Crime articles
Get unbiased data and visuals on crime rates, police and law enforcement, jails and prisons, guns, and illegal drugs.
Which cities have the highest murder rates?
There were 22,380 homicides in the US in 2023 — an average of 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people (the homicide rate). Over half (53.7%) occurred in major metropolitan areas with populations over 1 million.While the national homicide rate has decreased (-9.1%) since 2022, many counties and metro areas have seen numbers climb. Notably, Washington, DC (District of Columbia) has experienced a 42.4% increase in its homicide rate since last year.Why are we talking about counties? The most geographically granular homicide data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is county-level, which means that we have to approximate city homicide numbers from county data. Some counties map to a single city; their data is the most straightforward. Others contain multiple cities or a broader metropolitan area. This data is less exact, but still instructive. Which counties have cities with the most homicides?Cook County, the largest county in the Chicago metropolitan area, had 805 homicides — the most in the nation. The second highest total was Los Angeles County in the Los Angeles, California metro area, with 659 homicides.
Jul 11, 2025How many people apprehended at US borders have a prior criminal conviction?
About 17,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This number of criminal noncitizen arrests — now referred to by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as criminal alien arrests — represents 1.1% of all border apprehensions by the US Border Patrol (USBP) through September 2024, the end of the federal fiscal year. Because one person may be arrested multiple times in the same fiscal year, it’s possible to have more arrests than people arrested.
How many people are sentenced to death in America?
In 2022, 2,270 prisoners were sentenced to death and awaiting execution, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than half of prisoners with a death sentence were held in the most populous states: California: 29%, or 667 people Florida: 13%, or 304 people Texas: 8%, or 190 people Adjusting for population, the states with the greatest number of prisoners sentenced to death per 100,000 people in 2022 were Alabama (3.21 per 100,000 people) and Nevada (1.79). California ranked fourth with 1.70 prisoners under sentence of death per 100,000 people in 2022, while Florida ranked sixth (1.35), and Texas ranked 13th (0.63).
May 14, 2025How many people die from gun-related injuries in the US each month?
An estimated 3.8K in August 2024, the most recent month for which data is available. This includes homicides, suicides, accidents, and other incidents where a shooting was considered the primary cause of death.
How many people are in prisons in the US?
About 1.23 million at the end of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. This number is up 2.1% from 2021 and includes anyone under state or federal jurisdiction. Prisoners sentenced to one or more years — usually for a felony conviction — make up 96.4% of this group, and the remainder includes people who are serving shorter sentences or awaiting sentencing.
Updates annuallyHow many people are deported from the US each year?
1.1M in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security defines deportation as the removal or return of a noncitizen from the United States. However, a broader term can be used, “repatriation”, which also includes COVID-19 related expulsions from the US.
How many states use private prisons?
As of 2022, 28 states used privately run prisons along with (or instead of) local jails and state-run facilities. That same year, 7.4% of prisoners were in a private facility. In January 2021, former President Joe Biden signed an executive order ending the use of privately-operated prisons, citing importance of prisoner rehabilitation and redemption and the need to alleviate federal reliance on profit-based correctional systems and noting that privately-operated prisons underperform in terms of both inmate and staff safety and resources for inmates. The Federal Bureau of Prisons ended the use of privately-owned prisons on November 30, 2022. As of 2025, there are zero federal inmates in private institutions. But because the order only applied to federal prisons, states can continue to contract with for-profit prisons.
Feb 6, 2025Who are school resource officers, and what do they do for school safety?
School resource officers (SROs) are law enforcement officers tasked with ensuring safety and preventing crime in schools.Like regular police officers, SROs can make arrests, respond to service calls, and document incidents within their jurisdiction.Additionally, SROs serve as educators, emergency managers, and mentors.A 2023 Justice Department report surveyed SROs in the 2019–2020 school year about actions they performed within 30 days prior to being surveyed.How many SROs are there?As of the 2019–2020 school year, there were 23,426 SROs in US schools. These officers aren’t employed by schools, but by local police departments (49.1% of SROs), sheriffs' offices (32.3%), and school district police departments (18.6%).According to the Department of Justice, “SRO candidates should be sworn law enforcement officers or deputies with at least three years’ work experience and an interest in developing positive, community-oriented relationships with youth and the school community.”About 69% of SROs reported that they had responded to an incident in a classroom within the past 30 days when surveyed during the 2019–2020 school year.What do SROs do? SROs perform various duties that can be categorized into investigative, enforcement, patrol and response, security, mentoring, and teaching activities.SROs have four major roles:Law enforcementSROs play a role in maintaining a secure environment within and around school premises. They strive to employ non-punitive approaches when interacting with students, reserving citations and arrests as a last resort, applicable only in narrowly defined circumstances.Informal counselorSROs serve as liaisons to community services that support the well-being of youth and their families.EducatorSROs help educate students on crime prevention, safety measures (such as school shooter drills), drug awareness, conflict resolution strategies, and insights into the legal system and law enforcement operations.Emergency managerSROs help develop and implement emergency preparedness policies and school safety plans. They collaborate with first responders during emergencies and sit on school threat assessment teams.Investigative activitiesSROs conduct various investigative activities within schools. Of the surveyed SROs, 54.4% conducted searches, such as locker inspections or pat downs of students, 54.6% interviewed students regarding safety issues without a parent or guardian present, and 58.7% interviewed students in the presence of a parent or guardian.
Aug 2, 2024How much money does the government appropriate to combat the opioid epidemic?
In recent years, Congress passed three laws authorizing the appropriation of $10.6 billion in spending to combat the opioid epidemic. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), the 21st Century Cures Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act are estimated to increase mandatory opioid response spending by $2.5 billion.Congress plans to spend these funds from 2017 and 2028. This funding is for programs that reduce the supply of opioids, the demand for them, and the harm they cause. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act represents 85% of this funding, almost $8.99 billion.
