The Victims of Sexual Assault

Women

One out of every six American women have been the victims of an
attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (14.8% completed rape;
2.8% attempted rape). This is according to the Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey, National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998.
A total of 17.7 million women have been victims of these crimes.
In 2003, nine out of every ten rape victims were female according to the 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey.
While about 80% of all victims are white, minorities are somewhat more likely to be attacked:

Lifetime rate of rape/attempted rape for women, according to the Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey:

All: 17.6%
White: 17.7%
Black: 18.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 6.8%
American Indian/Alaskan: 34.1%
Mixed Race: 24.4%

Men

About three percent of American men —- a total of 2.78 million men—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime according to the 1998 Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women study.
In 2003, one in every ten rape victims were male, according to the 2003 National Crime Victimization Study.

Children

15% of victims are under age 12
29% are age 12-17
44% are under age 18
80% are under age 30

The statistics are according to the 1997 Sex Offense and Offenders Study, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice and 1999 National Crime Victimization Study.

Seven percent of girls in grades five to eight and twelve percent of girls in grades nine through twelve said they had been sexually abused according to the 1998 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls.
Three percent of boys in grades five through eight and five percent of boys in grades nine through twelve said they had been sexually abused according to the 1998 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Boys.
93% of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker; 34.2% were family members and 58.7% acquaintences. Only seven percent of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim, according to the 2000 Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement. This study is available at the Bureau of Justice Statistics website.
In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls. Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and 7. This is according to the 1995 Child Maltreatment study, US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
12-34 are the highest risk years. Risk peaks in the late teens: girls 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. This is according to the 2000 National Crime Victimization Study.

Race

Among people 12 and older, about 83.5% of the US population is white, and 82.5% of rape victims are white; 13.3% of victims are black, compared to 12.3% of the population; and 4.2% of both victims and the population are of other races, according to the 2000 National Crime Victimization Study.

Key Facts

Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.
In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 69%.

rape or sexual assault.

About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.

Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 69%.

More Than Half of Sexual Assaults Go Unreported

Rapes Still Not Being Reported
The National Crime Victimization Survey includes statistics on reported and unreported crimes in America. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, with more than half still being left unreported. Utilizing services such as The National Sexual Assault Hotline can help encourage victims to get help and report what has happened to them so that more perpetrators can be brought to justice.

Males are the least likely to report a sexual assault, though it is estimated they make up 10% of all victims. Young females are four times more likely than any other group to be a victim of sexual assault.

Is the incidence of rape and sexual assault increasing or decreasing in America?
Have you heard about crime declining? It is true (as best we can tell). While figures for any single year are considered somewhat unreliable because they are based on a small sample size, the more-reliable longterm trend looks extremely good. Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by more than half. Read a two page summary of major statistics (pdf).

Sexual Assault is on a steady decline.

2005 Statistics
In 2005, there were 191,670 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assaults according to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey (pdf).

Of the average annual 200,780 victims in 2004-2005, about 64,080 were victims of completed rape, 51,500 were victims of attempted rape, and 85,210 were victims of sexual assault.

Because of the methodology of the National Crime Victimization Survey, these figures do not include victims 12 or younger. While there are no reliable annual surveys of sexual assaults on children, (pdf) the Justice Department has estimated that one of six victims are under age 12.

It's Not Always a Stranger Hiding in the Bushes

Contrary to the belief that rapists are hiding in the bushes or in the shadows of the parking garage, almost two-thirds of all rapes were committed by someone who is known to the victim. 73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger – 38% of perpetrators were a friend or acquaintance of the victim, 28% were an intimate and 7% were another relative.
National Crime Victimization Survey, 2005