Crime articles
Which states have the highest and lowest crime rates?
In 2024, Alaska recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate and New Mexico the highest property crime rate. Maine had the lowest violent crime rate, and Idaho held the lowest property crime rate. The US crime rate has been trending downward for decades, including in 2024. While crime rates constantly fluctuate, overall violent crime and property crime rates are both at their lowest points since 1976, the earliest year of available data. State-by-state, though, crime rates vary because of factors like urbanization levels, economic conditions, and law enforcement effectiveness.What are violent and property crimes?The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program classifies violent crimes as those involving force or the threat of force. They are categorized into four specific offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The UCR defines property crime as a crime during which someone takes money or property without using force or threats. Property crimes includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also considered a property crime, and total offenses are reported, but the numbers are too small to calculate reliable rates—so the FBI does not publish arson rates.States with the highest and lowest crime ratesAlaska had the highest violent crime rate of any state in 2024, at 724.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, followed by New Mexico (717.1), Tennessee (592.3), Arkansas (579.4) and Louisiana (519.8). The states with the least violent crimes were Maine (100.1), New Hampshire (110.1), Connecticut (136.0), Rhode Island (153.6), and Wyoming (203.4). The US average was 359.1 per 100,000 people.
Which cities have the highest and lowest crime rates?
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.
What does the Department of Justice (DOJ) do?
The Department of Justice (DOJ, Justice Department) is an executive branch agency responsible for enforcing federal laws and ensuring public safety. Its functions include prosecuting criminal and civil cases, overseeing federal law enforcement agencies, managing federal prisons, upholding civil rights, and issuing justice-related grants. It was established in 1870.
What does the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) 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.
What does the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) do?
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a subdivision of the US Department of Justice responsible for enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States. The agency aims to reduce the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. It also works to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and collaborates with other agencies to combat drug-related crimes. It was established in 1973.
What does the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) do?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a subdivision of the US Department of Justice responsible for investigating and enforcing federal laws, protecting and defending the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, upholding and enforcing the criminal laws of the United States, and providing leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international partners. The FBI also focuses on cybercrime, public corruption, civil rights violations, and other major crimes. It was established in 1908.
What does the Secret Service (USSS) do?
The US Secret Service (USSS) is a subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for safeguarding the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems, as well as protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites, and National Special Security Events. The agency's dual mission includes investigating and preventing financial crimes such as counterfeiting, credit card fraud, and cybercrime, while also ensuring the security of the President, Vice President, their families, and other high-profile officials. It was established in 1865.
How many people were deported from the US?
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 people die from gun-related injuries in the US each month?
An estimated 3.5K in December 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 1.25 million at the end of 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. This number is up 2% from 2022 and includes anyone under state or federal jurisdiction. Prisoners sentenced to one or more years — usually for a felony conviction — make up 96.5% of this group, and the remainder includes people who are serving shorter sentences or awaiting sentencing.
How have property crime rates changed over time?
In 2024, the national property crime rate fell to its lowest level since 1976 — the earliest year of available data — to a rate of 1,760.1 property crimes per 100,000 people. It was also the largest single year decline: the property crime rate fell 9.0% in from 2023 to 2024. What is property crime?The National Institute of Justice defines property crime as the theft or destruction of property without threats or injuries to the owner. In tracking national crime rates, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) distinguishes property crime from violent crime. The FBI’s property crime rate data includes: Burglary Larceny-theft Motor vehicle theft Although arson is also classified as a property crime and total arson offenses are available, the numbers are too small to reliably calculate crime rates, so the FBI does not publish arson rates.
What is the crime rate in the US?
In 2024, for every 100,000 people, 359 violent crimes and 1,760 property crimes. Simply speaking, violent crimes are committed against people, property crimes are not. These crime rates do not include every violent and property crime, but rather four violent offenses and three property offenses that have been tracked since 1929.
What does the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) do?
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an independent foreign intelligence agency. Its primary mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate information to the president and other policymakers to help safeguard national security. The CIA conducts covert operations and gathers intelligence on foreign entities to avert threats and inform governmental decisions. It was established in 1947.
How much do states spend on housing prisoners?
Over 1 million people were incarcerated as of December 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics data. To house them, state governments spent a combined $63.6 billion. Spending per prisoner varies more than tenfold across states, from just under $20,000 in Mississippi to $284,976 in Massachusetts, more than double that of any other state. Median state spending was $60,989 per prisoner for the year.
Are fentanyl overdose deaths rising in the US?
In 2023, 72,776 people died from fentanyl overdoses nationwide, 1.4% fewer than the year before. Fentanyl deaths had previously increased every year from 2013 to 2022.
How many cyberattacks occur in the US?
In 2024, 859,532 cybercrimes were reported in the US. While the total number of reported cyberattacks was lower than in 2023 (880,418), financial losses rose over 30%, from $12.5 billion in 2023 to $16.6 billion in 2024.
How many police officers die in the line of duty?
In 2024, 107 officers died in the line of duty, according to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report. Sixty-four were killed feloniously, primarily by firearms.Since the FBI began collecting data on officer deaths in 1996, annual deaths have ranged from a low of 76 in 2013 to a high of 146 in 2001. There were 13 more officer deaths in 2024 than in 2023.
How does US law enforcement work? Who has jurisdiction?
High-profile law enforcement activity across the US in 2025 has raised questions about overlapping jurisdictions.How is law enforcement structured in the US?There are about 17,600 government agencies involved in law enforcement in the US, including nearly 100 federal agencies and 17,500 state and local agencies.Their jurisdictions are divided along a few lines: the type of crime, who’s involved, and geography, e.g.:The Drug Enforcement Administration within the Justice Department, as the name suggests, enforces laws and regulations having to do with controlled substances, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division, within the Treasury, investigates potential tax compliance violations.The 72 Offices of Inspectors General in federal agencies investigate fraud and abuse within those agencies.State and local law enforcement agencies, along with some federal agencies, generally focus on crime within their geographical boundaries.This structure allows for considerable jurisdictional overlap, which in turn can create considerable confusion.When do state and local police have jurisdiction?Crime response is mainly the responsibility of state and local governments, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.State and local law enforcement agencies enforce laws according to their state and local legislation, which tends to be bound by geography: Local police departments are responsible for towns and cities. At the county level, there’s often an elected sheriff. State police perform statewide investigations across county or municipal borders, patrol highways, and cover areas with no local police of their own.
Which states have the highest murder rates?
The national homicide death rate fell by 7.8% from 2022 to 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age-adjusted homicide rate had reached a 21st-century peak in 2021, rising by 36.7% between 2019 and 2021.Since then, the rate has declined by 13.4%, dropping from 8.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 to 7.1 deaths in 2023.
Are hate crimes on the rise?
Nationwide, the number of reported hate crimes have increased by about 100% since 2015, rising from 5,843 to 11,679. 2015’s numbers marked a near low in reported crimes, the 3rd fewest since this data collection began in 1991. However, there’s a chance low numbers of any kind are due to underreporting rather than fewer hate crimes. For example, between 2010 and 2019, an estimated 56% of hate crimes were not reported to the police.