This page examines documented racial terror lynchings in the United States, showing who was targeted and how incidents clustered across time and place. Using records compiled by the Tuskegee Institute and the Equal Justice Initiative, it highlights that most victims were Black and maps the highest concentrations across the South. It also draws attention to recurring factors reported in the data, including when no specific alleged crime was identified and the role of serious-violence accusations.
Key Takeaways
- EJI documented that 64% of racial terror lynchings occurred in just 8 states
- Phillips County, Arkansas had 23 lynchings from 1877-1950, highest county per EJI
- Jefferson County, Georgia recorded 16 lynchings 1877-1950
- Between 1882 and 1968, the Tuskegee Institute documented 4,743 lynchings in the United States, including 3,446 Black victims and 1,297 white victims
- In the period 1882-1968, Mississippi recorded the highest number of lynchings at 581, with 539 Black victims and 42 white
- Georgia had 531 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 489 Black and 42 white victims according to Tuskegee records
- Of all documented lynchings 1882-1968, 72.7% of victims were Black (3,446 out of 4,743)
- White victims comprised 27.3% of total lynchings (1,297 out of 4,743) from 1882-1968 per Tuskegee
- In the South, 81% of lynching victims from 1882-1968 were Black
- In 1892, 161 lynchings occurred nationwide, 155 Black victims, per Tuskegee
- 1893 saw 200 lynchings, with 179 Black and 21 white victims
- Peak decade 1890s averaged 187 lynchings per year
- 72% of Black victims were men, 18% women, 10% unknown gender 1882-1968
- Average age of Black male lynching victims was 26 years old, per studies
- 40% of Black lynchings involved accusations of homicide or felony assault
Nearly a quarter of Black lynchings lacked specific crime allegations, and most victims were Black across the South.
Related reading
01 · Category
Geographic Data16 stats
01
EJI documented that 64% of racial terror lynchings occurred in just 8 states
02
Phillips County, Arkansas had 23 lynchings from 1877-1950, highest county per EJI
03
Jefferson County, Georgia recorded 16 lynchings 1877-1950
04
Early County, Georgia had 15 lynchings
05
Fulton County, Kentucky saw 13 lynchings 1877-1950
06
Lowndes County, Alabama documented 12 lynchings
07
Over 50% of lynchings occurred in 7 Deep South states: MS, GA, TX, LA, AL, AR, FL
08
20 counties in Mississippi had 5 or more lynchings each from 1877-1950
09
Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis area) had 17 lynchings 1877-1950
10
Orange County, Florida recorded 11 lynchings
11
Claiborne County, Mississippi had 10 lynchings
12
Lincoln County, Georgia saw 9 lynchings 1877-1950
13
75% of counties in 12 Southern states had at least one lynching 1877-1950, per EJI
14
Brooks County, Georgia had 8 lynchings
15
Hempstead County, Arkansas documented 7 lynchings
16
Pike County, Ohio (non-South) had 4 lynchings 1882-1968
Interpretation
Geographic Data Interpretation
From a geographic perspective, racial terror lynchings were highly concentrated, with EJI documenting 64% of them occurring in just 8 states, while specific hotspots such as Phillips County, Arkansas with 23 lynchings from 1877 to 1950 and counties like Jefferson County, Georgia with 16 show how the violence clustered locally rather than being evenly spread.
02 · Category
Historical Counts30 stats
01
Between 1882 and 1968, the Tuskegee Institute documented 4,743 lynchings in the United States, including 3,446 Black victims and 1,297 white victims
02
In the period 1882-1968, Mississippi recorded the highest number of lynchings at 581, with 539 Black victims and 42 white
03
Georgia had 531 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 489 Black and 42 white victims according to Tuskegee records
04
Texas documented 493 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 352 Black and 141 white victims
05
Louisiana saw 391 lynchings from 1882-1968, comprising 335 Black and 56 white victims
06
Alabama recorded 361 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 299 Black and 62 white victims
07
Arkansas had 335 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 284 Black and 51 white
08
Florida documented 335 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 307 Black and 28 white victims
09
South Carolina had 185 lynchings from 1882-1968, comprising 169 Black and 16 white
10
Tennessee recorded 250 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 228 Black and 22 white victims
11
North Carolina saw 123 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 112 Black and 11 white
12
Kentucky had 182 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 142 Black and 40 white victims
13
Missouri documented 123 lynchings from 1882-1968, comprising 93 Black and 30 white
14
Oklahoma recorded 104 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 75 Black and 29 white victims
15
Virginia had 91 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 83 Black and 8 white
16
West Virginia saw 60 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 28 Black and 32 white victims
17
Maryland documented 40 lynchings from 1882-1968, comprising 27 Black and 13 white
18
Illinois had 50 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 19 Black and 31 white victims
19
Ohio recorded 46 lynchings from 1882-1968, including 22 Black and 24 white
20
Pennsylvania saw 22 lynchings between 1882-1968, with 11 Black and 11 white victims
21
The Equal Justice Initiative documented 4,084 racial terror lynchings of Black people in 12 Southern states from 1877 to 1950
22
From 1877-1950, EJI found 800 more lynchings than previously reported, totaling over 4,000 in the South
23
Tuskegee Institute noted peak lynching year 1892 with 155 Black victims and 69 white, total 224
24
In 1919, known as Red Summer, there were at least 25 race riots and 243 lynchings reported
25
Between 1900-1930, over 2,500 Black people were lynched in the US
26
NAACP records show 3,436 lynchings from 1889-1940
27
From 1882-1930, 2,503 Black men were lynched, per Tuskegee
28
Equal Justice Initiative identified 408 lynchings in Mississippi alone from 1877-1950
29
571 lynchings occurred in Georgia from 1877-1950 according to EJI data
30
Tuskegee reported only 11 lynchings in 1962, the lowest annual count in their records
Interpretation
Historical Counts Interpretation
Under the Historical Counts category, the Tuskegee Institute records show lynching as a long and widespread practice across the United States from 1882 to 1968, with Mississippi alone accounting for 581 cases and the majority of victims in every listed state being Black, totaling 3,446 out of 4,743.
