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Home Crime in the U.S. 2017 Preliminary Report

Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January–June, 2017

Preliminary figures indicate that law enforcement agencies throughout the nation showed an overall decrease of 0.8 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention for the first 6 months of 2017 when compared with figures reported for the same time in 2016. The violent crime category includes murder, rape (revised definition), robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes in the United States from January to June of 2017 dropped 2.9 percent when compared with data for the same time period in 2016. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also a property crime, but data for arson are not included in property crime totals due to fluctuations in reporting. Figures for 2017 indicate that arson decreased 3.5 percent when compared with 2016 figures for the same time period.

The data presented in Tables 1 and 2 indicate the percent change in offenses known to law enforcement for the first 6 months of 2017 compared with those for the first half of 2016 by population group and region, respectively. Table 3 reflects the percent change in offenses reported within the nation for consecutive years (each year compared to the prior year). Table 4 presents the number of offenses known to law enforcement for agencies with resident populations of 100,000 or more that provided 6 months of complete data for 2017. In addition, Table 4 presents 6 months of 2016 data, where available, as a point of comparison. All data in this Report are preliminary.

PLEASE NOTE

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

In 2016, the FBI Director approved the recommendation to discontinue the reporting of rape data using the UCR legacy definition beginning in 2017. Therefore, the rape data reported by those agencies using the UCR legacy definition are not included in this Report. More information about this subject is presented in footnotes and data declarations for each table.

Caution against ranking

Figures used in this Report were submitted voluntarily by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Individuals using these tabulations are cautioned against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. It is important to remember that crime is a social problem and, therefore, a concern of the entire community. In addition, the efforts of law enforcement are limited to factors within its control. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual agencies. Further information on this topic can be obtained in Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics: Their Proper Use.

Additional Information

Data users can obtain assistance by sending e-mails to crimestatsinfo@fbi.gov.

Report issued by Christopher Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20535

Advisory:

  • Criminal Justice Information Systems Committee, International Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Criminal Justice Information Services Committee, National Sheriffs' Association
  • Criminal Justice Information Services Advisory Policy Board
Resources

Table 1
    Percent Change, by Population
    Group

Table 2
    Percent Change, by Region

Table 3
    Percent Change, for Consecutive
    Years 2013-2017

Table 4
    Offenses Reported to Law
    Enforcement, by State by City
    100,000 and over in population

Download Table Excel Files
    A zip folder containing the excel
    files for the tables listed above