Approximately 2.9 million reports of child abuse occur in the United States per year. New Jersey is accountable for 46.3 per 1,000 cases; this shows that New Jersey is responsible for about 134,270 child abuse reports per year. Over the past two decades, child abuse in New Jersey rises and falls over the years; while the number of cases in New Jersey are high, they are a very small percentage of total U.S. cases.
2000s – 2013:
The two charts below compare the number of child abuse cases in the years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, to 2013. With 42,618 child abuse and neglect referrals in 2004, New Jersey’s amount of cases doubled as there were 94,468 child abuse incidents reported in 2013. In New Jersey, 11,972 children were victims of this abuse during 2013 and the number continued to grow. The New Jersey Department of Children and Families record breaks down cases of child abuse by county.
2014-2018
Partnering with New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families, the Institute for Families at Rutgers University School of Social work has formed the New Jersey Child Welfare Data Hub, a collection of statistics and data available for the public in hopes of improving the lives of children and families.
This table shows New Jersey child abuse and neglect reports from the years 2014-2018. Although the number of reports dropped from 2014-2017, the number of cases continues to rise from 2017 to 2018 with 94,161 reported cases.