Simple assault

Total non-fatal violent crime

Aggravated assault

Robbery

Rape/sexual assault

90

80

60

70

50

20

40

10

30

6.3

13.5

70.7

48.3

2.6

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006*

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Violent crime rates/1,000 people

20.1

19.3

12.7

12.4

3.4 4.1

2.2 2.5

1.0 1.1

28.4

19.2

5.2

3.1

0.8

Crime Trends

Trends in criminal victimization over time 

can provide useful insights by positioning 

annual data within a broader context. To 

estimate these trends, criminologists rely 

on two national sources of crime data: the 

Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform 

Crime Reporting Program (UCR) and the 

Bureau of Justice Statistics’s National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS). As both the UCR 

and NCVS have been collected for decades, 

these two sources provide the necessary 

data to better understand crime trends in 

the United States. Trend data from both 

sources indicate that crime has decreased 

substantially, particularly in comparison to 

crime rates from the 1970s and ’80s. UCR 

and NCVS data from the 2000s also continue 

to demonstrate a downward trend, although 

occasional fluctuations occur for some 

crimes.

NOTE: Hover for data hyperlinks to source material.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Crime Rates Over Time

National Crime Victimization Survey 

A

1995 2005 2010 2014

Property crime rates/1,000 households

400

300

200

100

17.1

54.4

243.9

315.5

118.1

90.8

23.1

4.1

Larceny-theft

Total property crime

Household burglary

Motor-vehicle theft

20 Years

10 Years

5 Years
National Crime Victimization Survey

NOTES

*2006 NCVS methodology differs from other years; 

data not strictly comparable.

**Legacy definition.

***Non-negligent manslaughter.

SOURCES

A Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCVS Victimization 

Analysis Tool, Household Victimization, 1995-2014; 

Personal Victimization, 1995-2014; Weapon 

Category, 1995-2014; Injury, 1995-2014, http://

www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nvat

B Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United 

States, (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 

2015), https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crimein-the-u.s

Percent change in rate of violent crime, as reported 

to law enforcement:B

20 Years

(1995-2014)

10 Years

(2005-2014)

5 Years

(2010-2014)

Total violent crime -46.6 -22.1 -9.6

Aggravated assault -44.4 -20.1 -8.0

Robbery -53.7 -27.4 -14.4

Rape/sexual assault** -28.8 -17.2 -4.7

Murder/manslaughter*** -45.1 -20.8 -6.1

Percent change in rate of property crime, as reported 

to law enforcement:B

20 Years

(1995-2014)

10 Years

(2005-2014)

5 Years

(2010-2014)

Total property crime -43.4 -24.3 -11.9

Larcenty-theft -39.6 -19.7 -8.4

Burglary -45.0 -25.4 -22.6

Motor-vehicle theft -61.4 -48.1 -9.6

Percentage of victimizations reported to police

by type and year A

2014

46.0

37.0

1995

40.9

32.1

2010

51.1

39.2

Property crime

Violent crime

Men Women

Rate of violent victimizations/

1,000 people by sex and year A

2014

1995

19.1

2010

83.3

58.9

21.1

20.1

18.5

Rate of violent victimizations/

1,000 people committed with 

a firearm, by year A

2014

1995

2010

5.5

1.7

1.6

The rate of murder/non-negligent manslaughter decreased 

from: 8.2/100,000 people in 1995, to 4.8/100,000 in 2010, to 

4.5/100,000 people in 2014B

Uniform Crime Reports

The percentage of violent crime victims who suffer an injury

has remained relatively stable 

at about 1/4 of victims: A > 23.3% in 1995

> 26.1% in 2010

> 25.7% in 2014

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