2020 saw the highest number of reported hate crimes since 2008, new data shows

The number of hate crimes reported in 2020 was the highest recorded in over a decade, according to FBI data released Monday. The total number of incidents, 7,759, represented a 6% increase from 2019 and the highest number of hate crime incidents recorded since 2008, a year that had 7,783 incidents.

The data shows that 7,554 single-bias hate incidents involving 10,528 victims were reported to the FBI in 2020. An additional 205 incidents fueled by multiple biases, and involving 333 victims, were also recorded. Advocates say that hate crimes are widely under-reported and that the data reported to the FBI only account for a portion of actual incidents. They warn that the data is based on voluntary reporting by local law enforcement agencies, and many who do participate report no hate crimes. The 2020 data is based on reports received from 15,136 out of 18,623 agencies in the country, according to the FBI.