Quick Facts about Sexual Assault in America – 2023

It’s a sobering fact that sexual assault is one of the most prevalent crimes committed in American society. While work has been done in our culture to empower victims, the statistics of sexual assault don’t lie. We must hold perpetrators accountable and remove the stigma around reporting an assault to see real progress on the issue.

According to RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), an American is sexually assaulted every 62 seconds. This means that over half a million people are raped or victims of sexual assault every year. To say there is a sexual assault crisis in our society may be a dramatic understatement, especially given that approximately 63% of sexual assaults go unreported.

Today, we’re going to go through statistics about sexual assault to ensure people are properly informed and outline some support resources for survivors.

Fast Facts – The Scope of the Problem

In an attempt to better understand the vast nature of the problem, we’ve collected these sexual assault statistics.

• 91% of rape and sexual assault victims are women.
• Over 50% of women and 1 in 3 men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes
• Around  81% of women and 43% of men experienced in their lifetime some type of sexual harassment.
• Approximately 74.9% of bisexual women, 43.3% of heterosexual women, and 46.4% of lesbians reported  having experienced sexual violence at some point.
• 1 in 2 transgender Americans will experience sexual violence.
• 2 in 5 gay men will experience intimate partner violence.
• Only 2%-10% of reported sexual assaults turn out to be false.
• Rape rates in the US are unacceptable, with an estimated 1 in 10 women having been raped by an intimate partner.
• American Indians are twice as likely to be victims of rape and sexual assault as compared to other races.
• The Department of Defense estimates that 8.1% of women serving in the military experience sexual assault.
• 55% of assaults occur at or near the victim’s home.
• 5% of women report sexual violence from someone in the workplace.

Sexual Assault and Adolescent Americans

Adolescents and young adults seem to be at the epicenter of the sexual assault crisis in America. They are disproportionately victimized by other age groups, as outlined in these sexual abuse statistics:

• Young Americans are at the highest risk for sexual violence, with ages 12-34 being the most vulnerable.
• Girls and young women aged 16-19 are four times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than the general population.
• 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 20 boys will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18. The prevalence of assault amongst this age group is particularly concerning as this is society’s most vulnerable population.
• Children who have experienced sexual assault display a range of emotional and behavioral responses, including an increase in nightmares, trouble sleeping, anxiety, depression, and sexual knowledge or language that’s inappropriate for their age.
• 93% of sexual assault perpetrators are known by the victim. Of those molesting children under six, 50% were family members.

Sexual assault on college campuses

College campuses are a particularly dangerous place for sexual assault, especially for young women early in their college careers. Numerous problems lead to these high statistics. Universities have not funded enough resources to help victims and courts previously have protected abusers over victims. Consider the People v. Brock Turner, one of the most famous cases of rape in the US. The perpetrator was only given six months of jail time, and he was released after three.

Unfortunately, universities are also rampant with parties that have excessive alcohol and drug use, and young people who don’t know their limits. Add in harmful fraternity traditions that normalize sexual violence, and you have a ticking time bomb.

Even with this known information, there is much to be studied about why this happens and also the reporting structures that are in place to help those who are impacted. Here are some of the facts about sexual assault on college campuses.

• Among undergraduate students, 24.6% of females and 6.8% of men experience rape or sexual assault. For graduate and professional students, it’s 9.7% of females and 2.5% of males.
• Assaults on college campuses are more frequent in August, September, October, and November.
• 65% of rape and 66.7% of sexual touching incidents took place when the offender was drinking alcohol.
• 18% of LGBTQ college students experience sexual harassment.
• For one of the most harrowing college sexual assault statistics, 43% of dating college women reported experiencing violence or abuse from a partner.

Long-term effects of sexual assault on victims

The impact of sexual assault has both near-term and long-term consequences. Often victims are left with non-visible scars that impact their mental well-being their entire life. Here are some of the long-term effects that sexual assault experiences can have on victims:

• Suicide rears its ugly head. 33% of women who are raped consider suicide and 13% of women who are raped actually attempt suicide.
• Victims of sexual assault are far more likely to experience substance abuse than the general population. For instance, rape victims are 3.4 times more likely to use marijuana and 6.4 times more likely to abuse cocaine. Substance as a side effect is very concerning given the life-long consequences that behavior can bring about.
• Sexual assault is one of the strongest contributors to developing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Victims of sexual assault often experience mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.
• $122,461 is the estimated lifetime cost for a victim of rape over the course of their life for medical costs, lost productivity, and criminal justice activities. While certainly not as significant as the emotional scars, this represents yet another hurdle for assault victims.

Who are the perpetrators of sexual assault?

It can be hard to imagine who would sexually assault someone. But those criminals are out there, and we’ve outlined these sexual perpetrator statistics so you can better understand how to protect yourself and your family–as much as possible. It’s never the victim’s fault.

• 73% of assailants are known by the victim, such as acquaintances, family, or romantic partners. This shows that most often, it is those familiar with victims who are at the greatest risk.
• If you want to know what percent of sexual perpetrators are male, that’s a shocking 99%.
• 93% of juvenile victims of sexual assault know the assailant with 34% of them being family members.
• 50% of assailants are over the age of 30 and 57% of them are white.
• Assailants use a weapon in 11% of rapes and sexual assaults.
• A majority of alleged sexual assault perpetrators have at least one prior conviction.

Where do we go from here?

These statistics paint a dire picture of sexual assault in America. It is apparent that a large segment of the population is regularly victimized and suffers life-long mental health struggles as a result. One of the first steps toward a solution is making society aware of just how significant the problem is.

Additionally, these statistics point to the fact that there is another large portion of the American populace committing criminal sexual assault and likely not being held accountable. Our society must work to come to terms with the fact that this is a systemic issue. The CDC has outlined a five-prong analysis to stop the high rates of sexual violence in the US.

1. Encourage social norms such as bystander intervention and educating men and boys to be allies.
2. Teach healthy, safe dating skills to teens and other skills to prevent sexual violence.
3. Empower women in culture through higher leadership positions and better pay.
4. Establish environments in the workplace, schools, and other institutions that prioritize the victim over the perpetrator.
5. Support victims through treatment centers, and community services, and inform at-risk families of the potential dangers.

Working toward ending the sexual assault epidemic in our society is among some of the tasks we have before us. Identifying those most likely to be perpetrators and victims and bolstering the resources to prevent the behavior and treat victims are the first steps in accomplishing this.

Resources for Sexual Assault Victims

If you’re a victim of sexual assault, you’re not alone. Please seek help through any of the following resources.

RAINN

RAINN is a fantastic organization that offers free help 24/7 for anyone who’s experienced sexual assault or harassment. You can chat online at online.rainn.org or call 800-656-4673. Their website is also a great resource to learn about:

• The laws regarding sexual violence in your state (all you have to do is enter your zip code)
• A directory of hotlines to call for assistance with various types of sexual violence and other crimes
• The warning signs that someone has been affected by sexual assault
• What to do after you’ve been sexually assaulted

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Domestic violence survivors are victims of sexual assault. Call, chat, or text their hotline to receive help. They also have safe browsing. If you need to quickly exit the page, all you have to do is press the escape key twice. This takes you back to Google’s home page.

The website also has detailed information on how to identify abuse in your relationship and how to make a plan to secure your safety.

1in6

1in6 is an organization dedicated to male sexual assault survivors. They are part of RAINN’s national hotline 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673. They also offer an anonymous support group chat that’s facilitated by a counselor for anyone who needs ongoing support. For anyone who works with male sexual assault survivors, 1in6 has additional training on its website to better support these victims.