Updated: July 15, 9:23 a.m.

Hate crimes reported in Oregon grew 125% between 2013 and 2017, a study from SafeHome.org finds, making it the state with the sixth biggest increase in the county.

And perhaps most dramatically, the study shows, hate crimes in Eugene grew 380% during that four-year period, making it the city in the United States where reported hate crimes grew by the largest amount.

The study, called “The Rise of Hate Crimes in America,” used FBI data to determine where hate crimes were on the rise and what kind of hate crimes are being reported.

Hate crime infographic (Courtesy of SafeHome.org)

The study is incomplete, as SafeHome.org themselves note.

“In fact, nearly 20 million Americans live in jurisdictions that did not report their hate crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigations for the most recent reporting year,” SafeHome.org writes, “and many of the agencies that did report offenses submitted incomplete data. Plus, it’s estimated that hate crimes are grossly underreported -- the Bureau of Justice Statistics has estimated about two-thirds of hate crimes are not reported to police.”

These factors could definitely skew the numbers.

What the available numbers do show, however, is disturbing. Nationwide, hate crimes reported to officials grew by 22% between 2013 and 2017. In Wyoming, the state with the largest increase according to the study, hate crimes went up 220%

In Eugene, 64% of the reported hate crimes were based on race, 17% on religion, 12% on sexual orientation and 1% each on disability and gender. Nationally, the reports break down similarly, with 59% being based on race, 21% on religion, 16% on sexual orientation, 2% each on gender identity and disability and 1% on gender.

The high number of reported incidents in Eugene has to do with the sensitivity of the reporting mechanism, Melinda McLaughlin, the Public Information Director for Eugene Police Department, said over email.

“We have an extremely sensitive and robust reporting system and work in tandem with the City’s human rights and neighborhood involvement to capture reports of crimes as well as hate incidents that don’t meet crime statute provisions and yet still impact people,” McLaughlin said. “In addition, all of our officers are trained to report and flag any incidents that may have a bias nexus, including any criminal mischief that they see with hate or biased language.”

“Any incident that has a potential for bias indicator,” she added, “is flagged for us to report back to human rights and neighborhood involvement, so that way police and human rights are both involved, and victims can receive assistance. Our City is fully committed to having a safe and welcoming environment for all residents and guests.”

Hate crime infographic (Courtesy of SafeHome.org)

Nationally, offenders in these crimes are 51% Caucasian, 21% African American and 17% “unknown race,” the study shows. And 83% of perpetrators are over 18 years old.

The Oregonian/OregonLive has partnered with ProPublica and newsrooms nationwide to track hate crimes and bias incidents. You can use this form to tell us about a suspected hate crime incident. We may share this information with partners, but we will not share your name or contact information with anybody outside the coalition without your consent. More on this endeavor and our partners at ProPublica.org.