FBI Releases Preliminary

Semiannual Crime Statistics for

2018
Statistics released today in the FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime
Report revealed overall declines in the number of violent crimes and property
crimes reported for the first six months of 2018 when compared with figures
for the first six months of 2017. The report is based on information from
14,509 law enforcement agencies that submitted three to six months of
comparable data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

Violent Crime

 Three of the offenses in the violent crime category—robbery, murder

and nonnegligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault—showed
decreases when data from the first six months of 2018 were compared
with data from the first six months of 2017. The number of robbery
offenses decreased 12.5 percent, murder and nonnegligent
manslaughter offenses fell 6.7 percent, and aggravated assault offenses
were down 2.0 percent. The fourth offense in the violent crime category,
rape (revised definition), increased 0.6 percent.
 The overall number of violent crimes decreased in all city population
groups. Law enforcement agencies in cities with populations of 25,000
to 49,999 reported the largest decrease, 8.2 percent. Law enforcement
agencies in cities with populations of 1,000,000 and over and in cities
with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 reported the smallest decreases,
2.8 percent.
 Violent crime decreased 4.5 percent in metropolitan counties and fell
3.5 percent in nonmetropolitan counties.
 Violent crime decreased in three of the four regions of the nation. These
crimes were down 6.5 percent in the South, 5.5 percent in the Midwest,
and 4.7 percent in the Northeast. Violent crime increased 0.2 percent in
the West.

Property Crime
  In the property crime category, offenses dropped 7.2 percent. Burglaries
were down 12.7 percent, larceny-thefts declined 6.3 percent, and motor
vehicle thefts decreased 3.3 percent.
 The overall number of property crimes decreased in all city population
groups. Law enforcement agencies in cities with populations of under
10,000 inhabitants reported the largest decrease, 10.7 percent. Law
enforcement agencies in cities with populations of 1,000,000 and over
reported the smallest decrease, 2.1 percent.
 Property crime decreased 11.1 percent in nonmetropolitan counties and
7.6 percent in metropolitan counties.
 Property crime decreased in all four regions of the nation. Reports of
these offenses reflected declines of 9.4 percent in the Midwest, 7.3
percent in the South, 6.7 percent in the Northeast, and 5.6 percent in
the West.

Arson

In the UCR Program, arson offenses are collected separately from other
property crimes. The number of arson offenses decreased 9.4 percent in the
first six months of 2018 when compared with figures for the first six months of
2017. Three of the nation’s four regions reported decreases in the number of
arsons. Arsons were down 16.5 percent in the Midwest, 15.9 percent in the
South, and 12.8 percent in the Northeast. However, arson offenses rose 2.8
percent in the West.

Arson offenses declined 14.7 percent in cities with populations from 500,000
to 999,999, the largest decrease within the city groupings. Cities with
populations of 1,000,000 and over experienced a 0.7 percent increase in
arson offenses. Arsons decreased 8.8 percent in metropolitan counties and
5.9 percent in nonmetropolitan counties.

Caution Against Ranking

When the FBI publishes crime data via its UCR Program, some entities use
the information to compile rankings of cities and counties. Such rankings,
however, do not provide insight into the numerous variables that shape crime
in a given town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region. These rankings lead
to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that can create misleading
perceptions that adversely affect communities and their residents. Only
through careful study and analyses into the range of unique conditions
affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction can data users create valid
assessments of crime. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against
comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities,
metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis
of their population or student enrollment.

The complete Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January to

June, 2018 is available at https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/publications.