Aggravated assault.

Definition

According to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, an aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Attempts involving the display or threat of a gun, knife, or other weapon are included because serious personal injury would likely result if the assault were completed.

Trend

                                      Rate per 100,000
     Year        Number of offenses     inhabitants

     2002             891,407              309.5
     2003             857,921              295.0
Percent change          -3.8                -4.7

National Volume, Trends, and Rates

Nationally, 2003 marked the tenth consecutive decline in the volume of aggravated assaults. The estimated total, 857,921 offenses, represents a 3.8-percent decline from the 2002 figure. The 2003 estimate was 5.9 percent lower than the 1999 volume and 22.9 percent below the volume recorded for 1994. Likewise, the rate of aggravated assaults, 295.0 per 100,000 persons, decreased 4.7 percent from the previous year's rate. Five- and 10-year trend data revealed that the 2003 rate was 11.8 percent lower than the 1999 rate and 31.0 percent lower than the 1994 estimate. (See Table 1, national estimates.)

Regional Offense Trends and Rates

The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (A map delineating the regions can be found in Appendix III.) The offense of aggravated assault declined in both volume and rate per 100,000 persons in all four regions when comparing 2003 to 2002 estimates.

The Northeast

In 2003, the Northeast Region, which had the smallest proportion of the U.S. population (18.7 percent) also had the smallest proportion of aggravated assaults, 14.3 percent of the total. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) States in the Northeast collectively had a 6.0-percent decline--the largest decline among the regions--in the number of aggravated assaults from 2002. These states also showed the largest decline in the rate of aggravated assaults: the 225.0 offenses per 100,000 persons was a 6.4-percent drop from the previous year's rate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The Midwest

Accounting for 22.5 percent of the national population, the Midwest had approximately 18.2 percent of the aggravated assaults in 2003. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) Compared to 2002 data, the region had a 5.4-percent decline in the number of aggravated assaults. The 2003 rate of 238.1 offenses per 100,000 persons was a 5.8-percent decrease from the 2002 rate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The South

In 2003, the South, the Nation's most populous region (35.9 percent of the population), accounted for an estimated 43.3 percent of the aggravated assaults in the United States. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) The number of aggravated assault offenses dropped 3.6 percent from the prior year's estimate. The South had a rate of 355.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants, which represented a 4.8-percent decline from the 2002 rate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The West

Comprising 22.9 percent of the population, the West accounted for a 24.3 percent of the aggravated assaults in the Nation in 2003. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) By volume, the number of offenses estimated for the Western States was 1.4 percent lower than the 2002 estimate. The region had a rate of 313.8 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people. That rate was a decrease of 2.8 percent from the 2002 rate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

Community Types

The UCR Program classifies communities as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), metropolitan counties, and nonmetropolitan counties. MSAs are those community types made up of a principal city of at least 50,000 inhabitants, the county containing that city, and adjacent areas with strong economic or cultural ties to the principal city as measured through commuting. Metropolitan counties are composed of mostly incorporated areas, and nonmetropolitan counties are mostly unincorporated.

MSAs, which accounted for 82.8 percent of the Nation's population and had 87.9 percent of the aggravated assaults in 2003, had a rate of 313.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities outside metropolitan areas, with 6.8 percent of the population and 6.5 percent of aggravated assaults, had a rate of 283.0 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants. Nonmetropolitan counties, accounting for 10.4 percent of the national population and 5.6 percent of aggravated assaults, had a rate of 159.0 aggravated assaults per 100,000 persons. (Based on Table 2, community type estimates.)

Population Groups: Trends and Rates

In order to establish a 2-year trend, the UCR Program reviewed data from all agencies that submitted aggravated assault data for at least 6 common months in both 2002 and 2003. Collectively, cities had a 5.1-percent decline in the number of aggravated assaults in 2003, and the Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, showed an 8.0-percent drop from the previous year's data. Nonmetropolitan counties experienced a decrease of 4.2 percent. Metropolitan counties recorded a decrease of 1.3 percent. (See Table 12.)

The UCR Program calculated offense rates for the population groups by reviewing reports from all agencies that provided 12 months of data. Based upon that review, the Nation's cities collectively had an aggravated assault rate of 352.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the Nation's population groups labeled city, those with populations of 250,000 and over had the highest aggravated assault rate of 533.2 offenses per 100,000 persons. Within that population group, those cities with 500,000 to 999,999 had the highest rate, 537.4 per 100,000 individuals. Cities with populations from 10,000 to 24,999 had the lowest rate of aggravated assaults, 212.9 per 100,000 inhabitants; the Nation's smallest cities, those with fewer than 10,000 in population, had a rate of 249.1. Collectively, agencies in metropolitan counties recorded a rate of 242.8 aggravated assaults per 100,000 in population, and those in nonmetropolitan counties recorded a rate of 175.1. (See Table 16.)

Offense Analysis

By weapon type, personal weapons, such as hands, fists, and feet, were used in 26.9 percent of the aggravated assaults, firearms in 19.1 percent, and knives or other cutting instruments in 18.2 percent. Other weapon types were used in 35.9 percent of the aggravated assaults in 2003. (Based on Table 19.)

A breakdown of the aggravated assault rates per 100,000 persons by type of weapon revealed the following: For every 100,000 individuals, there were 80.9 attacks using personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.), 57.5 attacks using a firearm, 54.8 attacks with a knife or cutting instrument, and 108.1 attacks using another weapon (blunt instrument, club, etc.). (See Table 19.)

