National Youth Gang Survey Analysis
Demographics
Age of Gang Members
Respondents provided information regarding the estimated ages of gang members in their jurisdictions.
- In virtually every survey year, law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of adult (18 and over) gang members compared with juvenile (under 18) gang members.
- The most recent figures provided by law enforcement are approximately two-thirds adult-aged and one-third juvenile-aged gang members.
[Text Description] | Age of Gang Members data (pdf)
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Age of Gang Members by Area Type
The age of gang members is compared across area types in 2006.
- Larger cities and suburban counties, which typically have long-standing gang problems, are more likely to report adult-aged gang members than juvenile-aged gang members.
- Conversely, smaller cities and rural counties, whose gang problems are relatively more recent, are more likely to report juvenile-aged gang members.
[Text Description] | Age of Gang Members by Area Type data (pdf)
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Gender of Gang Members
Respondents provided information regarding the gender of gang members in their jurisdictions.
- Law enforcement agencies overwhelmingly report a greater percentage of male gang members versus female gang members—a typical finding from law enforcement data but one that is challenged by other research methodologies.
- Despite a growing concern of females joining gangs, little to no change in the percentage is observed across survey years.
[Text Description] | Gender of Gang Members data (pdf)
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Gangs With Female Members
Respondents provided information regarding gangs with female members in their jurisdictions.
- A large percentage of agencies in each area type could not provide information regarding the prevalence of female membership within gangs, suggesting this issue is of lesser significance for law enforcement.
- Of those agencies that could provide information, proportionally few reported that none of the gangs in their jurisdictions have female members.
- Conversely, approximately 15 percent of larger cities, 13 percent of suburban counties, 18 percent of smaller cities, and 12 percent of rural counties reported that more than half of the gangs in their jurisdictions have female members.
| Gangs With Female Members | Larger Cities | Suburban Counties | Smaller Cities | Rural Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Data Reported | 30.5% | 37.5% | 40.0% | 48.4% |
| 0% | 8.0 | 6.2 | 12.7 | 9.4 |
| 1–25% | 33.4 | 29.2 | 15.3 | 17.2 |
| 26–50% | 12.6 | 13.7 | 14.0 | 12.5 |
| More Than 50% | 15.5 | 13.4 | 18.0 | 12.5 |
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members
Respondents provided information regarding the race/ethnicity of gang members in their jurisdictions.
- Law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of Hispanic/Latino and African-American/black gang members compared with other race/ethnicities.
- The most recent figures provided by law enforcement are 35 percent African-American/black gang members, 49 percent Hispanic/Latino gang members, 9 percent white gang members, and 7 percent other race/ethnicity of gang members.
[Text Description] |
Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members data (pdf)
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members by Area Type
The race/ethnicity of gang members is compared by area type.
- Across all area types, the majority of law enforcement agencies report that African-American/black and/or Hispanic/Latino predominate among documented gang members.
- Prevalence rates of white gang membership are lowest in larger cities (8 percent) but significantly higher in other area types, including rural counties (17 percent), where the rate is more than twice as high.
| Larger Cities | Suburban Counties | Smaller Cities | Rural Counties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 46.7% | 45.8% | 48.3% | 31.7% |
| Black or African American | 38.4 | 32.0 | 32.5 | 43.6 |
| White | 8.4 | 14.0 | 14.2 | 16.8 |
| All Other | 6.6 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 7.8 |
Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.
Suggested citation: National Youth Gang Center (2009). National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from http://www.iir.com/nygc/nygsa/
