuse, neglect, and assault. For instance, many southern states have regulations against racial prejudice and gender inequality, but there’s no federal regulation for the LGBTQ+ community. Only 14 states are fully inclusive, such as California, Washington, and New Jersey. Five states are not protected at all: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming. Check out the chart below to search for the regulations (or lack thereof) in each region.

Legal Enforcement Regulations Across the U.S.

FAQ Section

• What is a Hate Crime, Legally?

  According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, it is a committed criminal offense which is motivated by the offender’s prejudice against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity. These acts are also known as bias-motivated because they tend to stem from a long-held racist or homophobic belief. Often, the perpetrator classifies any person of a specific race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation as their victim. These assaults can include physical harm, vandalism, property damage, neglect, and verbal abuse.

• What is the Difference Between a Hate Crime & a Hate Incident?

  Police departments and federal agencies seem to have reached a consensus on what qualifies as a hate incident versus a criminal offense. The former can be anything that the victim believes to be spurred on by judgments and motivations based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, disability, or religion. On the other hand, the latter would be something that had those same motives but involved a recognized criminal offense, such as aggravated assault, harassment, murder, and burglary. This may explain the rise in hate crimes.

• What is the Punishment for Hate Speech

  As of 2021, there isn’t a national ruling that punishes hate speech. Time and time again, American courts have voted against such regulations, stating that it violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. That said, different kinds of speech remain unprotected in the First Amendment, including verbal declarations of violence towards a person or group of people. However, hate speech does not fall into any of those unprotected categories.

• Who Do You Report a Hate Crime to?

  Victims of such criminal offenses should try to write down as many details from the incident as possible. This will be a tremendous help when contacting the police and filing a report. The Federal Bureau of Investigations works with police departments and agencies throughout the country. Therefore, victims should be certain that the officer filed the offense and provided a copy of the document. The office can forward the case to the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice to determine if federal prosecution is necessary.

• Can You Go to Jail For a Hate Crime?

  Remember, it has to be a recognized criminal offense to be classified as a hate crime. In that case, the maximum penalty is usually 10 years in jail. However, the sentence could be longer depending on what kinds of offenses the perpetrator committed. For instance, if they murdered or kidnapped someone, that comes with a sentence that can be added on. Also, keep in mind that each state has distinct regulations, so certain actions may be protected while others aren’t.

• Is Hate Speech Protected?

  It is not regulated in the U.S. Typically, this kind of talk is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution and is merely seen as freedom of speech. Legal representatives continue to argue against this ruling to this day, so perhaps in 2021, there may be some changes, which may affect the hate crime statistics in the USA. As of right now, hate speech is not legally recognized by the country.

Is There No End in Sight?

The hope is that the hate crime statistics in 2021 will show decreases in judgment-motivated discrimination and abuse in later research. However, as turbulent as the political climate is right now, it can feel like we are far from resolving this problem. In the meantime, something that everyone can do is respect others and prevent such offenses by fostering strong, open-minded communities. It’s fine to be curious about differences, but these aren’t a reason to resort to violence.