It’s easy to worry that the United States is becoming more dangerous. After all, every time something serious happens in the world, you can immediately see coverage of it on every news outlet. That can make you worry that the United States is getting more and more dangerous over time. Here’s what you need to know about the truth behind America’s changing crime rates.
1. Overall Crime Rate
The first thing to look at is the overall crime rate. After all, this is one of the major elements that people look at when they’re trying to discern the safety of a specific area. According to the FBI, this is the overall crime rate per 100,000 in the United States since 2010:
2010: 3,350.4
2011: 3,292.5
2012: 3,255.8
2013: 3,112.4
2014: 2,971.8
2015: 2,859.6
2016: 2,837
2017: 2,745.1
2018: 2,568.4
As you can see, every single year since 2010, the United States’ crime rate has gone down. Between 2010 and 2018, the crime rate went down by a full 23%, a truly impressive percentage to happen in only eight years.
2. Violent Crime Rate
What about the violent crime rate? The overall crime rate can include crimes that don’t feel “unsafe,” which means that the violent crime rate can be a better understanding of whether people are genuinely “safe” in an area. The FBI has statistics on violent crime specifically, and this is the overall violent crime rate per 100,000 in the United States since 2010:
2010: 404.5
2011: 387.1
2012: 387.8
2013: 379.1
2014: 375.7
2015: 372.6
2016: 386.3
2017: 382.9
2018: 368.9
Though it’s had more ups and downs than the general crime rate, the overall trend has still been toward a reduction in violence, with nearly a 9% reduction since 2010. That means no matter how you look at it, the United States overall has become safer.
3. Specific Neighborhoods
Though the overall numbers do paint a safer picture, it’s true that there are certain neighborhoods that are on the ends of the average. These are the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States, with violent crime rates around five times the national average:
Detroit, Michigan: 2,007.8
Memphis, Tennessee: 1,943.2
Birmingham, Alabama: 1,911.5
Baltimore, Maryland: 1,833.4
St Louis, Missouri: 1,800.4
On the other hand, there are some cities that flip the script and are ultra-safe. These are possibly the safest neighborhoods in the United States:
Hopkinton, Massachusetts: Nearly 0
Bridgefield, Connecticut: Nearly 0
Madison, Connecticut: Nearly 0
Harrison Town, New York: 3.5
Bernards Township, New Jersey: 3.7
Socioeconomic status plays a huge role in these. More dangerous areas tend to have higher poverty rates, while safer areas tend to have higher incomes.
Conclusion
In general, the United States is getting safer, not more dangerous. However, there are still some areas that are more dangerous than others. The best thing you can do to keep yourself safe is to look at local crime. Many people use public record search engines to keep an eye on their neighbors and keep themselves more directly safe.
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