# Variables Affecting Crime

Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town,
city, county, state, region, or college or university, they can make no
meaningful comparisons.

**Caution against ranking**

Each year when *Crime in the United States* is published, many
entities---news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an
interest in crime in our Nation---use reported figures to compile
rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a
quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the
many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county,
state, or region. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or
incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely
affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

**Consider other characteristics of a jurisdiction**

To assess criminality and law enforcement's response from jurisdiction
to jurisdiction, one must consider many variables, some of which, while
having significant impact on crime, are not readily measurable or
applicable pervasively among all locales. Geographic and demographic
factors specific to each jurisdiction must be considered and applied if
one is going to make an accurate and complete assessment of crime in
that jurisdiction. Several sources of information are available that may
assist the responsible researcher in exploring the many variables that
affect crime in a particular locale. The U.S. Census Bureau data, for
example, can be used to better understand the makeup of a locale's
population. The transience of the population, its racial and ethnic
makeup, its composition by age and gender, educational levels, and
prevalent family structures are all key factors in assessing and
comprehending the crime issue.

Local chambers of commerce, planning offices, or similar entities
provide information regarding the economic and cultural makeup of cities
and counties. Understanding a jurisdiction's industrial/economic base;
its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions; its transportation
system; its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and
convention attendees); its proximity to military installations,
correctional facilities, etc., all contribute to accurately gauging and
interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement.

The strength (personnel and other resources) and the aggressiveness of a
jurisdiction's law enforcement agency are also key factors in
understanding the nature and extent of crime occurring in that area.
Although information pertaining to the number of sworn and civilian
employees can be found in this publication, it cannot be used alone as
an assessment of the emphasis that a community places on enforcing the
law. For example, one city may report more crime than a comparable one,
not because there is more crime, but rather because its law enforcement
agency through proactive efforts identifies more offenses. Attitudes of
the citizens toward crime and their crime reporting practices,
especially concerning minor offenses, also have an impact of the volume
of crimes known to police.

**Make valid assessments of crime**

It is incumbent upon all data users to become as well educated as
possible about how to understand and quantify the nature and extent of
crime in the United States and in any of the more than 17,000
jurisdictions represented by law enforcement contributors to the Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Valid assessments are possible only with
careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting
each local law enforcement jurisdiction.

Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subjects of
investigation by many disciplines. Some factors that are known to affect
the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

-   Population density and degree of urbanization.

-   Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth
    concentration.

-   Stability of the population with respect to residents' mobility,
    commuting patterns, and transient factors.

-   Modes of transportation and highway system.

-   Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job
    availability.

-   Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious
    characteristics.

-   Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.

-   Climate.

-   Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.

-   Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement.

-   Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e.,
    prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational).

-   Citizens' attitudes toward crime.

-   Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

*Crime in the United States* provides a nationwide view of crime based
on statistics contributed by local, county, state, tribal, and federal
law enforcement agencies. Population size is the only correlate of crime
presented in this publication. Although many of the listed factors
equally affect the crime of a particular area, the UCR Program makes no
attempt to relate them to the data presented. ***The data user is,
therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual
reporting units from cities, counties, metropolitan areas, states, or
colleges or universities solely on the basis on their population
coverage or student enrollment.*** Until data users examine all the
variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or
college or university, they can make no meaningful comparisons.