FBI Estimates Violent and Property Crime Decreased in 2019

Yesterday the FBI released its 2019 crime statistics. Among its most significant findings, the FBI noted the estimated number of violent and property crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics. In 2019, violent crime was down 0.5 percent from the 2018 number. Property crimes also dropped, by 4.1 percent, marking the 17th consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined. Violent crime includes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. There are differences in the rates of change among crimes within a category, with some varying significantly from the overall average. For example, in the violent crime category, the estimated number of robbery offenses fell 4.7 percent, while the volume of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 0.3 percent. This and additional data are presented in the 2019 edition of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. The FBI cautions against using the data without making careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each jurisdiction, which it says can lead to lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses. Access the report at the FBI.