Violent crime within the U.S. dropped in 2023, in keeping with FBI statistics that present a continued pattern downward after a coronavirus pandemic-era crime spike.
General violent crime declined an estimated 3% in 2023 from the yr earlier than, in keeping with the FBI report Monday. Murders and non-negligent manslaughter dropped practically 12%.
Violent crime has turn into a focus within the 2024 presidential race, with former President Donald Trump just lately claiming that crime is “via the roof” underneath President Joe Biden’s administration. Even with the 2020 pandemic surge, violent crime is down dramatically from the Nineteen Nineties.
Right here’s what to know concerning the FBI’s report and the state of crime within the U.S.:
The numbers
Crime surged throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with homicides rising practically 30% in 2020 over the earlier yr — the biggest one-year leap for the reason that FBI started retaining data. The rise defied simple clarification, although specialists stated attainable contributors included the huge disruption of the pandemic, gun violence, worries concerning the financial system and intense stress.
Violent crime throughout the U.S. dipped to close pre-pandemic ranges in 2022, in keeping with the FBI’s information. It continued to tick down final yr, with the speed falling from about 377 violent crimes per 100,000 folks to in 2022 to about 364 per 100,000 folks in 2023. That’s simply barely larger than the 2019 charge, in keeping with Deputy Assistant Director Brian Griffith of the FBI’s Felony Justice Info Providers Division.
“Are we crime charges at a return to pre-pandemic ranges? I feel an inexpensive individual would have a look at that and say, ‘Sure, that’s what has occurred,’” Griffith stated in an interview with The Related Press.
Legislation enforcement businesses within the greatest municipalities within the U.S. — communities with at the least 1,000,000 folks — confirmed the largest drop in violent crime final yr — practically 7%. Companies in communities between 250,000 and 499,999 folks reported a slight improve — 0.3%— between 2022 and 2023.
Rapes decreased greater than 9% whereas aggravated assault decreased practically 3%. General property crime decreased greater than 2%, however motorcar theft shot up practically 13%. The motorcar theft charge — practically 319 per 100,000 folks — was the very best final yr since 2007.
The constraints of the FBI’s information
The FBI collects information via its Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and never all legislation enforcement businesses within the U.S. take part. The 2023 report relies on information from greater than 16,000 businesses, or greater than 85 p.c of these businesses within the FBI’s program. The businesses included within the report shield practically 316 million folks throughout the U.S. And each company with at the least 1 million folks in its jurisdiction offered a full yr of knowledge to the FBI, in keeping with the report.
“What you’re not seeing in that quantity are plenty of very small businesses,” Griffith stated.
Different crime studies
The FBI’s report is in keeping with the findings of the nonpartisan Council on Felony Justice, which earlier this yr analyzed crimes charges throughout 39 U.S cities, and located that the majority violent crimes are at or under 2019 ranges. That group discovered there have been 13 p.c fewer homicides throughout 29 cities that offered information throughout the first half of 2024 in contrast the identical interval the yr earlier than.
On the marketing campaign path, Trump has cited one other current Justice Division survey to recommend the crime is uncontrolled underneath the Biden administration.
That Nationwide Crime Victimization Survey, launched earlier this month, exhibits that the violent crime victimization charge rose from about 16 per 1,000 folks in 2020 to 22.5 in 2023. However the report notes that the speed final yr was not statistically completely different from the speed in 2019 — when Trump was president. And the speed has declined dramatically total for the reason that Nineteen Nineties.
The FBI’s report and the Nationwide Crime Victimization Survey use completely different methodologies and seize various things.
The victimization survey is carried out yearly via interviews with about 240,000 folks to find out whether or not they had been victims of crimes. Whereas the FBI’s information solely contains crimes reported to police, the victimization survey additionally goals to seize crimes that weren’t.
As a result of it’s finished via interviews with victims, the victimization survey doesn’t embody information on murders. And it solely captures crimes in opposition to folks ages 12 and over.