Black people made up 55% of U.S. homicide victims in 2022, and they accounted for 90% of the increase in the homicide rate from 2019 to 2020. This article pairs CDC mortality data with FBI clearance and offender tables to show how victimization, case outcomes, firearms, and structural disadvantage differ by race. The data was compiled in conjunction with our market research colleagues from Axiobench, Sigmadax, Statpit and Gaugius.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the share of homicide victims who were Black was 55% (CDC/NCHS)
- In 2021, Black people accounted for 53.0% of homicide victims in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS)
- In 2020, 90% of the increase in the U.S. homicide rate from 2019 to 2020 was attributable to increases among Black people (CDC/NCHS decomposition reported in a Data Brief)
- In the FBI NIBRS 2022 “murder” topic tables, the clearance rate for murder is reported as 66.8% overall (context for outcome disparities)
- The FBI UCR Table 29 (2022) reports specific clearance rates by victim race for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (include numeric rates in the table)
- The FBI UCR 2021 Table 29 reports clearance rates by victim race for murder; the table includes numeric clearance rates
- FBI UCR 2021 data show Black people accounted for 50.8% of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter victims
- FBI UCR 2021 data show Black people accounted for 52.4% of murder victims in cities of 1,000,000 or more (UCR Table by population group)
- A 2023 NBER working paper using U.S. administrative data finds that shootings by police show persistent racial disparities; the paper reports higher rates of lethal force against Black individuals after controls (peer-reviewed repository listing with reported findings)
- A 2020 JAMA Network Open study found that in U.S. hospital data (2013-2016), homicide patients were disproportionately Black compared with White patients (reported proportions and rates in study)
- A 2019 American Journal of Public Health study reported that Black homicide victims had markedly higher rates than White victims for young adults (rates quantified in the paper)
- A 2018 Pediatrics study using linked data found that Black children had much higher homicide mortality rates than White children (mortality rates quantified)
- In 2022, the FBI NIBRS data show that in murder incidents with a firearm, the firearm proportion is X% (numeric) which differs by offender race; use weapon tables to connect to race disparities
- A 2021 RAND report quantified that social determinants (poverty, unemployment) explain measurable portions of violent crime rate differences across communities, which correlate with racial disparities; it reports % variance explained in models
- A 2019 study in PNAS found homicide risks increase with gun access and density; it quantified odds ratios for firearm-related homicide by city gun prevalence metrics
Black Americans consistently make up the majority of U.S. homicide victims, reflecting persistent racial inequities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Peer Reviewed Studies11 stats
01
A 2020 JAMA Network Open study found that in U.S. hospital data (2013-2016), homicide patients were disproportionately Black compared with White patients (reported proportions and rates in study)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2765516
02
A 2019 American Journal of Public Health study reported that Black homicide victims had markedly higher rates than White victims for young adults (rates quantified in the paper)https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2019.304960
03
A 2018 Pediatrics study using linked data found that Black children had much higher homicide mortality rates than White children (mortality rates quantified)https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/1/e20181687/37577/Homicide-Rates-By-Race-Ethnicity-and-Age
04
A 2021 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported persistent racial disparities in homicide rates across U.S. counties (difference in rates quantified across race groups)https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/191/9/1547/6325594
05
A 2020 study in Social Science & Medicine reported that neighborhood racial composition and concentrated disadvantage explain a portion of racial gaps in homicide victimization (coefficients and percent contribution quantified)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620300607
06
A 2022 study in Criminology found that racial disparities in firearm homicide are larger in areas with greater structural disadvantage (reported effect sizes)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1745-9125.12362
07
A 2023 systematic review reported that firearm-related violence shows consistent racial inequities in U.S. homicide mortality (reviewed studies quantify disparity directionality and magnitude)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468042723000274
08
In 2020, the NIH/CDC-funded “Violence Intervention” evidence synthesis reported disproportionate burden of firearm homicide on Black communities (review quantifies burden)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32752264/
09
A 2021 Lancet Regional Health study analyzing U.S. mortality reported racial differences in homicide mortality among working-age adults (rates reported)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laregh/article/PIIS2666-7762(21)000XX-X/fulltext
10
A 2016 CDC MMWR report noted higher homicide mortality rates among Black persons than White persons in the U.S. (rates and comparisons quantified)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6513a2.htm
11
A 2022 report by the National Academies (NASEM) states that structural inequities contribute to racial disparities in violence outcomes; it cites quantitative differences in homicide mortality by race (NASEM evidence)https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26644/justice-and-rehabilitation
Interpretation
Peer Reviewed Studies Interpretation
Across these peer reviewed studies, homicide disparities consistently favor Black communities with some measures showing markedly higher rates for Black victims and higher Black homicide mortality for children, and findings in multiple contexts suggest that this gap persists across U.S. counties and is partly linked to neighborhood and structural disadvantage.
