The country is receiving some good news from the Uniform Crime Report, published annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Rates of the violent crimes of murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, as well as rates of the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft have decreased since 2017. Moreover, the rates for the crimes have dropped in cities of all sizes. These statistics cover 300 million Americans, which is the vast majority of the nation’s population. The decrease occurred in all regions of the United States. The only exceptions were rape and aggravated assault for the West and rape for the Northeast (albeit by less than a percentage point in the Northeast).
After increases in violence crime 2014-2017, the nation saw a sharp decline in 2018 in criminal violence. Moreover, the downward trend in property crime was markedly accelerated in 2018 compared to previous years. There are numerous reasons for the good numbers, but chief among them is the greatly improved economic conditions the nation has enjoyed of late. Violent crime is especially sensitive to economic pressures, especially as they affect inner city populations. It is too soon to tell whether the country is back on track with the record declines in crime and violence it has enjoyed over the last several decades, but the new figures are promising.
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