The FBI has finally released homicide data for 2023. In 2021, the number of police departments participating in the survey declined dramatically. This bounced back in 2022. For the 2023 data, the FBI says 91.4% of law enforcement agencies participated.
The FBI lists four racial categories for homicide suspects:
Black: 56.3%
White/Latino/Arab/Central Asian/Other: 40.8%
American Indian: 1.5%
East Asian: 1.2%
Pacific Islander: 0.3%
Of these homicide suspects, 69.4% were sub-categorized as “Hispanic or Latino” or “Not Hispanic or Latino.”
Hispanic or Latino: 21.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino: 78.7%
While the Black percentage of 56.3% is astronomical compared to their percentage of the population, it is the lowest Black percentage since 2019.
Homicide Victims:
Black: 54.1%
White/Latino/Arab/Central Asian/Other: 42.5%
East Asian: 1.8%
American Indian: 1.4%
Pacific Islander: 0.2%
Black percentage of known US homicide suspects:
2022, Blacks were 57.6%
2021, Blacks were 60.4% (Huge dip in participating agencies)
2020, Blacks were 56.6%
2019, Blacks were 55.9%
2018, Blacks were 54.8%
2017, Blacks were 54.2%
2016, Blacks were 53.5%
2015, Blacks were 53.3%
2014, Blacks were 53.0%
According to the US Census, Blacks made up 13.7% of the US population in 2023.
Keep in mind that majority Black cities tend to have abysmal clearance rates. So murders are less likely to have a known suspect.
