Coverage & caveats · FBI crime statistics
Agency coverage
The share of a place's population served by agencies that actually reported — the caveat behind every figure.
Coverage is the proportion of a jurisdiction's population represented by law enforcement agencies that submitted data for the period. A county at 40% coverage has figures describing under half its residents.
Coverage varies enormously by state and year, and it moves. A county whose largest department resumes reporting will show a sharp apparent rise in crime that is entirely an artefact of coverage. This is why counts here are published with their coverage share, and why a place below a coverage floor is shown as unavailable rather than as a small number — a low count from a low-coverage county is not a low crime rate, and presenting it as one invites exactly the wrong conclusion.
Also known as: reporting coverage, population covered, participation rate.
See agency coverage in the data
Explore reported offences and trends by state and county, with the coverage caveats stated on every page. Start free — no credit card needed.
Agency coverage — FAQ
What is agency coverage in crime statistics?+
The share of a place's population served by agencies that actually reported — the caveat behind every figure. Coverage is the proportion of a jurisdiction's population represented by law enforcement agencies that submitted data for the period. A county at 40% coverage has figures describing under half its residents.
Why does agency coverage matter?+
Coverage varies enormously by state and year, and it moves. A county whose largest department resumes reporting will show a sharp apparent rise in crime that is entirely an artefact of coverage. This is why counts here are published with their coverage share, and why a place below a coverage floor is shown as unavailable rather than as a small number — a low count from a low-coverage county is not a low crime rate, and presenting it as one invites exactly the wrong conclusion.
Where does this crime statistics come from?+
Figures come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — the quarterly national trend series, the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the annual Arrests and Arson collections. Coverage depends on which agencies reported in a given period. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with the FBI.