Original sentence: This rate of 44 murders per 100,000 inhabitants is over seven and a half times the national average
Edited sentence: This rate of 44 murders per 100,000 inhabitants is over seven and a half times the national average; however it could be argued that comparisons (on this or any other subject) against national averages are misleading, since Washington is one continuous urban area with high rates of poverty, unemployment, and drug use — in no way demographically comparable to the nation at large