Crime rates have a significant impact on a country’s sense of security and economy. When the number of crimes such as fraud, theft, money laundering, and embezzlement increase, it can negatively impact a country’s economy.
This is why the FBI and law enforcers struggle to create programs crucial to decreasing the country’s crime rates. Equally important is to determine how effective these programs are in reducing crime rates. One way to do this is by identifying key crime statistics.
We will discuss some essential facts, figures, and crime rates in the US to find out just how effective law enforcers are in holding back criminal activity.
Interesting US Crime Statistics — Editor’s Choice
- Crime rates in the US dropped by 50% in the last two decades.
- 78% of Americans believe that crime rates are higher now than in previous years.
- The US crime rate dropped by 1%.
- The murder cases rate increased by 21.8% in 36 cities in the US.
- Alaska is the most dangerous US state to live in.
- 57.6% of hate crime victims were targeted because of ethnicity.
- 53.7% of homicide victims are Blacks.
United States Crime Statistics
1. Crime statistics show that crime rates in the US have decreased by more than 50% since their peaks in 1991.
(State of the Union)
Both property crimes and violent crimes in the US have seen a drastic decline in the number of cases. Their crime rates hit an all-time low in 2014, and the numbers have remained low until today.
2. In 2019, the most common property crime in the US was theft, with 1,549.5 cases per 100,000 residents.
(Pew Research, FBI)
In 2019, 2,109.9 property crimes per 100,000 citizens were reported to the FBI. This is a huge figure when compared to violent crimes that had only 379.4 cases per 100,000 citizens.
A further breakdown of national crime statistics 2019 reveals that robbery or theft is the most common property crime type, with 1,549.5 reported cases per 100,000 residents.
3. 78% of Americans believe that national crime rates are higher than in previous years.
The belief that crime rates are consistently increasing compared to prior years is becoming a trend among Americans. However, most of the time, this public perception is out of sync with federal criminal records.
4. Most recent data shows that the US crime rate dropped by 1%.
The FBI proudly reports that the crime rate in the US has declined in the last three years. It appears that the bureau’s initiatives and projects, like Project Safe Neighborhood, Project Guardian, and Operation Legend, are reaping all the efforts.
5. According to crime statistics in the USA, the crime rate significantly dropped at the onset of the pandemic.
As the pandemic forced businesses to shut down and millions of people to stay at home, the police forces have seen a dramatic decline in crime rates across the country. The number of reported thefts and burglaries is lesser than before the pandemic as fewer stores and shops are open.
However, the double-digit decline in crime rates doesn’t mean Americans are safer in their homes. In fact, calls reporting domestic disturbance and violence increased by 10% to 30%.
6. In 2019, the rate of violent crime victims was 12.1 per 1,000 persons.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)
According to the crime statistics for 2019, the number of unreported violent crime cases increased since 2015. Back then, the rate had been 9.5 victims per 1,000 persons, but it increased to 12.1 victims per 1,000 people in 2019.
7. According to the latest info, the clearance rate for violent crimes in the US is only 45.5%.
The FBI’s national crime statistics indicate that more than half of violent crimes reported to the police don’t get cleared. Out of 1,147,991 reported violent crimes, only 45.5% ended with a suspect’s arrest. The clearance rate for burglary is even lower — only 13.9%.
8. The national crime rate in the United States is 47.70 per 100,000 individuals.
(World Population Review)
The US crime rate is slightly higher than the world’s average crime index of 47.43. However, this is considered a drastic improvement since violent crime rates in the country have decreased in the last 25 years.
9. The number of crimes in the US declined by 20% in mid-March.
Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University conducted a study that discovered a decrease in criminal trends as the pandemic started to affect major cities.
Though most people assumed that the high unemployment rate would foreshadow a high crime rate, this prediction didn’t come true, as the country experienced a 20% decline in the crime rate. Researchers think that lockdown and social distancing reduced criminals’ opportunities to commit violations.
10. The murder cases rate is up by 21.8% in 36 cities in the US.
(The Baltimore Sun)
The recent crime statistics on violent crimes and murder reveal an unusual situation in the country. While reports indicate an overall steady decrease in the violent crimes rate since 2017, the murder rate seems to move in the opposite direction.
This isn’t unheard of as it has happened four times since 1960; the numbers just show how significant the disparity is. In the past, the difference between the two statistics was only 2.2%. This year, it’s a double-digit number, as the murder rate is up by 21.8% in 36 cities across the US.
Crime Statistics by State
11. The violent crime rate in Alaska is 885 cases per 100,000 residents.
Most recent crime statistics by country show that Alaska is the most dangerous state to live in. The violent crime rate is more than twice the national rate of 380.6 per 100,000 people. The state also has the highest rape rate in the country, with 161.6 reported cases.
