Hate Crimes in America: A Deep Dive Into FBI Data

The Scale of Hate Crime in 2024

The FBI's Hate Crime Statistics program documented 11,679 criminal incidents motivated by bias in 2024. These incidents involved 13,683 separate offenses, 14,243 victims, and 10,096 known offenders. The vast majority — 11,323 incidents — involved a single bias motivation, while 356 were classified as multiple-bias incidents.

These numbers almost certainly represent an undercount. The FBI's data relies on voluntary reporting by law enforcement agencies, and only about 60% of the nation's roughly 18,000 agencies actively participate. Many agencies that do participate report zero hate crimes, which may reflect genuine absence but more likely indicates inadequate identification, training, or reporting infrastructure.

To understand the real scope, consider: the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey, which surveys victims directly, consistently estimates 250,000 or more hate crime victimizations per year — more than 20 times the FBI's reported figure. The gap between the two data sources highlights the massive underreporting challenge.

Bias Motivation Breakdown

Hate crimes are classified by the bias motivation behind the offense. The five major categories in FBI data are race/ethnicity/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Here is how 2024 incidents break down:

Race and ethnicity remain the dominant motivation for hate crimes, accounting for more than half of all incidents. Religious bias is the second-largest category at nearly 24%, followed by sexual orientation at 16.7%. Gender identity bias, while a smaller share, has been growing as a category in recent years amid heightened political focus on transgender issues.

Race-Based Hate Crimes: Anti-Black Leads All Categories

Within the race/ethnicity category, anti-Black or African American bias is by far the most prevalent, with 3,004 incidents — representing 25.7% of all hate crimes and 51.2% of all race-based hate crimes. This reflects a pattern that has been consistent for decades in FBI data: Black Americans are the most targeted racial group.

Anti-Black hate crimes outnumber the next two racial categories combined (anti-White at 815 and anti-Hispanic at 797). When adjusted for population, the disparity is even starker: Black Americans are roughly 13.7% of the population but account for over half of race-motivated hate crime victims. For deeper analysis on racial dimensions, see our crime by race breakdown and racial disparities analysis.

Anti-Asian hate crimes remain elevated at 379 incidents. While down from the peak during the COVID-19 pandemic when anti-Asian violence surged dramatically, the numbers remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels. Anti-Arab incidents (137) also remain a persistent concern, particularly in the context of Middle East geopolitical tensions.

Religious Bias: Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Dominate

Religious bias motivated 2,783 hate crime incidents in 2024 — the second-largest category overall. The distribution within this category is striking:

Anti-Jewish hate crimes constitute a staggering 69.6% of all religion-motivated incidents — 1,938 incidents in 2024. Jewish Americans represent roughly 2.4% of the US population but are the target of nearly 17% of all hate crimes. This makes anti-Jewish bias the second most common specific motivation after anti-Black bias.

The 2024 figures reflect a significant increase in anti-Jewish incidents compared to historical averages, likely influenced by the Israel-Hamas conflict that began in October 2023 and the resulting surge in antisemitic rhetoric and violence both online and offline. Anti-Islamic incidents (228) also remain a serious concern.

Anti-Sikh hate crimes (142) are notably elevated, partly due to misidentification — Sikh Americans wearing turbans are sometimes targeted by perpetrators who mistake them for Muslims. This phenomenon has been documented since the post-9/11 era.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Sexual orientation bias motivated 1,950 hate crime incidents in 2024, while gender identity bias accounted for 463. Together, LGBTQ+ individuals face 2,413 bias-motivated incidents — approximately 20.7% of all hate crimes.

Within sexual orientation categories, anti-gay (male) bias is the largest subcategory with 1,010 incidents, followed by anti-LGBTQ mixed group (728 incidents), and anti-lesbian (152 incidents). Anti-transgender incidents totaled 335, with an additional 128 anti-gender non-conforming incidents.

LGBTQ+ hate crimes are particularly concerning because they are more likely to involve violence. Research consistently shows that hate crimes targeting sexual orientation and gender identity involve physical assault at higher rates than those motivated by racial or religious bias, which more often involve property crimes like vandalism.

The Big Three: Anti-Black vs. Anti-Jewish vs. Anti-LGBTQ+

The three largest targeted groups in FBI hate crime data tell very different stories about bias in America:

Per capita, Jewish Americans face the highest rate of hate crime victimization — nearly 7 times their population share. Black Americans face the highest absolute number of incidents. LGBTQ+ individuals collectively face more than 2,400 incidents, with transgender people facing particularly elevated per-capita risk.

State-by-State Variation

Hate crime reporting varies dramatically by state, driven by differences in reporting practices, state hate crime laws, agency participation, and population:

California leads the nation with 2,365 reported incidents — more than the next two states combined. However, California also has excellent reporting infrastructure and a large population. New Jersey (1,325) and New York (1,048) round out the top three.

At the other extreme, Mississippi reported just 9 incidents, and Montana reported 13. These low numbers almost certainly reflect underreporting rather than an absence of bias-motivated crime. States with weaker hate crime laws or less robust reporting mandates consistently show lower numbers regardless of their actual hate crime prevalence.