Aug 1, 2024The federal data available on active shooter incidents, mass killings and domestic terrorism
The mass shootings on Aug. 3 in El Paso, Texas and Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, and the shooting the previous week in Gilroy, California, brought to the national forefront several issues including domestic terrorism, gun violence and hate crimes.In response, USAFacts is giving readers a look at the government data that is (and isn’t) available on those topics.
Oct 3, 2023Who buys the guns that are used in crimes? A closer look at the buyers
When a gun is first recovered from a crime scene, it isn’t always clear who bought it. A new report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), however, provides some data on the people who purchase guns later used in crimes, also known as crime guns. Here are four main takeaways.
Mar 29, 2023Which groups have experienced an increase in hate crimes?
The number of reported hate crimes — crimes motivated by bias against someone’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity —rose by 7% between 2021 and 2022, according to updated 2022 hate crime data from the FBI.Black and/or African American people were the most frequent targets overall. Among gender-motivated hate crimes, anti-transgender hate crimes increased 35% year over year. Religiously motivated hate crimes increased 27%, and specifically, antisemitic hate crimes increased by 36% from 2021 to 2022.How many hate crimes are motivated by race?Although crimes motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry decreased 1% between 2021 and 2022, they were the largest category of hate crimes, accounting for 56% of all reported hate crimes.
Dec 14, 2023Can people with felony convictions vote?
In the US, almost all people with felony convictions lose their voting rights for a certain period.States set rules about how a felony conviction affects a resident’s ability to vote. Most states automatically restore voting rights either after release from prison or after probation or parole. Some states automatically restore voting rights under specific circumstances, depending on the nature of the crime or an individual’s criminal history. Meanwhile, two states, plus Washington, DC, never revoke the voting rights of individuals convicted of a felony.At the end of 2021, more than 1.2 million people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons, according to the Department of Justice.
Dec 1, 2023How much do states spend on prisoners?
States incarcerated more than 1 million people at the end of 2021, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics data. To house them, state governments spent a combined $64.0 billion (inflation-adjusted). Spending per prisoner varies more than tenfold across states, from just under $23,000 per person in Arkansas to $307,468 in Massachusetts. Spending in Massachusetts was more than double any other state; the median state spent $64,865 per prisoner for the year.
Apr 17, 2024What does the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives do?
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a subdivision of the US Department of Justice responsible for enforcing federal laws related to the regulation of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, and arson. The agency's primary mission is to protect communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products. It was established in 1972.
Updates annuallyHow many Americans have died from terrorist attacks since 9/11?
The US made several policy changes to combat terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. Most notably, it created the Department of Homeland Security, increased airport security, and went to war in Afghanistan.In the two decades since the attack, there were far fewer terrorist acts on US soil and most attacks aren’t lethal, according to data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). The consortium is a Department of Homeland Security science and technology center.While the 9/11 attack was committed by terrorists associated with the extremist Al Qaeda group, most terror incidents in the US are conducted without a connection to a formal organization and are motivated by a wide range of ideologies.How does the US define terrorism?An FBI definition based on federal statute describes terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated... terrorist organizations or nations.” A country or nation can be a state sponsor of terrorism if the Secretary of State determines the country repeatedly provided support for terrorist acts. The US currently considers four countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. North Korea and Cuba were the most recent additions to that list, added in 2017 and this past January, respectively.Similarly, an FBI definition of domestic terrorism describes it as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”How many people have died from terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11?The 9/11 attacks killed 2,908 people between the plane strikes at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Penn. Since those attacks, 549 Americans have died in terrorist attacks, according to an analysis of the Global Terrorism Database, maintained by START. In 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, 51 people died in terrorist attacks in the US.About a quarter of all terrorist attacks in the US from 2015 to 2019 involved firearms. Those firearm incidents were responsible for almost all terrorism-related deaths at that time.
Sep 14, 2021How many people are in prison in America?
There were 1.20 million people in prison in the US in 2021, or 363 for every 100,000 people. The prison and overall correctional population, including those in jail and on probation and parole, has decreased over time.How much has the prison population gone down?Between 2011 and 2021, the prison population decreased by 25%. Although the total population grew, the number of prisoners per 100,000 people declined 29% over that time period. The total correctional population peaked in 2007, but the populations within each category of corrections have dropped since then. Those in jail totaled 636,300 in 2021, or 192 people for every 100,000, the second-lowest jail incarceration rate since 1996.
Nov 10, 2023Here’s where guns used in crimes are bought
A report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reveals that traced crime guns — guns later used in crimes — that originated from gun shows increased by 19% from 2017 to 2021. It also reveals that 99% of traced crime guns were initially obtained from a dealer, pawnbroker, or gun manufacturer. Here’s a look at how gun show sales have rebounded after the pandemic and where people buy guns for crimes.
Apr 6, 2023Gun injuries are killing more Americans. Which communities are most impacted?
The number of people dying from firearm-related incidents has been increasing since 2000 — in particular, deaths increased by 45.5% between 2012 and 2021, with a spike between 2019 and 2021. There were 48,830 firearms deaths in 2021, the highest total number since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking this statistic in 1968. This is a 70% increase from 2000, when there were 28,663 firearm deaths.
Sep 21, 2023Which states have the highest murder rates?
The national homicide death rate fell by 6.1% from 2021 to 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age-adjusted homicide rate had risen 36.7% between 2019 and 2021 from 6.0 homicides per 100,000 people to 8.2. In 2022, the rate fell to 7.7.In the last three years of data, US homicide rates have been higher than at any other point in the 21st century, but they remain below the peaks of the 1980s and early 1990s.
May 24, 2024