Measures · FBI crime statistics
Crime rate
Offences per 100,000 residents — only as sound as its population denominator.
A crime rate expresses offences relative to population, conventionally per 100,000 residents, so that places of different sizes can be compared.
The denominator is where these go wrong. Residential population understates the people actually present in a place with large daytime, tourist or commuter inflows, so central-city and resort-county rates are inflated relative to the risk any individual faces. Rates for small populations are also extremely unstable — a handful of incidents can double a small county's rate — which is why per-capita figures here are withheld below a population floor rather than published as noise.
Also known as: crime rate per capita, offenses per 100000, per 100k.
See crime rate in the data
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Crime rate — FAQ
What is crime rate in crime statistics?+
Offences per 100,000 residents — only as sound as its population denominator. A crime rate expresses offences relative to population, conventionally per 100,000 residents, so that places of different sizes can be compared.
Why does crime rate matter?+
The denominator is where these go wrong. Residential population understates the people actually present in a place with large daytime, tourist or commuter inflows, so central-city and resort-county rates are inflated relative to the risk any individual faces. Rates for small populations are also extremely unstable — a handful of incidents can double a small county's rate — which is why per-capita figures here are withheld below a population floor rather than published as noise.
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.