Which cities have the highest and lowest crime rates?
In 2024, violent and property crime rates were at their lowest levels in at least 48 years, having fallen by more than half since 1991.
In 2024, national violent crime and property crime rates dropped to their lowest levels since 1976, the earliest year with published data.
What is the violent crime rate?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) divides violent crime into four categories: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Aggravated assaults are most frequently reported — they were 71.3% of all violent crimes in 2024. Homicides were the least common, at about 1.4% of reported violent crime.
The FBI estimated that there were about 359 reported violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2024, a 5.4% decrease from 2023. Reductions happened in all four categories; the largest decrease was the 15.3% drop in murder and non-negligent homicides, which took the rate from 5.9 per 100,000 to 5.0.
The violent crime rate is at its lowest level since 1976.
Reported violent crimes per 100,000 people
The violent crime rate has remained below 400 per 100,000 people since 2011, following a nearly 50% decline from 1991 to 2011. Rates peaked in 1991, with 758 offenses reported per 100,000.
How does violent crime compare between cities?
The FBI releases the latest crime data by city each quarter. Although complete data is unavailable for all cities, the FBI released reported violent crime rates for 2023 in 236 US cities with populations over 100,000. The largest cities on the list include New York, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Philadelphia.
Memphis, Tennessee had the highest violent crime rate of any city.
Reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, cities with the 75 highest rates
Memphis, Tennessee had the highest violent crime of 100,000+ population cities, with 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024. Oakland, California and Detroit, Michigan, followed at 1,925 and 1,781, respectively. Carmel, Indiana, had the lowest: 66.
The overall rate for 100,000+ person cities for which there’s data was 674 per 100,000 people — 88% higher than the national average. Based on the total number of violent crimes reported in these cities, they average about one violent crime every 65 seconds.
What is the violent crime rate in your area?
Reported violent crime rates and totals by city, 2024
What is the property crime rate?
In 2024, there were an estimated 1,760 reported property crimes per 100,000 people. Between 2023 and 2024, the national property crime rate dropped by 9.0%.
As with violent crime, property crime rates have steadily decreased since a recent peak in 1991 (the all-time peak was in 1980, when there were 5,353 property crimes per 100,000 people). All sub-categories of property crime dropped, with the largest decrease in motor vehicle theft, at 19.5%.
Larceny, or theft, accounted for 72% of all property crimes in 2024. That’s about 60% of all reported crime, property and violent.
The national property crime rate fell 50% in 20 years.
Reported property crimes per 100,000 people, 1976–2024
How does property crime compare between cities?
The FBI’s 2024 property crime data also covers 217 US cities with at least 100,000 people. Oakland led in property crime rates with 7,230 crimes per 100,000 people, followed by Memphis (6,899) and St. Louis, Missouri (5,707). Carmel, Indiana, was again the lowest — 813 per 100,000.
Oakland, California had the highest property crime rate of any city with data.
Reported property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, cities with the 75 highest rates
The average property crime rate for 100,000+ person cities, was 2,978 per 100,000 people. This was 69% higher than the national average and equates to one property crime every 14.7 seconds.
What is the property crime rate in your area?
Reported property crime rates and totals by city, 2024
Where is there missing crime rate data?
Per the FBI, law enforcement agencies that reported data in 2024 represent about 95.3% of the population in US metropolitan areas. The data includes statistics for 337 specific metro areas and 217 cities within those metro areas that have a population of at least 100,000 people but doesn’t cover every major urban area. The largest cities not specifically listed in the FBI’s reporting include New York; Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, and Jacksonville and Tampa in Florida.
FBI crime data includes 337 metros with at least 80% of the metro population covered.
Percentage of population covered by NIBRS data in 2024 by metro area
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