This report presents graphs and narrative summaries on youth homicide victims for years between 1980 and 2015, based on data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports.
Overall, data indicate that from 1980 through 2015 youth homicide victimization remained low, but a larger proportion of youth were killed by firearms. Across age groups, the number of youth homicide victims declined 30 percent or more between 1993 and 2015. In 2015, most youth homicide victims were very young (0-5 years old) or older teens (ages 15-17). In 2015, two-thirds of victims younger than age 6 were killed by a family member. Although the number of homicide victims ages 15-17 has declined over the years 1980-2015, the proportion killed by a firearm remained high. A greater proportion of Black homicide victims ages 15-17 were killed by a firearm compared to white victims these ages. 5 figures