This study employs a historical and quantitative analysis to test the widespread suggestion that serial murder activity in the United States has increased dramatically since the late 1960s. The crime of serial murder appears to have occurred infrequently between 1940 and 1964, but a rapid acceleration is observable from about 1965. The rate of increase far exceeds the general upsurge in violent crime that occurred about that time. Also, the growth in activity cannot be explained simply in terms of changes in recording or reporting practices. In explaining the transition, particular emphasis is placed on factors such as demographic structure and aspects of the "youth culture" of the 1960s. It is also tentatively suggested that changes in the mental health system may have played an important role.
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