12. Detroit, Michigan, has a violent crime rate of 1,965.33 crimes per 100,000 citizens.
Newest crime statistics by the city show that Detroit, Michigan, has the highest violent crime rate, making it the most dangerous city in the US. These cases include murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
13. Franklin, Massachusetts, has the lowest crime rate of 1.9 crimes per 1,000 residents.
According to neighborhood crime statistics, Franklin, Massachusetts, is the safest city in America. Data shows that the total crime rate is 1.9 cases per 1,000 residents. This means that the chances of being a victim of a crime are 1 in 524.
14. The crime rate in Chicago declined by 10% when the pandemic struck the city.
Chicago was one of the most dangerous cities in the US. But even this violent city saw a drastic decline in drug arrests (42%), apart from an overall decline in the number of crimes (10%). Law enforcers hope that this trend will continue even after the pandemic is over.
Crime Statistics by Category
15. 57.6% of hate crime victims were targeted because of their ethnicity.
The most recent hate crime statistics documented 8,552 victims of hate crimes. More than half of this number, or 57.6%, were the crimes committed because of the victim’s race or ethnicity.
Simultaneously, 20.1% of the victims were targeted because of the attackers’ bias toward their religion, while 16.7% were attacked due to their gender.
16. Juvenile crime statistics show that peak hours of juvenile crimes are from 2 PM to 6 PM.
An analysis of juvenile crime records shows that the prime time for juvenile crimes is between 2 PM and 6 PM.
Members of Strong Nation believe that these hours are crucial because they are after school hours when parents aren’t around to supervise their children’s activities. They think this problem can be solved by providing meaningful afterschool activities.
17. According to online dating crime statistics, Americans lost $201 million due to scammers on dating apps.
Statistics show that more and more Americans flock to online dating apps to find their soulmates. In fact, 60% of adults regard dating apps as an excellent way to meet new people and interact with them conveniently. Sadly, dating apps also make it easy for scammers and fraudsters to commit crimes.
Most recent info suggests that Americans lost approximately $201 million to scammers, with a median loss of $501 per victim. To avoid this, it’s best to conduct a personal background check on your online chatmate before committing to anything.
18. White collar crime charges decreased by 41.9% compared to the previous year.
White-collar crime statistics show a significant drop in the number of charges compared to the previous year. Moreover, the recorded 437 prosecutions are lower by 51.3% than the levels in 2015.
19. The latest trends suggest that homeless people are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated.
(Texas Criminal Justice Coalition)
Many factors affect crime rates, and poverty is one of them. According to poverty and crime statistics, 65% of low-income households are at a greater risk of becoming homeless.
Data further shows that incarceration and homelessness are inextricably linked. Homeless people are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated than the general population, and previously incarcerated people are ten times more likely to become homeless.
20. Newest violent crime statistics suggest that the number of male and female violent crime victims was almost the same.
A graph of male vs. female crime statistics shows that the number of male and female violent crime victims was almost the same. But when the data was compared to the numbers from 2005, something troubling came up.
The number of male victims decreased, while the number of female victims increased by almost 100,000 cases. It’s no wonder more and more companies are creating stun guns for women.
Crime Statistics by Race
21. African Americans are 3.23 times more likely to be killed during police encounters than White Americans.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a study to determine if race and color are related to police crime statistics.
Their analysis of 5,494 police-related deaths between 2013 and 2017 found that Black Americans are 3.23 times more likely to be killed by the police during an encounter than White Americans.
22. Most recent black on black crime statistics suggest that offenders were black in 70% of crimes committed against Black victims.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)
The research found out that an offender was usually of the same race as a victim. For instance, White people committed 62% of violent crimes against White victims, and Hispanic offenders committed 45% of incidents against Hispanic victims.
23. According to the most recent black on white crime statistics, Black offenders murdered 566 White Americans.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program showed that, out of 3,299 White murder victims, only 566 were killed by Black offenders. The majority of the offenders were White persons. This is consistent with the FBI’s report that most homicide and murder cases are intraracial.
24. The latest FBI data shows that 53.7% of homicide victims are African Americans.
According to violent crime statistics by race, more than half of the victims are African Americans — 7,484 out of 13,927. This figure includes all Black homicide victims, regardless of their gender and age.
25. Most recent info suggests that less than 15% of law enforcement agencies report hate crimes.
Proponents of civil rights continue to criticize the FBI’s crime reports as they don’t accurately show the national statistics on crime. Out of about 15,000 law enforcement agencies, only 2,172 reported hate crime data to the bureau; that’s less than 15% of the total number.
However, even with incomplete data, the bureau still found a 20% increase in hate crimes motivated by gender-identity bias.
