Crime in the United States

Offense and Population Percent Distribution by Region, 2012

Region	Population	Violent crime	Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	Forcible rape	Robbery	Aggravated assault	Property crime	Burglary	Larceny- theft	Motor vehicle theft
United States Total¹	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Northeast	17.8	16.0	14.2	13.0	19.1	15.0	12.9	11.2	13.9	9.7
Midwest	21.4	19.7	21.1	25.3	19.6	19.0	20.7	20.6	21.0	18.6
South	37.4	40.9	43.6	37.6	37.2	42.9	42.2	45.0	42.1	34.8
West	23.4	23.4	21.0	24.0	24.1	23.1	24.2	23.2	23.0	37.0

¹Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
NOTE: Although arson data are included in the trend and clearance tables, sufficient data are not available to estimate totals for this offense. Therefore, no arson data are published in this table.

Data Declaration

Provides the methodology used in constructing this table and other pertinent information about this table.

Overview

The most populous region, the South, accounted for 40.9 percent of all violent crimes in 2012. Lesser volumes of 23.4 percent in the West, 19.7 percent in the Midwest, and 16.0 percent in the Northeast were recorded.
Slightly less than 44 percent (43.6) of the Nation’s estimated total of murders occurred in the South. The West had 21.0 percent of murders, followed by the Midwest with 21.1 percent, and the Northeast with 14.2 percent.
During 2012, 42.2 percent of the estimated property crimes were recorded in the South. The West was next with 24.2 percent, followed by the Midwest with 20.7 percent, and the Northeast with 12.9 percent.