Crime in the US: What happened in 2019 and What are the Trends?

The FBI just released its 2019 crime numbers this week. Here are a few highlights:

In 2019, an estimated 1,203,808 violent crimes occurred nationwide, a decrease of 0.5% from 2018.
When considering 5- and 10-year trends, the 2019 estimated violent crime total was 0.4 percent above the 2015 level but 3.8% below the 2010 level.
There were an estimated 366.7 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019, a rate that dropped 1.0% when compared with the 2018 estimated violent crime rate and fell 9.3% from the 2010 estimate.
Aggravated assaults accounted for 68.2% of violent crimes reported to law enforcement in 2019. Robbery offenses accounted for 22.3% of violent crime offenses; rape (legacy definition) accounted for 8.2%; and murder accounted for 1.4 percent.
The US murder rate was 5.0 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the robbery rate was 81.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019.

Here’s what the five-year trend looks like:

In 2019, there were an estimated 6,925,677 property crime offenses in the nation. The 2-year trend showed that property crime offenses declined 4.1 percent in 2019 when compared with the 2018 estimate. The 10-year trend showed that property crime offenses decreased 24.0% in 2019 when compared with the 2010 estimate.
In 2019, the rate of property crime was estimated at 2,109.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, a 4.5% decrease when compared with the 2018 estimated rate. The 2019 property crime rate was 15.6% less than the 2015 estimate and 28.4% less than the 2010 estimate.
Larceny-theft accounted for 73.4% of all property crimes in 2019. Burglary accounted for 16.1%, and motor vehicle theft for 10.4 percent.
The larceny-theft rate was 1,549.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the burglary rate was 340.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019.

And here’s the five-year trend for property crimes:

Looking good, especially for property crimes. I have a bad feeling about crime in 2020, though.

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