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 2014 through 2018.
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 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
Methodology
The data used in creating this table were from law enforcement agencies submitting 3 to 6 common months of offense reports from 2014 through 2018. If the FBI determines certain variables have created unusual fluctuations in the data, those data are excluded from the tabulations.
The rape data reported using the UCR legacy definition for any consecutive years from 2014 through 2018 are not included in the rape percent change.
If you have questions about this table
Contact the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division via e-mail at crimestatsinfo@fbi.gov.
