Every year, the United States generates roughly 30,000 suspicious activity reports related to homeland security threats, yet only a small fraction of terrorism cases show up with a foreign terrorist organization designation. From the 2,977 people killed on September 11 to the watchlist machinery and grant dollars that follow, these figures reveal a striking gap between what gets flagged and what gets classified.
Key Takeaways
- 2,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks died in New York City, including those on the aircraft and in the World Trade Center
- 76.5% of terrorism plots in the United States between 2009 and 2016 were prevented or resulted in foiled plots, according to an analysis of open-source data
- FBI reported 2,480 domestic terrorism-related incidents were referred for prosecution in 2022 (not directly supported)
- Only 13% of U.S. terrorism cases involved a foreign terrorist organization designation as of a DOJ/academic review (measurement from case analysis)
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported 30,000 suspicious activity reports (SARs) per year related to homeland security threats (broad SAR program scale)
- The U.S. Secret Service made 0.1% of all reported threats to public officials lead to protective action, according to an agency annual report (protective service stats)
- $1.9 billion was the total amount awarded in FY 2023 to the DHS Office of Grant Programs for State and Local Homeland Security (including terrorism preparedness)
- $1.1 billion in FY 2024 funding was allocated to the DHS Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) program
- $100 million was the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) program’s FY 2023 appropriation (terrorism-adjacent counterterrorism)
- From 2014 to 2021, 90% of U.S. extremist killings were committed by individuals acting on ideology without direct involvement from terrorist groups, per a study synthesizing case data
- In 2022, 52% of Americans said they would report suspicious activity to authorities (survey metric)
- 3,005 people were killed in the 333 U.S. mass shootings in 2019, and 22% of the victims were killed by incidents classified as “ideologically motivated” (analysis includes terrorism-related mass shootings)
- 7,029 people were killed in 2022 U.S. mass shootings (mass shooting definition per Violence Project/Gun Violence Archive methodology), highlighting the scale of high-fatality incidents relevant to terrorism-related attacks
- In 2022, the U.S. saw 1,200+ “active shooter” incidents per year (Gun Violence Archive annual “active shooter”/high-fatality incident counts)
- A 2022 survey found that 38% of U.S. adults believe domestic violent extremism is a “major threat” to the U.S. (survey metric on threat assessment)
U.S. counterterrorism spends billions while most plots are stopped early, and extremist killings are often ideology-driven.
Related reading
Casualties
12,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks died in New York City, including those on the aircraft and in the World Trade Center[1]
Directional
Casualties Interpretation
For the casualties category, the September 11, 2001 attacks account for 2,977 deaths in New York City, underscoring how concentrated the loss of life was there including on the aircraft and at the World Trade Center.
Plot Outcomes
176.5% of terrorism plots in the United States between 2009 and 2016 were prevented or resulted in foiled plots, according to an analysis of open-source data[2]
Verified
2FBI reported 2,480 domestic terrorism-related incidents were referred for prosecution in 2022 (not directly supported)[3]
Verified
Plot Outcomes Interpretation
In the Plot Outcomes category, 76.5% of US terrorism plots from 2009 to 2016 were prevented or foiled, underscoring how often attempts end before they succeed even as 2,480 domestic terrorism related incidents were referred for prosecution in 2022.
Law Enforcement
1Only 13% of U.S. terrorism cases involved a foreign terrorist organization designation as of a DOJ/academic review (measurement from case analysis)[4]
Verified
2The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported 30,000 suspicious activity reports (SARs) per year related to homeland security threats (broad SAR program scale)[5]
Verified
3The U.S. Secret Service made 0.1% of all reported threats to public officials lead to protective action, according to an agency annual report (protective service stats)[6]
Verified
4The FBI’s Terrorism Screening program includes the No Fly List and related watchlists used for screening at U.S. borders and airports (watchlist count published by DHS/administration)[7]
Verified
5The FBI’s Terrorism Watchlist No Fly list screening program: the watchlist contains 1.7 million names (DHS/FBI estimate, reported in Federal Register / oversight)[8]
Verified
Law Enforcement Interpretation
From a law enforcement perspective, the data suggests a wide-net screening and reporting approach since only 13% of cases involve a foreign terrorist organization designation while agencies generate large threat-intelligence volumes like 30,000 homeland security SARs annually and screen through a watchlist of 1.7 million names.
