Criminal activity in the United States can be separated into three general categories: violent (involving other people; offender is considered a nuisance to society), property (victims are not physically harmed), and white-collar (usually committed in a business setting). Although statistical information does not predict future behavior of any one person, it can give a general picture of past trends in the U.S. and a specific area you may be interested in. Statistics by gender can include details regarding the victim and offender, as well as any existing relationship between the two. This information is gathered on a local and national level at least annually, and can be accessed through two major federal agencies: the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
White-Collar Crime Statistics
When considering the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data for white-collar crime, statistics are divided among the following types of offense:
- Property Crime
- Embezzlement
- Counterfeiting
- Bribery
- Fraud
Among these, 74.8 percent of property crimes were committed by male offenders, and 48.3 percent of embezzlements, 58.8 percent of counterfeiting, 80.4 percent of bribery and 64.1 percent of fraud cases were committed by males. Following is a chart displaying these relationships:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics publishes an annual National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which provides details regarding both reported and unreported crimes in the U.S. The 2008 NCVS states that of the 3,652,340 single-offender violent crimes in its survey, 77.6 percent of the offenders were male. Further details provided show that 78.1 percent of rape/sexual assault events were committed by males, and 85.8 percent of robberies and 76.8 percent of assault cases were committed by male offenders. This information suggests that single-offender crimes are more likely to be committed by a male offender. However, no reliable data is available for gender of offenders who commit property crimes.
The FBI’s UCR information from 2009 states that of the total of 15,760 murders reported by law enforcement agencies, 10,391 of these offenders were male, 1,197 were female and 4,172 were unknown. Again, the majority of this type of violent crime is committed by males. The UCR goes on to report that of the total of 13,636 murder victims, 10,496 were male, 3,122 were female and 18 were unknown.
Relationship and Circumstance
Perhaps most disturbing is the information regarding the relationship between victims and the murderer. According to the FBI UCR data, the majority of murders committed in 2009 and reported by law enforcement agencies were between acquaintances, strangers or two parties with an unknown relationship, and the circumstance under which the murder occurred was most often an argument of unknown origin.
The total of murder victims reported was 13,636, with 2,941 of these being an acquaintance of the offender, 1,676 a stranger and 5,986 with an unknown relationship. Furthermore, unknown reasons for the murder total 4,832, other arguments are 3,334 and other-not specified are 1,961.
