Violent crime in the United States decreased in 2019, according to FBI statistics released today.
Compared to 2018, violent crime fell 0.5%, according to an FBI news release. Property crime also fell by 4.1%, marking the 17th straight year of declines, the FBI said.
In 2019, there were 366.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people and 2,109.9 property crimes per 100,000 people.
A deeper look at the data reveals some types of violent crimes did increase. Aggravated assault rose by 1.3% from 2018, and murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rose 0.3%. Robberies were down 4.7%.
The FBI said there were 6,925,677 property crimes in the U.S. in 2019. Burglaries dropped 9.5% compared to 2018, and motor vehicle theft fell 4%. The FBI estimates the total cost of property crimes, excluding arson, was $15.8 billion in 2019.
During 2019, there were 10.1 million arrests, excluding traffic violations.
The FBI statistics were compiled using data from law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the agency’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The FBI said that 18,667 federal, state, county, city, university and college and tribal agencies are eligible to participate in the UCR Program, and 16,554 of those agencies submitted data.