Violent crime in the US fell significantly in the first quarter of 2024 compared to last year, according to the FBI's Quarterly Uniform Crime Report published yesterday. (See? All news isn’t bad.)
The data, collected from participating police departments across the country, shows overall violent crime decreased by 15% nationally in January-March compared to the same months in 2023.
The FBI’s report carries a few caveats: It only covers 72% of the ~19,000+ total law enforcement agencies in America, as many local departments regularly fail to meet the FBI’s reporting deadline. The data also depends on the accuracy of each agency’s individual report, which typically varies from precinct to precinct.
But, despite its potential inaccuracies, the FBI’s data tracks with other reports that show a smaller, but still significant annual drop in violent crime so far this year.
Big picture: Following a notable increase during the first year of the Covid pandemic, US violent crime rates have fallen in each of the past three years. Overall, violent crime rates today are ~50% lower compared to America’s recorded peak in the early 1990s.
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