The Rise and Fall of Hate Groups in America

I did a quick analysis of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s data around the number of hate groups in the US from 1999 to 2018. (Source: Southern Poverty Law Center February 2019)

The number of hate groups has grown steadily over the past 19 years.

Here are some interesting insights:

1. Between 1999 and 2018, there was a 128% increase in hate groups (457 to 1020).

• The biggest increase was from 1999 to 2000 which saw a 32% increase in the number of hate groups.
• Between 1999 and 2009, the number of hate groups increased 104%.
• Between 2008 and 2018, the number of hate groups increased 10%.

2. Let’s take a look at how hate groups increased or decreased under specific presidents:

• 2001 to 2008: Under George Bush, the number of hate groups increased 37%.
• 2009 to 2016: Under Barack Obama, the number of hate groups decreased 2%
• 2017 to 2018: Under Donald Trump, the number of hate groups increased by 7 %
• For the entire 19 year period, there was year over year growth in the number of hate groups in the US, with the exception of 3 years: all under Obama.