According to the National Youth Gang Survey, approximately 60,000 gang members and 24,000 gangs were active in more than 2,900 jurisdictions in 2004. These estimates, although slightly higher than those in the previous two survey years, are not statistically large enough to indicate a significant change at the national level. A nearly equal percentage of agencies with gang problems reported an increase (52 percent) versus a decrease or no significant change (48 percent) in the number of documented gang members in 2004 compared with the 2002-2003 survey period. Larger cities and suburban counties accounted for approximately 85 percent of the estimated number of gang members in 2004.

These and other findings can be found in the OJJDP Fact Sheet, Highlights of the 2004 National Youth Gang Survey.