By Josh Shaffer
RALEIGH, N.C. — The number of hate crimes reported in North Carolina rose by 12 percent in 2017, following a nationwide trend, the FBI reported on Nov. 13.
In its annual statistics, the federal crime-fighting agency listed 166 crimes in North Carolina motivated by race, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. That number rose from 148 in 2016 and 118 in 2013.
Nationally, the FBI said, hate crimes increased by 17 percent.
The state ranked 13th-highest nationwide for hate crimes last year. California, with a population nearly four times that of North Carolina, led the list with 1,094 hate crimes.
North Carolina’s population rose by 1.2 percent between 2016 and 2017.
States with fewer people but more hate-crime incidents last year include Arizona, 264; Kentucky, 378; Massachusetts, 427; Michigan, 456; New Jersey, 495; Ohio, 380; Virginia, 193; and Washington, 510.
This story was originally published by The Charlotte Observer on Nov. 13, 2018, and is reprinted with permission. qnotes is a member of The Observer’s Charlotte News Alliance.