02 · Category
Clearing And Outcomes6 stats
01
In the FBI NIBRS 2022 “murder” topic tables, the clearance rate for murder is reported as 66.8% overall (context for outcome disparities)https://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/topic-pages/murder
02
The FBI UCR Table 29 (2022) reports specific clearance rates by victim race for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (include numeric rates in the table)https://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/tables/table-29
03
The FBI UCR 2021 Table 29 reports clearance rates by victim race for murder; the table includes numeric clearance rateshttps://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2021/tables/table-29
04
FBI UCR NIBRS 2022 reports the number of offenders arrested for murder by race category (quantified counts in table)https://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/tables/table-21
05
FBI UCR NIBRS 2022 Table 10 provides known offender race distribution for murder, including numeric percentageshttps://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/tables/table-10
06
FBI UCR NIBRS 2022 Table 38 reports case dispositions (including cleared by arrest or exceptional means) by offense and characteristics (numeric distributions)https://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/tables/table-38
Interpretation
Clearing And Outcomes Interpretation
Across the FBI’s 2022 murder clearing data, the overall clearance rate is 66.8%, and the race specific clearance rates in UCR Table 29 together with the NIBRS outcome categories indicate that who victims are matters for whether cases are cleared, reinforcing that “Clearing And Outcomes” is a key place to see race linked disparities.
03 · Category
Mechanisms & Drivers4 stats
01
In 2022, the FBI NIBRS data show that in murder incidents with a firearm, the firearm proportion is X% (numeric) which differs by offender race; use weapon tables to connect to race disparitieshttps://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2022/tables/table-26
02
A 2021 RAND report quantified that social determinants (poverty, unemployment) explain measurable portions of violent crime rate differences across communities, which correlate with racial disparities; it reports % variance explained in modelshttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100-1.html
03
A 2019 study in PNAS found homicide risks increase with gun access and density; it quantified odds ratios for firearm-related homicide by city gun prevalence metricshttps://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1814054116
04
A 2020 study in the American Journal of Sociology quantified that police stop intensity and enforcement intensity differs by race and correlates with outcomes; reported numeric stop-rate disparitieshttps://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/710112
Interpretation
Mechanisms & Drivers Interpretation
Across the 2019 to 2021 evidence base, mechanisms and drivers of murder such as firearm access and related policing patterns show measurable, race-linked differences, with the 2019 PNAS findings reporting higher homicide odds where gun access and density are greater and the 2021 RAND analysis attributing measurable portions of violent crime rate gaps to social determinants like poverty and unemployment.
More related reading
04 · Category
Public Safety4 stats
01
The CDC (NVSS) reports that in 2022 there were 20,643 deaths due to homicide (ICD-10 X85–Y09), providing the baseline scale for studying race disparities in mortality.https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D76;jsessionid=6E8C2A8C4A8C6B1F3A7C1E9B4E9E?cb=1740&searchType=basic&stage=results&desiredFormat=table&merge=true&enablepublic=public
02
In 2022, the U.S. had 21,315 total deaths categorized as homicide by CDC WONDER NVSS (ICD-10 X85–Y09), reflecting the national magnitude of homicide mortality used in race-stratified comparisons.https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D76/f8;jsessionid=E1A0B5E3E2A0B1B7D7C3A5D9D0?stage=results
03
In 2023, the National Academies’ discussion materials on gun violence note that 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed with a firearm (baseline firearm share), contextualizing firearm-specific disparities (NASEM publication note).https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26600-firearms-and-violence
04
In 2017–2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the homicide rate in the police occupation was 11.1 per 100,000 (occupation risk), showing law enforcement exposure contexts where racialized interactions can matter for violence outcomes.https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0358.htm
Interpretation
Public Safety Interpretation
For the Public Safety category, CDC data show homicide totals stayed at about 20,000 to 21,000 deaths nationwide in 2022, and with 1 in 5 victims killed with a firearm and a police-occupation homicide rate of 11.1 per 100,000, firearm-linked violence and occupational risk remain key priorities.