Clearances

Nationwide in 2002, law enforcement agencies cleared 55.9 percent of reported aggravated assaults. Collectively, cities cleared 54.6 percent of aggravated assaults. Law enforcement agencies in the Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, cleared 50.6 percent of the aggravated assaults that came to their attention. Agencies in the smallest cities (those with fewer than 10,000 in population) showed the highest percentage of clearances for the offense of aggravated assault--64.5 percent. Agencies serving metropolitan counties cleared 58.8 percent, and those in nonmetropolitan counties cleared 62.9 percent of the reported aggravated assaults in their jurisdictions. (See Table 25.)

Law enforcement agencies nationwide cleared 63.9 percent of the aggravated assaults involving personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet and 61.4 percent of the aggravated assaults involving knives or cutting instruments. In addition, agencies cleared 39.7 percent of the aggravated assaults that involved firearms and 55.6 percent of those that involved other weapon types. (See Table 27.)

Law enforcement in the Northeastern states cleared the highest percentage of aggravated assaults, 61.9 percent. Law enforcement in the Western states cleared 57.1 percent of aggravated assaults, followed by agencies in the Southern states with 54.2 percent, and those in the Midwestern states with 53.8 percent. (See Table 26.)

Clearances and Juveniles

When an offender under the age of 18 is arrested or cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, the UCR Program considers that incident as a clearance by arrest. However, according to Program definitions, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances.

Of all aggravated assault clearances reported nationally in 2003, 11.9 percent involved only juveniles, defined by the UCR Program as persons under the age of 18. In the Nation's cities, collectively, 12.0 percent of clearances for aggravated assault involved only juveniles. In metropolitan counties, 12.6 percent of aggravated assault clearances involved only persons under the age of 18; in nonmetropolitan counties, 9.4 percent of aggravated assault clearances involved only juveniles. (See Table 28.)

Arrests

In 2003, the UCR Program estimated arrests for aggravated assault at 449,933. Arrests for aggravated assault comprised an estimated 75.4 percent of all violent crime arrests and 3.3 percent of all arrests. (Based on Table 29, which presents the estimated number of arrests for the Nation.)

Arrest Trends

Nationally, aggravated assault arrests declined 2.5 percent from the previous year's figure. (See Table 36.) The 5- and 10-year trend data showed declines in arrests for this offense of 4.6 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively. (See Tables 32 and 34.)

Arrest Distribution by Age, Sex, and Race

Of those persons arrested for aggravated assault in 2003, 86.3 percent were adults. (Based on Table 38.) A review of the total arrests for this offense indicated that 39.9 percent of arrestees were under the age of 25, approximately 25 percent (24.8) were under the age of 21, and 5.0 percent were under the age of 15. (See Table 41.) The number of adult arrests for aggravated assault declined 2.9 percent when compared to the number in 2002, 3.8 percent when compared to that in 1999, and 9.8 percent compared to the 1994 figure. The number of juveniles arrested for aggravated assault in 2003 showed virtually no change from the previous year's rate (+ 0.1 percent). However, the number of juveniles arrested for aggravated assault declined 9.1 percent from the 1999 total and 25.8 percent from the 1994 number. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.)

Persons arrested for aggravated assault during 2003 were overwhelmingly male--79.3 percent. (See Table 42.) Of the males arrested for this offense, 86.8 percent were adults. Of juvenile males arrested for aggravated assault, 35.5 percent were under the age of 15. (Based on Table 39.) A review of the data concerning females arrested for aggravated assault demonstrated that 84.4 percent were adults. Of the female juveniles arrested for aggravated assault in 2003, 38.5 percent were under the age of 15. (Based on Table 40.)

When distributed by race, the data showed that 64.7 percent of all persons arrested for aggravated assault were white and 33.0 percent were black. The two other racial groups, Asian or Pacific Islanders and American Indians or Alaskan Natives, accounted for 1.2 percent and 1.1 percent of arrestees, respectively. (See Table 43.)

Table 2.22
Aggravated Assault by Month

Percent Distribution, 1999-2003

Month       1999   2000   2001   2002   2003

January      7.9    7.5    7.5    7.5    7.5
February     7.0    7.2    6.7    6.7    6.4
March        8.0    8.3    8.1    8.0    8.3
April        8.3    8.4    8.5    8.4    8.5
May          9.1    9.3    9.0    9.0    9.2
June         8.8    8.9    8.9    9.2    9.1
July         9.5    9.5    9.6    9.6    9.4
August       9.2    9.1    9.0    9.4    9.4
September    8.5    8.6    8.8    9.4    8.7
October      8.6    8.6    8.7    8.4    8.7
November     7.7    7.3    7.7    7.3    7.7
December     7.5    7.2    7.5    7.1    7.1

Table 2.23
Aggravated Assault, Types of Weapons Used

Percent Distribution by Region, 2003

                                                    Other
                                                   weapons
                                                   (clubs,
               Total                  Knives or     blunt
                all                    cutting     objects,   Personal
Region      weapons (1)   Firearms   instruments    etc.)     weapons

Total          100.0        19.1        18.2         35.9       26.9
Northeast      100.0        14.8        19.6         34.0       31.6
Midwest        100.0        18.0        16.7         34.9       30.3
South          100.0        21.0        19.9         38.2       20.9
West           100.0        18.2        15.5         33.3       33.0

(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.

Figure 2.8
Aggravated Assault

Percent Change from 1999

                Rate per 100,000
       Volume     inhabitants

1999     0             0
2000     0.0          -3.1
2001    -0.3          -4.7
2002    -2.2          -7.4
2003    -5.9         -11.8

Note: Table made from line graph.