Assault Rates Across The Nation

New findings about violent victimization in the United States came to light in a recent study conducted by High Rise Financial. While violent crimes as a whole have decreased in number by 3% between 2022 and 2023, 2023 still saw an estimated 6,367,500 incidents of violent victimization. 

That number suggests that violent victimizations occurred at a rate of 22.5 per 1,000 persons. However, that number strictly accounts for the number of instances reported. Unfortunately, the fear that comes with violent victimization leads many survivors to avoid reporting their suffering.

High Rise Financial hopes that by sharing the details of its findings, it can increase public awareness about the decreasing but persistent impact violent victimization has on United States residents. The team believes that increased awareness will make it easier for people to protect themselves from further harm.

Breaking Down Different Types of Assault

The term “violent victimization” describes an array of crimes committed against individual parties. The four most common crimes to fall under the violent victimization umbrella include homicide, rape, robbery, and assault.

High Rise Financial’s study specifically focused on instances of assault, which, in turn, break down into the following categories:

• Simple Assault: This is the most common form of assault. Simple assault sees one person intentionally, recklessly, and/or knowingly cause someone else harm, either with or without a weapon. This category can also encompass physical intimidation. Most states classify simple assault as a second-degree misdemeanor, but parties accused of simple assault may face varying charges based on their criminal history. 
• Aggravated Assault: An aggravated assault can see one person cause serious bodily harm to another, with or without a weapon. It’s the “serious” that distinguishes simple assault from aggravated assault. Additionally, studies found that aggravated assault crimes typically take place at the victims' residences or on a highway/roadway. Parties accused of aggravated assault will often face felony charges if convicted.
• Sexual Assault: Instances of sexual assault see someone sexually harass, grope, attempt to rape, engage in quid pro quo, or touch a non-consenting party with sexual intent. Sexual assault is not the same thing as rape, though there can be overlap between the two categories of crime. This category also covers attempts to engage in sexual behavior with someone who has not consented to the process.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, simple assaults made up 18% of all crimes committed in the United States, occurring at a rate of 13.8 cases per 1,000 people above the age of 12. This means that 3.9 million of all reported cases tackled simple assault. 

Aggravated assaults made up 4.5 cases per 1,000, resulting in 1.27 million cases throughout the year. Sexual assault cases made up 1.7 in every 1,000 cases, making up 481,000 of the United States’ total reported crimes.

Which States Have the Highest Number of Violent Crimes?

Several states see more reports of assault of all kinds than their neighbors. According to The Council of State Governments Justice Center, the states processing the most assault cases include:

• California –198,036 cases reported in 2023
• Texas – 123,856 cases reported in 2023
• New York – 76,298 cases reported in 2023
• Florida – 65,621 cases reported in 2023
• Michigan – 45,888 cases reported in 2023

Comparatively, the states that saw the fewest reports of assault include:

• Rhode Island – 1,839 cases reported in 2023
• New Hampshire – 1,503 cases reported in 2023
• Maine – 1,430 cases reported in 2023
• Vermont – 1,362 cases reported in 2023
• Wyoming – 1,116 cases reported in 2023

Again, the numbers reported by each of these states may not reflect the true number of violent victimizations that take place on an annual basis. If a victim of assault doesn’t feel safe reporting an offender to the police, their case will go unrecorded.

Who Faces the Highest Risk for Assault?

The report conducted by High Rise Financial revealed that certain demographics are more likely to become victims of assault than others. In 2023, 2.8 million men ages 12 and older reported that they were victims of violent crimes. 3.5 million women reported instances of assault, as well.

People between the ages of 18 and 24 tended to see the greatest numbers of violent victimization. Data revealed that 43.9 cases out of 1,000 reported involved someone within this age demographic. People between the ages of 25 and 34 saw the second-highest number of assault cases, making up 33.2 cases per 1,000 reported.

The Williams Institute expanded on these numbers. In its study, the Institute reported that transgender people are four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization.

Are People in Relationships More Likely to Fall Victim to Assault?

This study further revealed that most of the time, it wasn’t clear what the relationship between the victim and the offender in an assault case was. 600,000 cases reported unclear relationships, whereas 460,000 reported that the victim and offender were strangers. 

336,195 cases reported that the victim and offender were in a romantic relationship at the time of the incident.

Awareness and Honesty Are Powerful Tools in the Fight Against Violent Victimization

High Rise Financial wants to share the findings from its recent study in hopes that increased awareness about the prevalence of violent victimization will encourage anyone afraid to report their mistreatment to come forward. 

The team also hopes that these numbers will encourage honest conversations about the steps that public and private institutions can take to curb people’s risks of violent victimization.

If you’re a victim of assault, it is not your fault. Other people have a duty to treat you with respect–and you have the right to hold anyone who threatens you or puts you in harm’s way accountable for their actions.