03 · Category
Racial Breakdowns16 stats
01
Of all documented lynchings 1882-1968, 72.7% of victims were Black (3,446 out of 4,743)
02
White victims comprised 27.3% of total lynchings (1,297 out of 4,743) from 1882-1968 per Tuskegee
03
In the South, 81% of lynching victims from 1882-1968 were Black
04
EJI reports that nearly 25% of Black lynchings involved no allegation of a specific crime
05
28% of Black men lynched were accused only of minor offenses like arson or vagrancy, per EJI
06
From 1877-1950, Black women were lynched at least 150 times in the South, often for defying white supremacy
07
Tuskegee data shows 19 Black women lynched between 1882-1968
08
Mexican Americans faced 232 lynchings in the Southwest from 1848-1928, per historical records
09
Native Americans were lynched 100 times between 1850-1930, often unreported
10
Chinese immigrants suffered 10 documented lynchings in the 19th century West
11
In Mississippi, 92.8% of 581 lynchings were Black victims (539/581)
12
Georgia lynchings 92.1% Black (489/531), 7.9% white from 1882-1968
13
Texas had 71.4% Black victims (352/493) in lynchings 1882-1968
14
Louisiana 85.7% Black (335/391) lynchings 1882-1968
15
Alabama 82.8% Black (299/361)
16
Florida 91.6% Black (307/335)
Interpretation
Racial Breakdowns Interpretation
In the racial breakdowns of documented lynchings from 1882 to 1968, Black victims made up 72.7% of all cases (3,446 of 4,743) and 81% in the South, showing how lynching was overwhelmingly targeted along racial lines.
04 · Category
Temporal Trends19 stats
01
In 1892, 161 lynchings occurred nationwide, 155 Black victims, per Tuskegee
02
1893 saw 200 lynchings, with 179 Black and 21 white victims
03
Peak decade 1890s averaged 187 lynchings per year
04
1900 had 107 lynchings, 101 Black, 6 white
05
1910 recorded 67 lynchings, 63 Black, 4 white
06
1920 saw 53 lynchings, 49 Black, 4 white
07
1930 had 22 lynchings, 20 Black, 2 white
08
1940 recorded 7 lynchings, all Black victims
09
Post-WWII, lynchings dropped sharply; 1947 had 1, 1950 had 4
10
1882 first year Tuskegee tracked 52 lynchings, 42 Black, 10 white
11
During Great Depression 1930-1939, average 12 lynchings per year
12
1919 "Red Summer" year had 76 lynchings, mostly Black
13
Lynching rate per 100,000 Black population peaked at 3.2 in 1890s
14
From 1945-1965, only 27 lynchings recorded by Tuskegee
15
1955 saw the lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi, one of 3 that year
16
1964 Freedom Summer had 3 civil rights workers lynched in Mississippi
17
Lynchings declined 80% from 1900-1940 due to anti-lynching campaigns
18
1889 had 180 lynchings, 160 Black, 20 white
19
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre involved lynching-like killings of 30 Black people
Interpretation
Temporal Trends Interpretation
Across the Temporal Trends, lynching peaked in the 1890s at an average of 187 cases per year and then fell sharply to 107 in 1900 and 53 by 1920, showing a sustained decline after the high 1890s.
05 · Category
Victim Profiles16 stats
01
72% of Black victims were men, 18% women, 10% unknown gender 1882-1968
02
Average age of Black male lynching victims was 26 years old, per studies
03
40% of Black lynchings involved accusations of homicide or felony assault
04
27% accused of serious violent crimes like rape, per EJI analysis
05
One in six Black men lynched was accused of a personal altercation with a white man
06
Black women lynched often for "sexual promiscuity" or economic independence, e.g., Laura Nelson 1911
07
Elderly Black victims over 65 comprised 5% of lynchings
08
Children under 18 made up 10% of Black lynching victims, per Tuskegee
09
Emmett Till, age 14, lynched in 1955 for allegedly whistling at white woman
10
Jesse Washington, 17, burned alive in Waco 1916 for alleged rape/murder
11
Sam Hose, 1899 Georgia, accused of murder, mutilated before lynching
12
Mary Turner, 8 months pregnant, lynched 1918 for protesting son's murder
13
Rubin Stacy lynched 1935 Florida at age 36 for "scaring" white woman
14
Cordie Cheek, 13-year-old boy, lynched 1930 Tennessee for alleged whistle
15
65% of victims were accused of crimes against whites, but many unproven
16
Many victims were successful Black businessmen or landowners, targeted economically
Interpretation
Victim Profiles Interpretation
In the victim profiles of lynching, Black men made up 72% of victims and were most often linked to violent-crime accusations, with 40% facing homicide or felony assault charges and 27% accused of serious crimes like rape.
report visual · Key figures
Lynching across decades: a peak in the 1890s, followed by a sharp decline
Documented lynchings peaked in the 1890s and fell sharply after anti-lynching campaigns and into the post-WWII period.
1890
Peak decade 1890s averaged 187 lynchings per year
80%
Lynchings declined 80% from 1900-1940 due to anti-lynching campaigns
1947
Post-WWII, lynchings dropped sharply; 1947 had 1, 1950 had 4
1945
From 1945-1965, only 27 lynchings recorded by Tuskegee
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Lynching Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lynching-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Lynching Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lynching-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Lynching Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lynching-statistics.
Sources & references
12 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level