The information below is a summary of gang facts and statistics
1. What are the Leading Risk factors for male gang involvement ?
(90% of gang youth are male. The more of these risk factors apply, the greater the risk for
gang involvement)
Low income
Learning disabilities (8 out of 10 gang members---children with LD are 3 times more likely to join gangs)
Low achievement in, and attachment to school
No involvement in positive activities outside of school
Friends and peers who are delinquent
Low exposure and attachment to conventional rules, expectations and role models
Feeling of fear in school (28% of those joined gangs reported fear in school, while only 2% of those who did not join gangs reported fear in school)
Early involvement in petty theft
Behavioral disorders in the primary grades
This page is in response to the many requests I've received (particularly from students) for essential statistics, facts, references and links. I will continue to add and update this page, and welcome any comments or suggestions.
Gang Facts and Statistics
2. How many are involved in gangs?
There are approximately 24,000 gangs in the U.S., with about 750,000 members
100% of cities in the U.S. with at least 250,000 reported gang activity. 86% of those with at least 100,000 people reported gang activity.
Note on Ethnicity: Most studies find that you have a greater chance of being in a gang if you are non-white. This is due to greater poverty among non-whites. In rural areas and small towns where the poor are white, the gang members are also white. See the OJJDP bulletin and the NYGC frequently asked questions and National youth gang survey for exact statistics and references on the topic of ethnicity..
1. Risk factors
2. % of youth in gangs
3. % of women in gangs
4. Gangs in Indian Country
5. Crimes committed by gangs
3. How many girls are in gangs, and how is their role different from male gang members?
The percent of girls who report gang affiliation is 0% in some communities, and as high as 22% in communities with high gang activity.
Of all gang members, the percent that are females is between 6% and 11%, depending on the study.
The total number of females gang members is between 50,000 and 80,000 in the U.S..
Only 2% of all gangs are composed entirely of women.
female gang members are far less delinquent, use fewer drugs and commit less crime.
female gang members leave the gang at an earlier age than males
female gang members are incarcerated less frequently
Teen pregnancy provides an avenue to adulthood (and self-esteem) that is unavailable to males, and this is an important and separating factor when thinking about teenage pregnancy, gangs, drug use, delinquency and alienation.
4. What is the percent of gang involvement in Indian Country and how are these gangs different?
The OJJDP 2000 survey of gangs in Indian Country finds that 23% of reservations in the study report between 1 and 40 active gangs on tribal land. 80% of gang members were male and 75% were under 18 years old. Most gangs reported having some female members, and 10% of gangs being more than 50% female. 78% of gang members were Native American, and 22% of primarily Hispanic, Black or Caucasian background.
My ERIC Review and Paradigm article will give an overview of the situation in Indian country, especially cultural and economic factors affecting the rise in gang involvement, and an intervention being used on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Native American Youth in Gangs: Acculturation and Identity is an excellent project out of Sacramento State, and incorporates a discussion of the important OJJDP study "Finding and Knowing the Gang Nayee," the first real study of gangs on a reservation (Navajo).
5. How much crime is committed by gangs and gang members?
