U.S. Jews the target of 64 per cent of religion based hate crimes in 2025: FBI

Hate crimes were down about seven per cent in the United States from 11,404 incidents in 2024, to 10,606 in 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday as part of an announcement of what it said was the “largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since FBI estimations began in 1936.”

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Still, Jews were disproportionately targeted in hate crimes last year, according to FBI data. Of 2,572 religion-based hate crimes last year, 1,647 (64 per cent) targeted Jews — or 15 per cent of all hate crimes.

Jewish Americans, who number about 7.5 million, make up about 2.4 per cent of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center.

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Arabs were targeted in 130 incidents (5 per cent) and Muslims in 233 (9 per cent) last year, according to FBI data.

Of the 1,818 offences against Jews (13.8 per cent) last year, the overwhelming majority (1,003) involved vandalism or other property destruction. There were also 541 intimidation offences, 118 simple assaults, 51 aggravated assaults, 39 other larceny, 12 burglaries or breaking and entering, 11 thefts from buildings, seven robberies and six arson offences.

The FBI also recorded five weapon law violations, four extortion and blackmail offenses, three murders and non-negligent manslaughter offenses, three instances of pornography and obscene material, two con jobs, two thefts of motor vehicles, two instances of shoplifting and one count each of criminal sexual contact, drug or narcotic violation, hacking or computer invasion, identity theft, kidnapping or abduction, other unspecified offense, sodomy, theft from motor vehicle and weapon of mass destruction.

There was no other weapon of mass destruction offence against any other faith group, and just one other faith group was also a victim of murder and non-negligent manslaughter — two such offences targeted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, per FBI data.

In 2025, the only category of hate crime that exceeded the number of anti-Jewish crimes was the 3,048 anti-black hate crimes. Black people make up about 14.4 per cent of the population, according to the Pew Research Center, which suggests that in 2025, a Jewish American was about 225 per cent more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than a black person was.

Muslims are estimated to make up about one per cent of Americans, suggesting that in 2025, a Jewish American was about 190 per cent likelier than a Muslim American to be the target of a hate crime.

In 2024, Jews were targets of 2,095 (17.5 per cent) of the 11,949 hate crimes, and about 70 per cent of the 3,010 religion-based hate crimes, according to FBI data.

Arabs were targeted in 158 (5 per cent) of the religion-based hate crimes, and Muslims in 261 (9 per cent).

So far in 2026 — when FBI data draws on about 90 per cent coverage of the country in January to March, 85 per cent in April, 80 per cent in May, 75 per cent in June, 57 per cent in July and 21 per cent in August — the FBI has recorded 6,792 offenses as part of 5,741 hate crime incidents, 1,442 of which (25 per cent) have been religion-based hate crimes.

Jews have been targets of 829 hate crimes so far, or 57 per cent of all religion-based hate crimes and 14.4 per cent of all hate crimes.

Arabs have been targets of 65 (4.5 per cent) and Muslims 138 (9.6 per cent) of all faith-based hate crimes.

There have been about twice as many anti-black hate crimes as anti-Jewish ones, suggesting that so far in 2026, per available FBI data, Jews have been about 210 per cent more likely to be hate crime targets than black people have, and about 150 per cent likelier than Muslims have.

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