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 2011, approximately one-third of the agencies in the study population experienced gang problems.
- Overall, an estimated 3,300 jurisdictions in the study population experienced gang problems in 2011.
- The 2011 estimate represents a statistically significant increase over the lowest point recorded in 2001, but no statistically significant change from the previous five 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 |
| 2010 | 34.1 |
| 2011 | 31.6 |
Prevalence of Gang Problems by Area Type
The presence of active gangs is displayed by area type.
- During the 16-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 2011 is as follows: 85 percent larger cities, 50 percent suburban counties, 30 percent smaller cities, and 14 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.
| Year | Cities With Populations of 50,000 or More (Larger Cities) |
Suburban Counties | Cities With Populations 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 |
| 2010 | 86.1 | 49.9 | 33.6 | 14.1 |
| 2011 | 85.0 | 49.9 | 29.5 | 13.6 |
Percent Change in Estimated Number of Gang-Problem Jurisdictions
The percent change in estimated number of gang-problem jurisdictions between 2002 and 2011 is presented.
- Overall, the estimated number of gang-problem jurisdictions in the study population increased 14 percent between 2002 and 2011.
- The percent changes in gang-problem jurisdictions from 2006 to 2011 are relatively small (around 5 percent) and represent no statistically significant change.
- As noted above, the increase in prevalence rates from 2002 to 2011 occurred in all area types, underscoring that each of them contributed to the increase in number of gang-problem jurisdictions.
| 2002–2011 | 2006–2011 | 2010–2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gang-Problem Jurisdictions | 13.8 | -4.2 | -5.7 |
Consistency of Gang Problems by Area Type
The percentage of agencies that reported gang problems in 2010 and consistently from 2006 to 2010 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 2010, and 80 percent consistently did so from 2006 to 2010.
- While half of the suburban counties (50 percent) reported gang problems in 2010, 38 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 2010 |
Gang Activity Consistently Reported, 2006–2010 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Larger Cities | 86.1 | 80.1 |
| Suburban Counties | 50.3 | 38.0 |
| Smaller Cities | 33.6 | 23.8 |
| Rural Counties | 14.1 | 10.8 |
Suggested citation: National Gang Center. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis.
