Who shows California’s  biggest violent crime 
increase over last 25 years?  White adults. Despite 
all the attention to “youth violence,” middle-aged 
violence rose much faster, so that adults 30 and 
older account for 70% of the state’s violent crime
increase since 1975.  Violent crime arrestees are 
not getting younger and younger, but older and 
older. In 1974, the average age of violent crime 
arrestee was 21;  in 1999, 28.


CALIFORNIA YOUTH
Average annual violent crime arrests per 100,000 age 10-17 by race
Year		Total	White	Hisp	Black	Asian
1975-79		525.9	269.9	680.5	2097.5	232.7
1980-84		462.9	226.0	487.7	2103.4	210.5
1985-89		438.6	221.4	410.7	2052.2	253.7
1990-94		654.2	286.5	781.8	2510.2	427.8
1995-99		560.2	295.1	672.7	1960.7	311.3
Change		+7%	+9%	-1%	-7%	+34%

YOUNG ADULTS
Average annual violent crime arrests per 100,000 age 18-29 by race
Year		Total	White	Hisp	Black	Asian
1975-79		 850.4	449.3	1267.3	3366.2	329.5
1980-84		 788.7	419.6	1019.8	3301.5	305.4
1985-89		 900.3	513.5	1016.7	3686.9	381.1
1990-94		1144.9	621.9	1413.1	4032.1	537.0
1995-99		1085.8	598.5	1457.3	3090.0	484.5
Change		+28%	+33%	+15%	-8%	+47%

PARENT-AGE ADULTS
Average annual violent crime arrests per 100,000 age 30-69 by race
Year		Total	White	Hisp	Black	Asian
1975-79		183.2	102.7	281.7	 990.4	101.5
1980-84		203.4	115.4	295.7	1043.1	 93.9
1985-89		315.9	184.4	435.6	1513.0	152.5
1990-94		407.9	250.2	572.5	1700.3	201.7
1995-99		422.4	286.0	542.1	1545.4	216.0
Change		+131%	+179%	+92%	+56%	+113%

Sources: Criminal Justice Statistics Center. Crime & 
Delinquency in California, 1975-99, California Department
of Justice (crime). Demographic Research Unit, 
California Department of Finance (population).