Table 3 Data Declaration
Percent Change for Consecutive Years
The FBI collects these data through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
General comment
This table provides the percent change in offenses known to law enforcement for the nation for the first 6 months in consecutive years from 2013 through 2017.
Important note about rape data
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 for any consecutive years from 2013 through 2017 are not included in the rape percent change.
Methodology
The data used in creating this table were from law enforcement agencies submitting 3 to 6 common months of offense reports from 2013 through 2017. If the FBI determines certain variables have created unusual fluctuations in the data, those data are excluded from the tabulations.
The rape data reported by those agencies using the UCR legacy definition for any consecutive years from 2013 through 2017 are not included in the rape percent change.
The percent changes shown for the offense of rape are based only on those agencies that submitted rape data based on the revised definition as well as converted data from agencies that reported data for rape, sodomy, and sexual assault with an object via the NIBRS for both years.
If you have questions about this table
Contact the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division via e-mail at crimestatsinfo@fbi.gov.
