National Youth Gang Survey Analysis
Prevalence of Gang Problems
Prevalence of Gang Problems in Study Population
Respondents provided information regarding the presence or absence of active gangs in their jurisdictions.
- Following a marked decline from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, the prevalence rate of gang activity significantly increased between 2001 and 2005, and has since remained fairly constant.
- From 2005 to 2009, approximately one-third of the agencies in the study population experienced gang problems.
- Overall, an estimated 3,500 jurisdictions in the study population experienced gang problems in 2009.
- The 2009 estimate represents a statistically significant increase over the lowest point recorded in 2001, but no statistically significant change from the previous four years.
| Year | Percent |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 39.9 |
| 1997 | 39.2 |
| 1998 | 35.7 |
| 1999 | 31.5 |
| 2000 | 26.9 |
| 2001 | 23.9 |
| 2002 | 27.8 |
| 2003 | 30.1 |
| 2004 | 28.8 |
| 2005 | 33.6 |
| 2006 | 33.3 |
| 2007 | 34.8 |
| 2008 | 32.4 |
| 2009 | 34.5 |
Prevalence of Gang Problems by Area Type
The presence of active gangs is displayed by area type.
- During the 14-year study period, the trends in prevalence rates of gang problems are remarkably similar across area types, albeit at different levels.
- Within each area type, the percentage of agencies reporting gang problems in 2009 is as follows: 86 percent larger cities, 52 percent suburban counties, 33 percent smaller cities, and 17 percent rural counties.
- Gang problems are most widespread in the largest cities in the United States; specifically, nearly all law enforcement agencies serving cities with populations of 100,000 or more have reported multiple years of gang problems.
- The observable increase for suburban counties from 2008 to 2009 is the result of a small group of agencies newly reporting gang problems in their jurisdictions. Based on the initial data submitted by these agencies, the gang problem appears relatively small in size (e.g., fewer than 20 gang members) and magnitude (all of the agencies with the exception of one reported zero gang homicides).
| Year | Cities with a Population of 50,000 or More (Larger Cities) |
Suburban Counties | Cities With a Population Between 2,500 and 49,999 (Smaller Cities) |
Rural Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 86.2 | 59.4 | 37.9 | 26.3 |
| 1997 | 87.0 | 58.9 | 37.3 | 25.0 |
| 1998 | 83.7 | 49.6 | 34.4 | 21.5 |
| 1999 | 81.1 | 47.1 | 29.7 | 17.6 |
| 2000 | 76.7 | 40.9 | 25.6 | 12.0 |
| 2001 | 74.9 | 34.5 | 22.3 | 10.9 |
| 2002 | 76.7 | 37.9 | 27.3 | 12.3 |
| 2003 | 81.2 | 40.4 | 30.6 | 10.9 |
| 2004 | 81.5 | 41.6 | 27.4 | 13.8 |
| 2005 | 83.1 | 49.6 | 32.9 | 16.9 |
| 2006 | 86.4 | 51.0 | 32.5 | 14.9 |
| 2007 | 85.7 | 50.3 | 34.8 | 15.3 |
| 2008 | 86.2 | 45.4 | 31.1 | 14.4 |
| 2009 | 86.3 | 51.8 | 32.9 | 17.0 |
Percent Change in Estimated Number of Gang-Problem Jurisdictions
The percent change in estimated number of gang problem jurisdictions between 2002 and 2009 is presented.
- Overall, the estimated number of gang problem jurisdictions in the study population increased 21 percent between 2002 and 2009.
- The percent change in gang problem jurisdictions from 2008 to 2009 is relatively small, and the 2005 to 2009 change is negligible (less than 1 percent).
- As noted above, the increase in prevalence rates from 2002 to 2009 occurred in all area types, underscoring that no one area type is mostly responsible for the increase in gang problems nationwide.
| 2002–2009 | 2005–2009 | 2008–2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gang-Problem Jurisdictions | 20.7 | 0.6 | 5.1 |
Consistency of Gang Problems by Area Type
The percentage of agencies that reported gang problems in 2009 and consistently from 2005 to 2009 is displayed by area type.
- A larger discrepancy between the two figures within each area type indicates greater instability and a fluctuating pattern of gang problems across jurisdictions over time. Conversely, greater similarity between these figures indicates that roughly the same group of agencies is reporting gang problems across survey years.
- Gang problems are more consistently reported in larger cities: 86 percent reported gang problems in 2009, and 80 percent consistently did so from 2005 to 2009.
- While over half of the suburban counties (52 percent) reported gang problems in 2009, 39 percent did so consistently over the five-year time period.
- Comparatively, less sizeable but noticeable differences are observed within smaller cities and rural counties.
- Overall, these results demonstrate that the presence of gang problems outside larger cities is less stably observed and reported over time.
| Gang Activity Reported in 2009 |
Gang Activity Consistently Reported, 2005–2009 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Larger Cities | 86.3 | 79.8 |
| Suburban Counties | 51.8 | 38.9 |
| Smaller Cities | 32.9 | 23.8 |
| Rural Counties | 17.0 | 11.0 |
Suggested citation: National Gang Center. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis.
