Teen violence carries with it some interesting statistics. Many concerned organizations compile them regularly to raise awareness of teen violence. This fact sheet contains some statistics of teen violence from reliable sources.

Violent Crimes Committed by Teens:

Teen Violence Statistics

Violent crimes are committed by teens every year. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides these 2010 statistics on teen violence regarding violent crimes:

• 4,828 young people, ages 10-24, were victims of homicide. An average of 13 each day.
• 82.8% of of youth homicides were committed with a firearm.
• Juveniles under 18 accounted for 13.7% of all violent crime arrests and 22.5% of all property crime arrests.
• 784 juveniles were arrested for murder.
• 2,198 juveniles were arrested for forcible rape.
• 35,001 juveniles were arrested for aggravated assault.

Teen violence is a very real occurrence, and violent crimes are committed by teens regularly.

Suicide and Teen Violence

We often neglect suicide in our examinations of teen violence. However, suicide is violence against oneself and deserves very real consideration. 2014 teen violence statistics to think about regarding suicide (4):

1. 1,668 teens ages 13-18 committed suicide in the US.
2. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-24 year old Americans.
3. In the previous 12 month period, 17% of high school students had seriously considered suicide.
4. 8% of high school students attempted suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months.

These statistics do not even take into account the number of students that think about violence against themselves on a regular basis. Additionally, these statistics do not take into account the rising instances of self-injury, which do not necessarily need to be associated with suicidal feelings, but which is a form of self-violence (2, 3).

Teen Violence Day to Day

Not only is teen violence related to violent crime and self-violence, but also there are lesser forms of violence that are perhaps more prevalent and worrisome, as they indicate a trend toward teen violence as an every day occurrence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report the following teen violence statistics (4):

• In 2011, 20.1% of students in 9-12 grades reported being bullied on school property in the previous 12 months.
• A national CDC survey indicates that 32.8% of high school students were in at least one physical fight within a 12 month period.
• In 30 days preceding the CDC survey, 16.6% of high school students reported that they carried a weapon at least once. The weapon could be a gun, knife or club.
• 5.1% reported carrying a gun on one or more days in the previous 30 days.

Teen Violence and Electronic Aggression

CDC did a study on electronic aggression; they define electronic aggression as, “…any kind of aggression perpetrated through technology—any type of harassment or bullying (teasing, telling lies, making fun of someone, making rude or mean comments, spreading rumors, or making threatening or aggressive comments) that occurs through e-mail, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), text messaging, or videos or pictures posted on websites or sent through cell phones.” Their research shows the following teen violence statistics:

• In 2005, 9% of 10-17 year old internet users reported being harassed online.
• 13-46% of victims didn’t know their harasser’s identity.
• 22% of perpetrators reportedly didn’t know the identity of their victim.
• 56% of perpetrators and 67% of victims report the electronic aggression happened through instant messaging.

Consequences & Costs of Teen Violence

The CDC has identified a few direct and indirect costs associated with teen violence. These costs take into account tangible medical costs, but also the intangible costs associated with lost productivity and reduction in quality of life (4):

• Total direct and indirect costs of teen violence is more than $158 billion per year.
• Nationwide, 5.9% of teens missed school during the previous 30 days due to feelings of insecurity regarding being at school, or traveling to and from school.
• Healthcare costs increase in communities with teen violence.
• Costs arise from injury and death, such as medical care and funeral expenses.
• Decreasing property values affect areas with high incidents of teen violence, impacting both long time residents and new residents.

Teen Violence Statistics Sources:

1. safeyouth.org/scripts/news/statistics.asp
2. pamf.org/teen/life/suicide/selfinjury.html
3. cignabehavioral.com/web/basicsite/bulletinBoard/selfInjury.jsp
4. cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm