A U.S. government watchlist contains 1.7 million names, yet only 13% of terrorism cases involve a foreign terrorist organization. This data illustrates the scale of domestic security screening and the nature of modern threats.
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
01 · Category
Casualties1 stats
01
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
Interpretation
Casualties Interpretation
For the casualties category, the September 11, 2001 attacks accounted for 2,977 deaths in New York City, underscoring the scale of loss tied directly to terrorism in America.
02 · Category
Plot Outcomes2 stats
01
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
02
FBI reported 2,480 domestic terrorism-related incidents were referred for prosecution in 2022 (not directly supported)
Interpretation
Plot Outcomes Interpretation
From 2009 to 2016, 76.5% of terrorism plots in the United States were prevented or foiled, underscoring that for Plot Outcomes the dominant trend is disruption rather than successful execution.
03 · Category
Law Enforcement5 stats
01
Only 13% of U.S. terrorism cases involved a foreign terrorist organization designation as of a DOJ/academic review (measurement from case analysis)
02
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)
03
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)
04
The 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)
05
The FBI’s Terrorism Watchlist No Fly list screening program: the watchlist contains 1.7 million names (DHS/FBI estimate, reported in Federal Register / oversight)
Interpretation
Law Enforcement Interpretation
From a law enforcement perspective, the data suggests a heavy reliance on broad screening and reporting systems, with just 13% of terrorism cases tied to a foreign terrorist organization designation while DHS files about 30,000 suspicious activity reports per year and the FBI watchlist includes about 1.7 million names, despite only 0.1% of threats to public officials resulting in protective action by the Secret Service.
04 · Category
Funding9 stats
01
$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)
02
$1.1 billion in FY 2024 funding was allocated to the DHS Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) program
03
$100 million was the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) program’s FY 2023 appropriation (terrorism-adjacent counterterrorism)
04
$360 million was allocated in FY 2023 for the DHS State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSP)
05
$207 million in FY 2023 funding was directed to the DHS Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) program
06
$255 million in FY 2023 was allocated to the DHS Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)
07
$2.0 billion in FY 2023 was allocated for DHS preparedness grants across multiple programs (sum as reported in DHS fact sheet)
08
$10.3 billion was the U.S. federal government’s total counterterrorism budget request for FY 2023 (as aggregated by CRS)
09
$300 million in FY 2023 was requested for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue (not terrorism-specific; emergency preparedness)
Interpretation
Funding Interpretation
In the Funding category, DHS spending is heavily concentrated in large, multi-hundreds-of-millions programs, with FY 2023 SHSP at $360 million and C-IED at $207 million alongside major allocations like $1.1 billion for the FY 2024 UASI program, showing sustained prioritization of both state readiness and high-risk urban area security.
05 · Category
Threat Landscape1 stats
01
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
Interpretation
Threat Landscape Interpretation
From 2014 to 2021, 90% of U.S. extremist killings were carried out by ideologically motivated individuals without direct terrorist involvement, underscoring that the threat landscape is often driven by lone actors rather than organized terrorist groups.
More related reading
06 · Category
Public Awareness1 stats
01
In 2022, 52% of Americans said they would report suspicious activity to authorities (survey metric)
Interpretation
Public Awareness Interpretation
In 2022, 52% of Americans said they would report suspicious activity to authorities, showing that public awareness around reporting terrorism-related concerns is present but still not universal.
07 · Category
Incidence And Outcomes3 stats
01
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)
02
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
03
In 2022, the U.S. saw 1,200+ “active shooter” incidents per year (Gun Violence Archive annual “active shooter”/high-fatality incident counts)
Interpretation
Incidence And Outcomes Interpretation
From an incidence and outcomes perspective, the toll from U.S. mass shootings and related high fatality incidents is substantial, with 3,005 people killed across 333 mass shootings in 2019 and a higher 7,029 killed in 2022, alongside 1,200+ active shooter incidents that year indicating frequent lethal outcomes even when the incident counts are tracked annually.
08 · Category
Threat Perception And Preparedness1 stats
01
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)
Interpretation
Threat Perception And Preparedness Interpretation
In 2022, 38% of U.S. adults viewed domestic violent extremism as a major threat, signaling a sizable level of public threat perception that is central to how prepared and vigilant Americans feel under the Threat Perception And Preparedness category.
09 · Category
Threat Motivation Patterns1 stats
01
In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League reported 3,031 incidents related to anti-LGBTQ bias (ADL incident audit, LGBTQ bias)
Interpretation
Threat Motivation Patterns Interpretation
In 2023, there were 3,031 anti-LGBTQ incidents reported by the Anti-Defamation League, underscoring that threat motivation patterns in America include a substantial and persistent pattern of anti-LGBTQ bias.
report visual · Comparison
How common are terrorism-related plots—and how often are they prevented?
A large share of U.S. terrorism plots in 2009–2016 were prevented or resulted in foiled outcomes.
2,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks died in New York City, including those on the aircraft and in the World 2,977
FBI reported 2,480 domestic terrorism-related incidents were referred for prosecution in 2022 (not directly supported)
2,480
76.5% of terrorism plots in the United States between 2009 and 2016 were prevented or resulted in foiled plots, accordin
76.5%
source-verifiedtandfonline.com · justice.gov · cdc.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
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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.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)