What FBI report or dataset publishes sexual assault statistics by race and ethnicity through 2024 or 2025?

Checked on December 7, 2025
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Executive summary

The two federal products most likely to publish sexual‑assault statistics by race or ethnicity through 2024–2025 are the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system (now surfaced through the Crime Data Explorer/NIBRS and the annual “Crime in the United States” compilation) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which publishes victimization rates by race for years through at least 2023 and was cited in 2024 analysis [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not provide a single FBI table or dataset explicitly labeled “sexual assault by race through 2024/2025” but the FBI’s CDE/UCR products and BJS NCVS are the authoritative places to look [4] [1] [2].

1. Where the federal numbers live: FBI UCR / Crime Data Explorer

The FBI’s long‑standing Uniform Crime Reporting program aggregates reported offenses from law enforcement and publishes them in annual compilations (Crime in the United States) and in the online Crime Data Explorer (CDE) and NIBRS extracts; those products include rape/sexual‑assault counts and some race/ethnicity breakdowns, though reporting completeness varies by agency and year [1] [4]. The FBI announced a 2024 “Reported Crimes in the Nation” release that incorporates NIBRS and Crime in the United States data and states rape is now counted under the 2013 revised definition for 2013–2024 — important for comparisons [5].

2. Where victimization rates by race appear: BJS NCVS

The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey provides victimization rates (including rape/sexual assault) by race and Hispanic origin and was the basis for a 2008–2021 tabulation noted in BJS material; independent analysts used 2023 NCVS results in 2024 briefs that report racial trends in rape/sexual assault rates [2] [3]. NCVS is a household survey and therefore gives victimization estimates that differ from the FBI’s reported‑to‑police counts — both are needed for context [2] [3].

3. Important differences and limits: reporting vs. survey, definitions, and coverage

FBI data reflect crimes reported to police and historically used the legacy “forcible rape” definition until it shifted to the revised 2013 rape definition; the agency itself warns that not all agencies submit ethnicity data, so race/ethnicity totals can be incomplete [1] [5]. NCVS is a large survey that yields estimates by race but can have small sample sizes for some race categories and year‑to‑year fluctuations; BJS notes categories may be suppressed “due to small numbers of sample cases” [2].

4. Recent analytic use and headline findings to date

Analysts used NCVS 2023 to show diverging trends by race — Council on Criminal Justice summarized that rape/sexual‑assault rates fell for White and Hispanic people but rose for Black Americans between 2022 and 2023, underscoring that race‑specific trends are reported in BJS products and analyses that use them [3]. The FBI’s 2024 compilation released summary numbers (for example, a rape every 4.1 minutes in 2024 in a later archived press release), but the FBI’s public release sources and tables are where researchers must extract race/ethnicity breakdowns [5].

5. Practical steps to get the table or dataset you want

Start at the FBI Crime Data Explorer (CDE) for agency‑reported counts and the UCR/NIBRS downloadable files; consult the FBI’s Crime in the United States tables (Table 43 and related rape/sex‑offense tables) for historical race breakdowns while noting gaps in ethnicity reporting [4] [1]. For victimization rates by race (and recent 2023–2024 trend analysis), download BJS NCVS tables and supporting documents; BJS already published race/Hispanic‑origin victimization tables through 2021 and the 2023 NCVS underpinned 2024 analyses cited by independent outlets [2] [3].

6. What reporting gaps or hidden agendas to watch for

Both federal sources have structural limits that shape headlines: the FBI’s numbers reflect police reporting practices and agency participation (some agencies do not report ethnicity and NIBRS adoption changed coverage), which can undercount or skew race totals [1] [5]. NCVS produces estimates that can be unstable for small groups and may suppress categories for confidentiality — analysts sometimes aggregate years to get reliable race estimates, which changes timeliness [2]. Commercial aggregators and news outlets may blend FBI and BJS numbers without flagging these differences; always check whether a chart is “reported‑to‑police” (FBI) or “survey estimated” (BJS) [1] [2].

7. Quick checklist for source citations and next moves

If you need a specific table: (a) search the FBI CDE for NIBRS “offense by offender/victim race” tables and the annual Crime in the United States tables [4] [1]; (b) pull NCVS race/Hispanic origin victimization tables from BJS [2]. If a data field or year is missing in either product, available sources do not mention a single FBI dataset explicitly named “sexual assault by race through 2025” — you will need to assemble race‑specific sexual‑assault measures across FBI CDE/UCR files and BJS NCVS tables and document the definitional and coverage differences [4] [2] [1].

Want to dive deeper?
Which FBI publications include sexual assault data broken down by race and ethnicity through 2024 or 2025?
How does the FBI define and categorize sexual assault in its crime data reports?
Are there differences between FBI UCR and NIBRS reporting of sexual assault by race and ethnicity?
Where can I find downloadable FBI datasets on reported sexual assaults with demographic variables for 2020–2025?
What are limitations and known biases when using FBI crime data to analyze sexual assault by race and ethnicity?