National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Gang Member Migration

Prevalence of Gang Member Migration

In 2010, respondents provided information regarding the presence of gang members who have migrated to their jurisdictions.

Gang member migration refers to the movement of actively involved gang youth from other U.S. jurisdictions to the respondents’ jurisdictions.

• Among agencies with an ongoing gang problem, the majority (71 percent) reported the presence of gang member migrants.
• Respondents serving larger cities and suburban counties were significantly more likely to report gang member migrants than were respondents in smaller areas (74 percent versus 65 percent).
• Approximately half (51 percent) of the agencies reported that their local gang problems emerged well before the arrival of gang member migrants.

Likelihood of Gang Member Migration in Nonmetropolitan Areas

Herein, “nonmetro” refers to police and sheriffs’ departments in the NYGS sample that are located outside of metropolitan areas, where gang activity is largely and historically concentrated.

• In 2010, gang member migration to nonmetro areas was not common or extensive.
• The left-hand portion of the figure below shows that a large majority (81 percent) of nonmetro agencies experienced neither gang activity nor gang member migration, compared with just 12 percent of nonmetro agencies experiencing both.
• The right-hand portion of the figure below shows that when gang member migrants are noted, they frequently compose only a small fraction of total gang membership size—most often, they make up less than 25 percent.
• On the whole, these results strongly suggest that gang member migration is far more the exception than the rule outside metropolitan areas. These findings also support empirical research demonstrating that a community’s gang problem—however affected from other areas—is primarily and inherently homegrown and localized in composition.