AMERICA’S CHILDREN – LATEST KEY NATIONAL INDICATORS – Dec. 2007
• In 2006, there were 73.7 million children ages 0-17 in the United States.
• Missing Children reported each year: 797,500 (2185 per day): White (non-Hispanic) 428,800 –
Black (non-Hispanic) 149,700 – Hispanic (163,900).
• One in Seven youth online (ages 10-17) receives a sexual solicitation or approach over the internet.
• Research indicates that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before adulthood.
• Runaway/Thrownaway reported: 357 600 (nearly one-half of missing children).
• An American is sexually assaulted every two and a half minutes!
• About 44% of rape victims are under 18; about 15% are under age 12.
• Almost 30% of youth in the United States are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully,
a target of bullying, or both.
• Youth perpetrators of serious violent crime (ages 12-17): 17 per 1000.
• 18.1 % of students report being threatened or injured with a weapon at school.
• 46% of males, and 26% of females reported they had been in physical fights.
• Youth adults ages 16-19 who were neither enrolled in school nor working: 7.6%.
• Students who reported using illicit drug in the previous 30 days: 22% (of the 12th graders).
• Students who reported having 5 or more alcoholic beverage in a raw in the last 2 weeks: 25%
(of the 12th graders).
• Injury deaths of children ages 5-14: 8.2 per 100 000.
• Injury deaths of adolescent (ages 15-19): 51.3 per 100 000.
• In 2005, 40% of households with children 0-17 reported housing problems.
• 5.4 % of children ages 4-17 reported by a parent to have serious emotional or behavioral difficulties.
• Unintentional Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the USA! Every minute and a half,
an infant is seen in an emergency department for an unintentional injury!
SOME SHOOTINGS AT US SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
• April 1999, Columbine: deaths 12, injured 23
