THE ASSAULT INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE ANALYZED INCLUDE THE AGE, SEX, AND RACE OF OFFENDER AND VICTIM; OFFENDER-VICTIM RELATIONSHIP; TYPE OF WEAPON INVOLVED; AND SETTING AND TIME OF OFFENSE. DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR A 1970 50-PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLE OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS REPORTED TO POLICE IN A LARGE NORTHEAST SUBURBAN COUNTY. AFTER DESCRIBING THE VARIATIONS AMONG THE SOCIAL AREAS IN WHICH THE REPORTED ASSAULTS TOOK PLACE AND THE VARIATIONS IN SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSAULTS, THESE TWO DIMENSIONS (I.E., AREA CHARACTERISTICS AND INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS) ARE EXAMINED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE DATA SHOW THAT DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSAULT ARE MANIFEST IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE USE OF BODILY FORCE IN ASSAULTS TENDS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ASSAULTS THAT OCCUR IN MIDDLE-CLASS OR MORE WELL-TO-DO AREAS, WHEREAS THE INVOLVEMENT OF KNIVES OR FIREARMS IS FOUND TO CHARACTERIZE ASSAULTS THAT OCCUR IN LOWER-CLASS AREAS THAT HAVE A HIGH INCIDENCE OF OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS. IT IS ALSO SHOWN THAT ASSAULTS INVOLVING JUVENILE OFFENDERS OR JUVENILE VICTIMS TEND TO OCCUR IN LOWER CLASS, HIGH SOCIAL PROBLEM AREAS ALMOST TWICE AS FREQUENTLY AS SIMILAR ASSAULTS IN MIDDLE-CLASS OR MORE WELL-TO-DO AREAS. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY TEND TO SUPPORT THE CONTENTION THAT PATTERNS OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (AS WELL AS RATES) VARY ACROSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCIAL AREAS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT) (SNI ABSTRACT)...PLO