The disparity between states highlights a fundamental challenge: hate crime data is only as good as the agencies collecting it. When the FBI transitioned to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), many agencies fell behind in reporting, creating temporary gaps. Advocacy organizations estimate that full reporting would likely show 30-50% more incidents than currently captured.

Who Commits Hate Crimes?

The FBI identified 10,096 known offenders in 2024 hate crime incidents. The demographic breakdown reveals important patterns:

• Race: 52.3% of known offenders were White (5,281), 20.8% were Black (2,103), 6.3% were multiple races group (635), and 17.8% were unknown race (1,797).
• Age: Of 8,385 offenders with age data, 78.7% were adults (6,601) and 21.3% were juveniles (1,784). The high juvenile share is concerning and may reflect both school-based incidents and online radicalization.
• Ethnicity: Among those with ethnicity data, Hispanic or Latino offenders accounted for 788 known offenders.

The overrepresentation of White offenders relative to the general population tracks with research showing that racial and religious hate crimes are disproportionately committed by White perpetrators, while anti-White and anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes have more diverse offender pools. For more on arrest demographics, see our dedicated page.

Historical Trends and Context

Hate crime reporting has gone through several phases since the FBI began collecting data under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990:

• 1990s–2000s: Initial reporting was sporadic. Annual totals fluctuated between 6,000 and 10,000 incidents as more agencies participated.
• Post-9/11 (2001): Anti-Islamic hate crimes surged 1,600% in the immediate aftermath. While they declined from the initial spike, they never returned to pre-9/11 levels.
• 2015–2019: A general upward trend coincided with heightened political polarization. The FBI recorded 7,175 incidents in 2017, rising to 8,559 in 2019.
• 2020–2021: Anti-Asian hate crimes surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall hate crime reporting was disrupted by the NIBRS transition.
• 2022–2024: With improved NIBRS adoption, reported numbers jumped significantly. The 2024 figure of 11,679 reflects both genuine trends and expanded reporting capacity.

It is important to note that changes in reported hate crimes reflect a combination of actual changes in bias-motivated behavior, changes in victim willingness to report, changes in law enforcement training and identification, and changes in reporting infrastructure. Separating these factors is extremely difficult.

The Reporting Challenge

The single biggest problem with hate crime data is underreporting. Multiple layers of undercount exist:

1. Victim non-reporting: Many hate crime victims never contact law enforcement. LGBTQ+ individuals, undocumented immigrants, and communities with strained police relations are especially unlikely to report. BJS surveys suggest only about 40-50% of hate crime victims report to police.
2. Misclassification: Even when victims report, responding officers may not recognize or document the bias motivation. Hate crime identification requires specific training that many officers lack.
3. Agency non-participation: Roughly 40% of law enforcement agencies either don't participate in hate crime reporting or report zero incidents. Major cities like some in Florida have historically underreported.
4. Definitional issues: Not all bias-motivated behavior meets the legal threshold. Online harassment, discriminatory incidents that don't involve criminal conduct, and microaggressions are not captured.

Several states have enacted mandatory hate crime reporting laws to address these gaps. California, Massachusetts, and Washington — all states with high reported numbers — have among the strongest reporting mandates. Conversely, states without such mandates tend to show suspiciously low numbers.

Policy Implications

The data points to several policy priorities:

• Improve reporting infrastructure. Federal funding for NIBRS adoption and hate crime reporting training would close data gaps. The 2021 COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was a step in this direction but more is needed.
• Strengthen state hate crime laws. As of 2024, Wyoming and South Carolina still lack hate crime statutes. Comprehensive state laws improve both deterrence and data collection.
• Address anti-Black and anti-Jewish bias. The two largest specific categories require targeted prevention strategies — community-based violence intervention for race-based crimes and enhanced security and educational programs for religious institutions.
• Protect LGBTQ+ communities. With over 2,400 incidents and disproportionately violent offenses, LGBTQ+ protections including federal civil rights coverage and school safety measures are critical.
• Combat online radicalization. The 21.3% juvenile offender rate suggests that young people are being radicalized. Media literacy, counter-extremism programs, and platform accountability are needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hate crimes happen in the US each year?

The FBI recorded 11,679 hate crime incidents in 2024. However, due to massive underreporting, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates the true number may be 250,000+ victimizations per year — more than 20 times the FBI count.

What is the most common type of hate crime?

Race-based hate crimes are the most common category (50.2% of incidents). Within that category, anti-Black hate crimes are the single largest motivation with 3,004 incidents in 2024. Anti-Jewish bias is the second most common specific motivation with 1,938 incidents.

Which state has the most hate crimes?

California reported the most hate crime incidents in 2024 (2,365), followed by New Jersey (1,325) and New York (1,048). However, high numbers partly reflect better reporting infrastructure. States with low reported numbers often have weaker reporting mandates.

Are hate crimes increasing?

Reported hate crimes have increased significantly in recent years, from around 8,500 in 2019 to 11,679 in 2024. However, much of this increase reflects improved reporting through NIBRS adoption rather than purely an increase in bias-motivated behavior. Both factors likely contribute.