Answering Key Questions About Crime in the United States

The latest data from Pew Research Center and Gallup reveals that a growing number of Americans are prioritizing the reduction of crime as a top concern for the president and Congress this year. The percentage of U.S. adults who believe that addressing crime should be a top priority has risen to 58%, up from 47% at the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term in 2021.

The analysis, based on data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, shows that crime rates in the U.S. have seen significant declines since the early 1990s. Violent crime rates have dropped by 49% between 1993 and 2022, with property crime rates also decreasing by 59% during the same period.

However, despite the overall decline in crime rates, there have been fluctuations in certain types of crimes in recent years. For example, the murder rate saw a substantial increase in 2020, but preliminary data for 2023 suggests a significant decrease in the murder rate last year.

Public perceptions of crime in the country also differ from official data, with a majority of Americans believing that crime is on the rise nationally, even when crime rates have been decreasing. Additionally, there are disparities in crime victimization rates based on demographic characteristics, with younger people and those with lower incomes more likely to be victims of crime.

Overall, while crime rates have generally been on a downward trend, there are still challenges in reporting and solving crimes, with a significant percentage of crimes going unreported to police and a low clearance rate for both violent and property crimes.