FBI Releases Preliminary Annual Crime Statistics for 2008

6-3-2009 National:

According to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released today, the nation experienced a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 1.6 percent decline in the number of property crimes for 2008 compared with data from 2007. The report is based on information that the FBI gathered from 12,750 law enforcement agencies that submitted six to 12 comparable months of data to the FBI for both 2007 and 2008.

Violent Crime

In 2008, all four of the violent crime offense categories declined nationwide compared with data from 2007. Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter declined 4.4 percent, aggravated assault was down 3.2 percent, forcible rape decreased 2.2 percent, and robbery decreased 1.1 percent.

Violent crime declined in all city groups. Those cities with populations of 250,000 to 499,999 saw the greatest decline in violent crime (4.0 percent). Violent crime in nonmetropolitan counties decreased 3.3 percent and in metropolitan counties declined 2.5 percent.

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter dropped 9.1 percent in cities with 100,000 to 249,999 in population. However, in cities with populations less than 10,000, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter increased 5.5 percent.

Cities with 250,000 to 499,999 inhabitants experienced the greatest decline in forcible rapes at 4.4 percent; cities under 10,000 in population showed the only rise in forcible rapes at 1.4 percent. Forcible rape offenses decreased 7.3 percent in nonmetropolitan counties, but increased 0.6 percent in metropolitan counties.

Although robbery overall showed a decrease, cities with populations less than 25,000 showed increases in robbery. Robberies also increased in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, 0.7 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Aggravated assault decreased in all city groups. Cities with 250,000 to 499,999 inhabitants experienced the greatest decrease at 6.0 percent. Aggravated assaults declined in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, 3.9 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.

Violent crimes decreased in all four regions of the country in 2008. However, slight increases in murder were reported in the Northeast (0.7 percent) and in the Midwest (0.4 percent). The Northeast also showed increases of 2.5 percent for forcible rape and 0.3 percent in robbery.

For the remainder of these statistics: by FBI