There were 40 hate crimes reported in the state last year, the highest number of bias-related incidents since 2010.
The annual hate crimes statistics figures released by the FBI on Monday finds that fifteen of the hate crimes reported in the state last year were associated with race or ethnicity.
Six hate crimes were related to religion, while five were associated with sexual orientation.
The 2016 tallies mark an uptick from 2015, when15 hate crimes were reported statewide. In 2014, officials reported 22 hate crimes.
The FBI defines a hate crime as a “traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias.” The FBI’s report shows afour-and-a-half percent increase nationally in hate crimes.
Some civil rights groups caution that the FBI’s annual figures are artificially low because they rely on voluntary reporting.
In September, a race-related assault in Claremont, in which a bi-racial boy allegedly was pushed from a table with a rope tied around his neck, drew national attention. The University of New Hampshire also saw a string of race-related incidents on campus this year,prompting a response from the school's president during this spring's commencement ceremonies.
