by Cassandra McBride at Ammo.com
Urban Violent Crime Statistics Fast Facts
- National Average Violent crime rate – 366.7 violent crimes per 100K people in the US nationwide in 2019. (Source)
- Washington, D.C., had the highest violent crime rate in 2022, with 999.8 crimes per 100,000 people. (Source)
- 89% of firearms used in crimes were obtained illegally, per a 2016 BJS report.
- Of the 26,000 US homicides in the US in 2021, 60% (15,702) occurred in Metro and Fringe Metro areas.
- Violent crime nationwide decreased by 1% from 1,326,600 in 2020 to 1,313,200 in 2021, with robbery decreasing by 8.6%, lowering the national average.
- Violent crime rates in urban areas were 24.5 per 1,000 citizens in 2021. (Source)
- There were 461,540 arrests for violent crimes in 2020 nationwide. (Source)
- Suburban areas with a population of less than 50,000 had the most violent crimes in 2017.
- Between 1994 and 2002, an increase in street gangs correlated with an increase in violent crime (61.1 homicides per 1.5 square miles).
- Urban areas with a population size of 500,000-999,999 have the highest crude rate of violent crime. (Source)
Many factors play into violent crime victimizations in the U.S. Population size is only one factor. Poverty, criminality, education, and public policies all affect crime rates, particularly violent crime.
Violent crime costs American taxpayers more than $800 billion U.S.D. Annually according to this report. However, this isn’t the most sinister aspect of violence-related victimization in the United States. Recent reports indicate that there are 366.7 victims of violent crimes for every 100,000 people in the U.S. The highest violent crime rate in the U.S. occurs in communities with more than 500,000 and less than 1,000,000 residents.
The second highest violent crime rate occurs in communities with a population size between 250,000-499,999 thousand (21.7 per 100,000). The third highest violent crime rate occurs in communities with more than 1,000,000 people (20.0 per 100,000).
There is little correlation between a state’s firearm laws and violent crime rates. While New Hampshire has relaxed firearms laws, the state’s violent crime rate in 2022 was only 146.38. Washington, D.C., has extensive firearm regulations but a much higher violent crime rate per capita.