FBI Crime Statistics
26. Approximately 33,000 violent street gangs exist in the United States.
One of the functions of the FBI is to deal with threats to national security. But the Bureau also plays a crucial role in combating violent crimes in cities and states.
FBI statistics on crime show that 33,000 criminally active organized groups terrorize neighborhoods in the US. These gangs use violence to control people and boost their illegal activities such as gun trafficking, prostitution, and human trafficking.
27. FBI crime statistics from 2019 show an increase in the aggravated assault rate of 1.3%.
The FBI reported an overall decline in violent crime and property crime rates in 2019. Although it may seem like a positive result, a closer look at the data reveals that not all types of crimes experienced a decrease. For instance, the number of aggravated assaults increased by 1.3%. Moreover, murder and non-negligent manslaughter rates increased by 0.3%.
28. The violent crime rate decreased in the first six months of 2020.
The FBI crime stats for 2020 show that the first half of the year saw a significant decline in the overall number of violent crimes compared to the same period of the previous year.
Moreover, the cities with populations of less than 10,000 people reported the largest decline of 7.2%. The FBI also recorded a decrease in violent crimes in three out of four regions in the country.
29. 26.6% of arrested individuals in 2019 were African Americans.
Crime statistics from 2019 show that 6,816,975 arrests were made that year. Out of that number, 1,815,144 people were African Americans, while the majority of arrested, most precisely 69.4% of them, were White Americans. The rest were people of different races and ethnicities.
The FBI divided crimes into two categories — property crimes and violent crimes. In recent years, the US has experienced a progressive decline in both types of crimes.
However, crime stats show that the number of murders has increased in the current year compared to the previous years. This suggests that further study might be needed to understand this increase and develop strategies to lower the murder rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common crime to occur within families according to statistics?
Domestic abuse is one of the most common and pressing issues in the United States. This includes child abuse, elder abuse, and intimate partner abuse.
Statistics estimate that 10 million people fall victim to domestic abuse every year. The figure is so large that, at some point, every healthcare professional and provider will evaluate or treat a victim of domestic or family abuse.
What are the statistics of black on black crime?
Despite the general opinion, intraracial crimes, or crimes where a victim and an offender are of the same race, are more common than interracial crimes.
Moreover, data shows that Black offenders committed more than 85% of crimes against Black Americans. The same can be said about White American victims and their offenders — most offenders are also white.
How does poverty affect crime statistics?
Researchers have found several factors that can affect the change in crime rates, such as population density, age, unemployment, poverty, and mental illness.
Out of all these factors, poverty has the most obvious influence on crime rates. If the poverty level rose by 1%, the number of total crimes would increase by 135 cases and the number of violent crimes by 25 cases.
What can crime statistics tell us about the crime picture in America?
The latest statistics on crime in the US show that violent crime and property crime rates have decreased in the last couple of years. Some researchers believe that this downward trend results from the collective efforts of the FBI, law enforcers, and communities across the country.
Moreover, despite the widespread opinion that the US is a crime-ridden country, violent crime in the country is extremely localized.
How to find crime statistics for an area?
Statistics and crime levels in a certain area or community can be determined in several ways. One of the best ways to do this is by checking out crime mapping services that display information on the crimes committed in the neighborhood.
These services are also able to register the types of crimes and their dates and notify you about future crimes in the area.
Who commits white-collar crime statistics?
White-collar crimes are classified as non-violent crimes. They usually involve money laundering, investment fraud, bribery, corporate espionage, and financial information falsification.
Due to the nature of this type of crime, it is usually committed by educated, gainfully employed, middle-aged men with high social status. Many of these men commit their first white-collar crime in their late thirties or mid-forties.
How do crime statistics help law enforcement?
Crime statistics help law enforcers battle against criminals. They also assist them in determining the effectiveness of implemented programs designed to lower the crime rate.
These statistics show a predominant type of crime in a given city or neighborhood, which helps the police lower the risk of the specific crime type and allows them to focus more on high-risk neighborhoods and efficiently allocate police forces.
What causes the most deaths in terms of overall crime statistics?
Murder and homicide are the leading types of crime that cause the death of people from all age groups and demographics due to their violent nature.
According to the most recent crime statistics, more than 18,000 Americans have died in a single year due to assault. That’s approximately 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Moreover, almost 14,000 were firearm homicide cases.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- FBI UCR
- FBI UCR
- FBI UCR
- FBI UCR
- Market Watch
- Neighborhood Scout
- Pew Research
- PLOS ONE
- State of the Union
- Strong Nation
- Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
- The Baltimore Sun
- The Guardian
- Trac Reports
- USA Today
- USA Today
- World Population Review