FBI: Murders and rapes dropped in 2022, most hate crimes were targeted to Blacks and Jews

Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
Updated Tue, October 17, 2023 

WASHINGTON — The number of murders and rapes dropped nationally in 2022 after surging during the early stages of the pandemic, according to crime statistics the FBI released Monday.

Black people were the most common targets of hate crimes motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, or ancestry, according to the report. Crimes based on religious bias most often targeted Jewish people.

President Joe Biden issued a statement following the release of the data, noting antisemitic hate crimes went up 25% from 2021 to 2022 in the report.

"To those Americans worried about violence at home, as a result of the evil acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas in Israel, we see you. We hear you," Biden said. He added that he has asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland to prioritize preventing "any emerging threats" to Jewish, Muslim, Arab American, or other communities.


The statistics, which reflect local law enforcement reporting to the federal government, showed about a 1.7% drop in national violent crime compared to 2021. Murders and non-negligent manslaughters went down 6.1%, while the estimated number of rapes went down by 5.4%.

The hate crime trends echo a revised FBI report released in March, which also showed anti-Black bias driving the most common racial hate crime and anti-Jewish bias as leading in hate crimes based on faith.

The data reflect an increase in hate crime reporting by law enforcement agencies, with reporting agencies covering 91.7% of the nation's population, according to the FBI. The bureau previously complained of a drop in hate crime reporting by agencies from 93% in 2020 to about 65% in 2021 as a result of a move to a different reporting system.

Although violent crime declined overall, there was a 1.3% uptick in robberies from 2021 to 2022.

More: Stabbing death of 6-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois to be investigated as hate crime

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI: Number of murders and rapes dropped in 2022