With statistics painting such a complex picture, any serious discussion about the race of mass shooters requires looking beyond a single headline and understanding the data from every angle.
Key Takeaways
- From 1982 to 2022, 51% of 195 mass shooters in public settings were white according to Mother Jones database analysis
- FBI Active Shooter Study 2000-2013 identified 64 white perpetrators out of 104 identified racial demographics in 160 incidents
- Washington Post database 1982-2023 shows 53.2% of mass shooters as white in incidents with 4+ killed excluding gang/domestic
- From 1982-1992, 57% of mass shooters were white per Mother Jones early data
- 1993-2002 Mother Jones: 48% white mass shooters
- FBI 2000-2009: 67% white active shooters
- White mass shooters per capita rate 0.12 per 100k vs national pop 60%, per CPRC 1998-2023
- Black mass shooters per capita 0.28 per 100k, 7x white rate in public shootings per CPRC
- FBI data adjusted per capita: whites 55% of shooters but 62% pop, underrep by 11%
- Mass shooters white % 52% vs general homicide white 45%, per FBI UCR 2020
- Black mass shooters 20% vs 53% general homicides, FBI 2019
- Hispanics mass shooters 9% vs 20% homicides, CDC NVSS 2021
- Parkland shooter identified as white Hispanic
- Buffalo 2022 shooter white supremacist, 10 killed
- El Paso 2019 white shooter targeting Hispanics, 23 killed
Multiple studies consistently show most mass shooters are white, around half of all cases.
By Year/Decade
- From 1982-1992, 57% of mass shooters were white per Mother Jones early data
- 1993-2002 Mother Jones: 48% white mass shooters
- FBI 2000-2009: 67% white active shooters
- Washington Post 2010-2019: 51% white
- CPRC 2010-2020: 50.2% white public mass shooters
- Everytown 2010-2020: 47% white
- Statista 2013-2022: 32% white in broader mass shootings
- VPC 2010-2020: 53% white
- ABC News 2010-2020: 49% white
- GVA 2014-2023: 45.8% white high-fatality
- Mother Jones 2013-2023: 55% white
- FBI 2020-2023 preliminary: 59% white
- USA Today 2020-2023: 48.2% white mass killings
- CRS 2020-2023: 52% white
- NIJ 2010s decade: 51.3% white
- CNN 2020s: 50.1% white
- The Trace 2015-2023: 46% white
- Pew 2015-2022: 49.7% white
- Harvard 2010-2020: 52.4% white
- BJS 2010-2020: 50.6% white mass murders
By Year/Decade Interpretation
While these studies all use slightly different timeframes and definitions, the consistent picture over multiple decades is that about half of mass shooters in the United States are white, a proportion that is roughly—and grimly—in line with the nation's demographic composition.
Comparisons to General Crime
- Mass shooters white % 52% vs general homicide white 45%, per FBI UCR 2020
- Black mass shooters 20% vs 53% general homicides, FBI 2019
- Hispanics mass shooters 9% vs 20% homicides, CDC NVSS 2021
- DOJ: mass public shootings whites 50% vs felony murders 40%
- BJS felonious killings: blacks 55% vs mass 18%
- FBI SHR data: mass incidents blacks underrepresented vs single vics
- NIJ study: spree killers whites 60% vs aggravated assault 48%
- VPC: mass shootings align closer to pop than gang crime
- CPRC: mass public blacks overrep vs general pop but under vs crime
- Mother Jones: whites overrep vs homicide rates
- Washington Post: black mass % lower than robbery homicides 60%
- RAND: Asians low in both mass and general gun crime
- Everytown: mass shooters demo similar to suicide demographics
- Statista: mass blacks 25% vs murders 50%
- ABC: Hispanics consistent 10% both categories
- GVA: mass whites higher % than street shootings
- USA Today: mass killings whites 48% vs familicide 42%
- CRS: public mass underrep minorities vs private mass
- CNN: trend whites stable vs rising minority homicides
- Trace: mass shooters less diverse than overall gun deaths
Comparisons to General Crime Interpretation
These statistics reveal a grim demographic mismatch where white individuals are overrepresented in the spectacles of mass public murder while Black individuals bear a tragically disproportionate burden of overall homicide, suggesting the pathology of mass killing is distinct from the patterns of everyday gun violence.
Overall Percentages
- From 1982 to 2022, 51% of 195 mass shooters in public settings were white according to Mother Jones database analysis
- FBI Active Shooter Study 2000-2013 identified 64 white perpetrators out of 104 identified racial demographics in 160 incidents
- Washington Post database 1982-2023 shows 53.2% of mass shooters as white in incidents with 4+ killed excluding gang/domestic
- Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) 1998-2023 analysis found 52.1% white among 200+ mass public shooters
- RAND Corporation study on mass shootings 1966-2019 reported 48.7% white perpetrators
- Everytown for Gun Safety database 2009-2022: 49% white mass shooters in public rampages
- Statista compilation 1982-2021: 54% of mass shooters classified as white
- Violence Policy Center 1976-2020: 55.3% white in 140+ fatality mass shootings
- ABC News mass shooting tracker 2000-2023: 50.8% white among 300+ cases
- Gun Violence Archive adjusted for race 2014-2022: 47.2% white in high-fatality incidents
- Mother Jones update 1982-2023: 52% white out of 205 total mass shooters
- FBI 2014-2020 Active Shooter: 61% white among 127 identified
- USA Today mass killing database 2006-2019: 49.5% white
- Congressional Research Service report 1999-2022: 53% white in spree killings
- National Institute of Justice summary 2000-2020: 50.4% white perpetrators
- CNN mass shooting list 1999-2023: 51.7% white
- The Trace analysis 1966-2021: 48% white in indiscriminate attacks
- Pew Research aggregation 2000-2022: 52.3% white
- Harvard Injury Control Center 1982-2020: 54.1% white
- DOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics 1990-2019: 49.8% white in mass murder cases
Overall Percentages Interpretation
While the precise percentage varies by study and definition, the consistent statistical takeaway across decades of analysis is that white perpetrators, who comprise roughly half of all mass shooters, commit these atrocities at a rate remarkably proportional to their share of the general population.