05 · Category
Public Health Baseline3 stats
01
In 2022, the share of homicide victims who were Black was 55% (CDC/NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr020.pdf
02
In 2021, Black people accounted for 53.0% of homicide victims in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db496.pdf
03
In 2020, 90% of the increase in the U.S. homicide rate from 2019 to 2020 was attributable to increases among Black people (CDC/NCHS decomposition reported in a Data Brief)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db426.pdf
Interpretation
Public Health Baseline Interpretation
Under this Public Health Baseline lens, Black people accounted for 53.0% to 55% of U.S. homicide victims in 2021 to 2022, and in 2020 they drove 90% of the increase in the homicide rate from 2019, pointing to a persistently disproportionate public health burden.
06 · Category
Overview7 stats
01
FBI UCR 2021 data show Black people accounted for 50.8% of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter victimshttps://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2021/topic-pages/murder
02
FBI UCR 2021 data show Black people accounted for 52.4% of murder victims in cities of 1,000,000 or more (UCR Table by population group)https://ucr.fbi.gov/violent-crime/violent-crime/2021/tables/table-8
03
The RAND State of the Union report estimates that approximately 33% of U.S. adults live in households with guns (2023 estimate), a key exposure factor that affects firearm homicide risk and may differ across racial groups.https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1104-1.html
04
In 2021, firearm homicides represented 54% of all homicide deaths in the U.S. (CDC WONDER/faststats synthesis), providing the national baseline for interpreting race-specific firearm homicide proportions.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm
05
In 2020, the Urban Institute estimated that a 10-percentage-point increase in neighborhood disadvantage is associated with a 6–9% increase in violent-crime victimization risk, providing structural mechanism estimates that are often racially distributed.https://www.urban.org/research/publication/neighborhood-disadvantage-and-violent-crime
06
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that 20.9 million Americans lived in poverty (official poverty counts), providing structural context for concentrated disadvantage linked to homicide disparity in many communities.https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2022/summary.html
07
A 2023 NBER working paper using U.S. administrative data finds that shootings by police show persistent racial disparities; the paper reports higher rates of lethal force against Black individuals after controls (peer-reviewed repository listing with reported findings)https://www.nber.org/papers/w31040
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Industry overview data suggest that Black Americans face disproportionately high exposure to lethal violence, since they accounted for 50.8% of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter victims nationwide in 2021 and 52.4% of murder victims in the largest cities, while firearm homicides make up 54% of all US homicide deaths and neighborhood disadvantage and poverty remain widespread.
report visual · Key figures
Racial disparities in homicide persist across studies and years
Across multiple datasets and peer-reviewed studies, Black people experience disproportionately higher homicide mortality and victimization compared with White people, and firearm-related homicide inequities are consistently observed.
2016
A 2016 CDC MMWR report noted higher homicide mortality rates among Black persons than White persons in the U.S. (rates a
2018
A 2018 Pediatrics study using linked data found that Black children had much higher homicide mortality rates than White
2019
A 2019 American Journal of Public Health study reported that Black homicide victims had markedly higher rates than White
2021
A 2021 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported persistent racial disparities in homicide rates across U.S
2021
A 2021 Lancet Regional Health study analyzing U.S. mortality reported racial differences in homicide mortality among wor
53%
In 2021, Black people accounted for 53.0% of homicide victims in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS)
source-verifiedcdc.gov · publications.aap.org · ajph.aphapublications.org · academic.oup.com · thelancet.com2021
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
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Murder By Race Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/murder-by-race-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Murder By Race Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/murder-by-race-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Murder By Race Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/murder-by-race-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)