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Home • Crime in the U.S. • 2013 • Crime in the U.S. 2013 • Tables • Table 14 • Table 14 Data Declaration

Table 14 Data Declaration

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Crime Trends, by Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties by Population Group, 2012-2013

The FBI collects these data through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

Important note about rape data

In 2013, the FBI UCR Program initiated the collection of rape data within the Summary Reporting System under a revised definition. The term “forcible” was removed from the offense name, and the definition changed to the revised UCR definition below.

Legacy UCR definition of rape:  The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.

Revised UCR definition of rape:  Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

General comments

  • This 2-year trend table provides the number of offenses for 2012 and 2013 and the percent change between these 2 years for metropolitan counties and nonmetropolitan counties.
  • Metropolitan counties include sheriffs’ offices and county law enforcement agencies associated with a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
  • Nonmetropolitan counties include sheriffs’ offices and county law enforcement agencies that are not associated with an MSA.
  • Offenses from state police agencies are not included in this table.

Methodology

  • The data used in creating this table were from all law enforcement agencies submitting at least 6 common months of complete offense reports for 2012 and 2013.
  • A crime trend represents the percentage change in crime based on data reported in a prior equivalent period. In calculating trends, the UCR Program includes only common reported months for individual agencies.
  • The percent changes shown for the offense of rape are based on data collected under the legacy definition of rape. Because the UCR Program has received only 1 year of rape data based on the newly implemented definition, a 2-year comparison could not be provided. The percent changes shown include converted National Incident-Based Reporting System rape data and data from those states/agencies that reported the legacy definition of forcible rape for both years.

Population estimation

For the 2013 population estimates used in this table, the FBI computed individual rates of growth from one year to the next for every city/town and county using 2010 decennial population counts and 2011 through 2012 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Each agency’s rates of growth were averaged; that average was then applied and added to its 2012 Census population estimate to derive the agency’s 2013 population estimate.