U.S. violent and property crimes declined in 2023: FBI
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Oakland police investigate a shooting in near International Boulevard in East Oakland, California, on Dec. 26, 2023. Photo: Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Image
The nation's violent and property crime rates eased down last year, according to new FBI numbers released Monday, while other evidence shows hate crime reached an all-time high in the nation's largest cities.
Why it matters: Crime has been a focal point in the 2024 presidential race, with former President Trump insisting that crime kept rising during President Biden's tenure while dismissing reports that crime has fallen since Biden's first year in office.
- Murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased 11.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
- The FBI report of more than 16,000 state, county, city, university and college, and tribal agencies covered a combined population of 94.3% residents.
By the numbers: New FBI data show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 3% in 2023 compared to 2022 estimates.
- The nation's violent crime rate dropped to 363.8 per 100,000 residents last year. It was 377.1 in 2022.
- The national property crime rate also fell in 2023 to 1,916.7 residents. It was 1,973.8 in 2022.
- Aggravated assault numbers also dropped an estimated 2.8% in 2023.
The big picture: Police agencies across the country are self-reporting that violent crime has been dropping since the pandemic, while hate crimes appear to be rising in some cities.
- Mistrust in media and law enforcement calls these numbers into question if they don't fit a particular political narrative, but study after study shows crime is decreasing.
Yes, but: Auto thefts jumped 13% nationwide, reflecting ongoing surges in some of the country's largest cities.
Between the lines: Other reports have suggested crime is dropping since pandemic-era highs.
- New preliminary data out in August from major U.S. cities showed a sharp drop in violent crime in the first half of the year — more than 25% in some communities.
- An Axios analysis of the data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association also found an overall 13% decline in homicides among 66 cities during the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2020.
Zoom in: New FBI numbers show that reported hate crime incidents decreased 0.6% from 10,687 in 2022 to 10,627 in 2023.
- A detailed analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, shared with Axios found that 2023 hate crimes hit records across 10 of the nation's largest cities, rising 16%.
- Anti-Jewish hate crimes reported to police across 20 major cities in 2023 rose 48% to a new record.
- Anti-Muslim crimes rose 51%, with spikes starting in October 2023 following escalated violent conflict in Israel/Gaza.
- Relatedly, anti-Arab crimes rose 136% in a smaller sample, the center said.
