Hate crimes were reported by 42 police departments representing about 11 percent of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts. Crimes motivated by race, ethnicity, or national origin constituted the largest category of hate crimes, with 217 offenses (71.4 percent). Religious bias was the second most frequent category, with 60 criminal incidents (19.8 percent), followed by crimes motivated by sexual orientation (8.6 percent) and handicap status (0.3 percent). Aggravated and simple assaults constituted the most frequent criminal offenses, occurring in 37.9 percent of all cases. Other frequent crime categories included damage to property (16.8 percent), harassment (14.1 percent), and threats (10.2 percent). Persons were more often targeted by hate crimes than private property. The average hate crime victim was 29 years of age; the victim was white in 45 percent of all cases, and male in 65 percent of all cases. The average hate crime perpetrator was 22.6 years of age; the perpetrator was white in 64 percent of all cases, and male in 92 percent of all cases. Detailed data are tabulated on hate crimes in Massachusetts during 1991. Appendixes contain hate crime legislation and regulations and hate crime reporting forms. Tables