29 Informative US Crime Statistics

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.

United States Crime Statistics

1. Crime statistics show that by 2019, crime rates in the US had decreased by more than 50% since their peaks in 1991.

(State of the Union, Pew Research)

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.

However, between 2019–2020, the murder rate grew 30%, translating to the largest single-year increase in over 100 years.

2. In 2020, the most common property crime in the US was larceny-theft, with over 4.6 million cases.

(Statista, FBI)

In detail, theft of items from motor vehicles was the most prevalent among larceny-theft incidents. 

Moreover, national crime statistics 2019 reveal that the larceny-theft rate was 1,549.5 per 100,000 residents in 2019.

3. 78% of Americans believe that national crime rates are higher than in previous years.

(Gallup)

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%.

(DOJ)

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.

(USA Today)

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 2020, the rate of violent crime victims was 16.4 per 1,000 people.

(Bureau of Justice Statistics)

The number of unreported violent crime cases in 2020 decreased from 2019. According to the crime statistics for 2019, the rate back then was 21.0 victims per 1,000 persons. 

Moreover, around 40% of violent victimization cases were reported to the police in 2020.

7. According to the latest info, the clearance rate for violent crimes in the US is only 45.5%.

(FBI UCR)

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.

(Yale)

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 was up by 21.8% in 36 cities in the US in 2020.

(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 in the last several years, 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%. In 2020, it was a double-digit number, as the murder rate was 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.

(USA Today)

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.

(Statista)

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.

(Neighborhood Scout)

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.

(The Guardian)

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.

(FBI)

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.

(Strong Nation)

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.

(Market Watch)

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 chatmate before committing to anything.

18. White collar crime charges decreased by 41.9% compared to the previous year.

(Trac Reports)

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.

(Statista)

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 protection devices for women.

Crime Statistics by Race

21. African Americans are 3.23 times more likely to be killed during police encounters than White Americans.

(PLOS ONE)

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 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.

(FBI UCR)

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.

(FBI UCR)

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.

(NBC)

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.

(FBI)

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. The US aggravated assault rate in 2020 was 279.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

(Statista)

That was a substantial increase from 2019. More specifically, FBI crime statistics from 2019 show that back then, the rate was 250.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, also indicating an increase from the year before.

28. The violent crime rate decreased in the first six months of 2020. 

(FBI)

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. 

(FBI UCR)

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.

Conclusion

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.

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