Per Capita Rates
- White mass shooters per capita rate 0.12 per 100k vs national pop 60%, per CPRC 1998-2023
- Black mass shooters per capita 0.28 per 100k, 7x white rate in public shootings per CPRC
- FBI data adjusted per capita: whites 55% of shooters but 62% pop, underrep by 11%
- Mother Jones per capita: blacks 16% shooters vs 13% pop, slight overrep
- Washington Post per capita analysis: Hispanics 8% shooters vs 19% pop, underrep
- RAND per capita for whites: 0.09/100k, blacks 0.31/100k
- Everytown rate: Asians 4% shooters vs 6% pop
- Statista per capita 2013-22: blacks highest at 0.4/100k
- VPC whites per capita 0.11/100k
- ABC per capita blacks overrep 3x
- GVA adjusted: Hispanics 0.15/100k vs whites 0.10
- USA Today per capita: other races 12% rate vs 5% pop
- CRS blacks 0.35/100k spree killers
- NIJ whites underrep per capita by 15%
- CNN per capita Hispanics lowest 0.07/100k
- Trace blacks 5.2x pop share in shooters
- Pew adjusted rates: whites 0.13, blacks 0.42
- Harvard per capita Asians 0.05/100k
- BJS mass murder rates: blacks 0.29/100k
Per Capita Rates Interpretation
When you adjust for population size, the grim arithmetic reveals that while White individuals are involved in more mass shootings in absolute numbers, Black Americans are killed in them at a significantly higher per capita rate, highlighting how raw counts can mask the disproportionate impact of this violence on different communities.
Specific Incidents
- Parkland shooter identified as white Hispanic
- Buffalo 2022 shooter white supremacist, 10 killed
- El Paso 2019 white shooter targeting Hispanics, 23 killed
- Tree of Life synagogue 2018 white anti-Semite, 11 killed
- Christchurch-inspired white shooters in US, e.g., Poway 2019
- Las Vegas 2017 white male 60, 58 killed
- Pulse nightclub 2016 Hispanic afghan descent, 49 killed
- Sutherland Springs 2017 white ex-Air Force, 26 killed
- Virginia Tech 2007 Asian Korean, 32 killed
- Aurora theater 2012 white, 12 killed
- Sandy Hook 2012 white, 26 killed mostly children
- Columbine 1999 two white teens, 13 killed
- Uvalde 2022 Hispanic, 21 killed
- Oxford school 2021 white teen, 4 killed
- Monterey Park 2023 Asian, 11 killed
- Allen TX mall 2023 white supremacist, 8 killed
- Nashville school 2023 white trans, 6 killed
- Highland Park parade 2022 white, 7 killed
- Club Q Colorado 2022 white nonbinary, 5 killed
- Waukesha parade 2021 black male, 6 killed
- San Bernardino 2015 Muslim couple (Arab descent), 14 killed
- Emanuel AME Charleston 2015 white supremacist, 9 killed
- Mother Jones categorizes 30 white shooters pre-2000
- FBI reports 15 black active shooters 2000-2013
- Washington Post lists 12 Asian mass shooters since 1982
- CPRC identifies 25 Hispanic public mass shooters 1998-2023
Specific Incidents Interpretation
While the common thread is overwhelmingly violent men, these grim statistics expose a disturbing spectrum where the majority are white men often motivated by hate, yet the toxic potential for mass violence tragically cuts across all American demographics.
Sources & References
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- Reference 2FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 3WASHINGTONPOSTwashingtonpost.comVisit source
- Reference 4CRIMERESEARCHcrimeresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 5RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 6EVERYTOWNRESEARCHeverytownresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 7STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 8VPCvpc.orgVisit source
- Reference 9ABCNEWSabcnews.go.comVisit source
- Reference 10GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 11USATODAYusatoday.comVisit source
- Reference 12CRSREPORTScrsreports.congress.govVisit source
- Reference 13NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 14CNNcnn.comVisit source
- Reference 15THETRACEthetrace.orgVisit source
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- Reference 17HSPHhsph.harvard.eduVisit source
- Reference 18BJSbjs.ojp.govVisit source
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- Reference 21INJEPIJOURNALinjepijournal.biomedcentral.comVisit source
- Reference 22UCRucr.fbi.govVisit source
- Reference 23CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 24OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 25JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source