Gangs in the United States

Gangs in the United States:

In 2012, there were an estimated 30,700 gangs (an increase from 29,900 in 2011) and 850,000 gang members (an increase from 782,500 in 2011) throughout 3,100 jurisdictions with gang problems (down from 3,300 in 2011).

Gang Homicides:

The number of reported gang-related homicides increased 20 percent from 1,824 in 2011 to 2,363 in 2012

Trends in Gang Activity:

In 2012, gangs were active in slightly less than 30 percent of the responding jurisdictions. This estimate has declined slightly over the past 4 consecutive years and is at the lowest point in nearly a decade.

The decline from 2011 to 2012 can be almost solely attributed to the drop in smaller cities, where gang prevalence has decreased nearly 10 percentage points since 2010.

Across jurisdiction types, prevalence rates of gang activity followed a marked decline in the late 1990s, increased in the early 2000s, and, with the exception of smaller cities, have generally stabilized in recent years.

Source: http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/248025.pdf .