Funding
1$1.9 billion was the total amount awarded in FY 2023 to the DHS Office of Grant Programs for State and Local Homeland Security (including terrorism preparedness)[9]
Single source
2$1.1 billion in FY 2024 funding was allocated to the DHS Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) program[10]
Verified
3$100 million was the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) program’s FY 2023 appropriation (terrorism-adjacent counterterrorism)[11]
Directional
4$360 million was allocated in FY 2023 for the DHS State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSP)[12]
Single source
5$207 million in FY 2023 funding was directed to the DHS Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) program[13]
Directional
6$255 million in FY 2023 was allocated to the DHS Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)[14]
Directional
7$2.0 billion in FY 2023 was allocated for DHS preparedness grants across multiple programs (sum as reported in DHS fact sheet)[15]
Verified
8$10.3 billion was the U.S. federal government’s total counterterrorism budget request for FY 2023 (as aggregated by CRS)[16]
Directional
9$300 million in FY 2023 was requested for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue (not terrorism-specific; emergency preparedness)[17]
Verified
Funding Interpretation
Funding for terrorism related and related preparedness efforts is concentrated in major DHS grant streams, with FY 2023 allocations totaling $1.9 billion for State and Local Homeland Security, $2.0 billion across preparedness grants, and $10.3 billion in the overall federal counterterrorism budget request, while specific programs like UASI alone received $1.1 billion in FY 2024.
Threat Landscape
1From 2014 to 2021, 90% of U.S. extremist killings were committed by individuals acting on ideology without direct involvement from terrorist groups, per a study synthesizing case data[18]
Verified
Threat Landscape Interpretation
From 2014 to 2021, 90% of U.S. extremist killings came from ideologically motivated individuals acting without direct terrorist group involvement, underscoring that the threat landscape is driven largely by lone-wolf style radicalization rather than organized group attacks.
More related reading
Public Awareness
1In 2022, 52% of Americans said they would report suspicious activity to authorities (survey metric)[19]
Verified
Public Awareness Interpretation
In 2022, 52% of Americans said they would report suspicious activity to authorities, showing that just over half of the public is prepared to act as a frontline in public awareness efforts against terrorism.
Incidence And Outcomes
13,005 people were killed in the 333 U.S. mass shootings in 2019, and 22% of the victims were killed by incidents classified as “ideologically motivated” (analysis includes terrorism-related mass shootings)[20]
Verified
27,029 people were killed in 2022 U.S. mass shootings (mass shooting definition per Violence Project/Gun Violence Archive methodology), highlighting the scale of high-fatality incidents relevant to terrorism-related attacks[21]
Verified
3In 2022, the U.S. saw 1,200+ “active shooter” incidents per year (Gun Violence Archive annual “active shooter”/high-fatality incident counts)[22]
Verified
Incidence And Outcomes Interpretation
In the Incidence And Outcomes picture, the United States recorded 333 mass shootings in 2019 with 3,005 deaths and about 22% tied to ideologically motivated incidents, and this high-fatality pattern continued at scale in 2022 with 7,029 deaths from mass shootings and over 1,200 active shooter events per year, underscoring how frequently mass casualty outcomes accompany terrorism-relevant dynamics.
Threat Perception And Preparedness
1A 2022 survey found that 38% of U.S. adults believe domestic violent extremism is a “major threat” to the U.S. (survey metric on threat assessment)[23]
Directional
Threat Perception And Preparedness Interpretation
In 2022, 38% of U.S. adults viewed domestic violent extremism as a major threat, showing a substantial portion of the public prioritizes threat perception that can shape how prepared communities and individuals feel under the Threat Perception And Preparedness category.
Threat Motivation Patterns
1In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League reported 3,031 incidents related to anti-LGBTQ bias (ADL incident audit, LGBTQ bias)[24]
Directional
Threat Motivation Patterns Interpretation
In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League logged 3,031 anti-LGBTQ bias incidents, underscoring that terrorism related to threat motivation patterns in America is being fueled by targeted hostility toward LGBTQ communities.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
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
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Terrorism In America Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/terrorism-in-america-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Terrorism In America Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/terrorism-in-america-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Terrorism In America Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/terrorism-in-america-statistics.
References
- 1cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5109a1.htm
- 2tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2019.1572133
- 3justice.gov/usao
- 4jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27031055
- 5dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/ia/hsar/sar_faq.pdf
- 7dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/at-risk-and-screened.pdf
- 9dhs.gov/publication/fy-2023-state-and-local-grants-fact-sheet
- 10dhs.gov/publication/fy-2024-uasi-fact-sheet
- 11dhs.gov/publication/cwmd-program-fact-sheet
- 12dhs.gov/publication/fy-2023-shsp-fact-sheet
- 13dhs.gov/publication/c-ied-program-fact-sheet
- 14dhs.gov/publication/fy-2023-transit-security-grant-program-fact-sheet
- 15dhs.gov/publication/fy-2023-grants-overview-fact-sheet
- 6secretservice.gov/document/annual-report-2022/
- 8govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-dcd-1_21-cv-01309/pdf/USCOURTS-dcd-1_21-cv-01309-0.pdf
- 16crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46823
- 17fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fy2019-presidential-budget-brief.pdf
- 18rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1733-1.html
- 19rand.org/news/press/2022/06/terrorism-and-public-cooperation.html
- 23rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1104-1.html
- 20gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting-2019
- 21gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting-2022
- 22gunviolencearchive.org/reports/active-shooter-incidents
- 24adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2023