Rape statistics
In the United States, a rape is reported about once every five minutes. FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1997

Rape is called "the most underreported violent crime in America." In a large national survey of American women, only 16% of the rapes (approximately one out of every six) had ever been reported to the police. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, National Victim Center, 1992

In a study conducted by the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers interviewed 8,000 women and 8,000 men. Using a definition of rape that includes forced vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse, the survey found that 1 in 6 women had experienced an attempted rape or a completed rape.

At the time they were raped:

• 22% were under the age of twelve
• 54% were under the age of eighteen
• 83% were under the age of twenty-five

Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women, Department of Justice, 1998

In the Rape in America study, 60% of the women who reported being raped were under 18 years old:

• 29.3% were less than 11 years old
• 32.3% were between 11 and 17
• 22.2% were between 18 and 24
• 7.1% were between 25 and 29
• 6.1% were older than 29
• 3.0% age was not available

Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, National Victim Center, 1992

Acquaintance rape is much more prevalent than stranger rape. In a study published by the Department of Justice, 82% of the victims were raped by someone they knew (acquaintance/friend, intimate, relative) and 18% were raped by a stranger.

From a report on Violence Against Women based on data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995

In the Rape in America study, 80% of the girls and women who were raped were victimized by someone they knew.

Rape in America: A Report to the Nation National Victim Center, 1992

Many surveys have been conducted to determine the prevalence and incidence of rape and sexual assault. The differences in findings across these various surveys are related to how rape and sexual assault are defined, characteristics of the sample selected for study, screening questions, interviewer training and techniques, and other methodological and procedural issues. However, in virtually every victimization survey conducted, the number of unreported rapes and sexual assaults far exceeds those that are reported to authorities.