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Fact check: How many terrorist acts in US?
Executive Summary
From January 1, 1975, through September 10, 2025, studies report 3,597 people were murdered in politically motivated terrorist attacks in the United States, a figure that specialists say represents about 0.35% of all U.S. murders since 1975 and only 79 incidents since 2020 [1]. Multiple analyses concur that right-wing extremist violence accounts for the majority of domestic terror deaths in recent decades, though researchers disagree on timeframes and definitions and one prominent study was removed from a federal website, complicating consensus [2] [3].
1. Big number, small share — why 3,597 keeps appearing
The most widely cited tally in the recent reporting is 3,597 politically motivated murders from 1975 through September 10, 2025, and analysts emphasize this is a small fraction of overall homicides — roughly 0.35% — illustrating that politically motivated killings are numerically rare relative to general violent crime [1]. That metric is useful for broad context, but it is sensitive to the dataset’s starting year, coding rules for “politically motivated,” and whether the dataset counts only murders or all terrorist incidents. The same source also reports 79 incidents since 2020, a useful short-term indicator that shapes contemporary policy debates [1].
2. Consistent pattern: right-wing perpetrators account for most fatalities
Multiple reviews of domestic terrorism data conclude right-wing extremist attacks have caused the bulk of fatalities from U.S. domestic terrorism since the early 2000s, with estimates putting that share at roughly 75–80% of deaths and cataloging high-casualty events like Charleston and the Tree of Life shooting [2]. One recent synthesis states right-wing ideologies underlie substantially more ideologically motivated homicides than left-wing or Islamist extremism over modern time windows, highlighting a persistent pattern across datasets even when absolute numbers differ [3] [2]. These convergent findings shape law-enforcement and research priorities.
3. Newer claims of a left-wing uptick complicate the narrative
Some recent reporting points to a 2025 uptick in leftist violence, citing a CSIS review that characterizes 2025 as on track to be the most violent year for leftist extremists since the mid-1990s and emphasizing the definitional frame — “violence or threats by nonstate actors meant to achieve political goals and spread fear” — used by that study [4]. That observation doesn’t negate longer-term trends showing right-wing predominance, but it does indicate that short-term fluctuations can shift the distribution of incidents and that media focus often follows high-profile recent cases.
4. A removed DOJ/NIJ study: numbers and controversy
A study reported removed from a Department of Justice page concluded that far-right extremists committed more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists since 1990, tallying 227 events and over 520 lives lost under that timeframe. The removal has fueled debate about transparency, editorial control, and whether agencies should publicize sensitive research; however, the underlying figures have been cited by multiple outlets and researchers, which supports the broader contention that far-right violence has been substantial in recent decades [3]. The removal does not erase the study’s data points from public discussion.
5. Methodology matters — why sources disagree on “how many”
Differences among sources trace to timeframes (1975 vs. 1990 vs. post‑2001), definitions of terrorism, whether deaths or incidents are counted, and which actors are included (e.g., lone actors, extremist networks, or domestic militias). Some analyses count only murders clearly tied to political motives, others include a wider range of ideologically driven violent acts or threats. These methodological choices shift absolute counts and relative shares; therefore, policy discussions should reference specific definitions and windows rather than a single undifferentiated figure [1] [4].
6. Missing context: impact versus frequency and notable cases
Even though politically motivated murders are a small share of total homicides by number, their social and political impact is outsized, because such attacks target symbolic sites and communities, drawing intense media and policy attention. High-fatality, high-salience incidents — for example the 2015 Charleston church shooting and 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack — have driven much of the perceived trend and are repeatedly cited in analyses that measure fatalities rather than incident counts [2]. Counting fatalities highlights lethality; counting incidents highlights frequency, and both matter for prevention.
7. Bottom line — what to say when asked “how many terrorist acts in US?”
There is no single unambiguous number without specifying the timeframe and definition. The clearest, widely reported baseline is 3,597 politically motivated murders (1975–Sept 10, 2025) and 79 incidents since 2020, with multiple studies indicating right-wing extremism accounts for most domestic terror deaths across several recent decades [1] [2]. Short-term studies and one removed DOJ study show variation — including a reported left-wing rise in 2025 and 227 events/520 deaths counted since 1990 in the removed analysis — underscoring that interpretations vary by source and method [4] [3].