HARRISBURG, Pa. - Newly released FBI data show hate crimes in the U.S. hit a 12-year high in 2020.
Across the state, hate crimes nearly doubled from the previous year and are at a 14-year high.
The most recent numbers show 81 hate crimes reported in Pennsylvania last year, up from 45 in 2019. It is the highest since 86 were reported in 2006.
The data is pulled from more than 700 law enforcement agencies around the state.
Offenses against a person’s race increased from 30 to 59 last year. It remained the most frequent, making up nearly three-quarters of all hate crimes in 2020.
The majority of racially-fueled offenses were against Black people.
There were also eight crimes against Asians after only two such reports in 2019.
White people remained at the top of hate crime offenders, making up 56% of identified perpetrators. That number is down from 69 percent in 2019.
Last year saw a larger portion of offenses committed by Black people, growing from 17% of perpetrators to one-third.
Almost half of the offenses reported last year were for intimidation, one third were vandalism and 15% were for simple or aggravated assault.