U.S. homicide fee stayed flat in 2021 after hovering in 2020, FBI report says

The nationwide homicide fee remained flat in 2021, after skyrocketing 29.4% because the pandemic raged the yr earlier than, in response to a brand new FBI report on crime statistics that would determine prominently within the political dialog as midterm elections strategy.

General, the FBI estimates that violent crime decreased 1% nationally, from 1,326,600 incidents in 2020 to 1,313,200 in 2021, the report launched Wednesday stated.

FBI officers expressed confidence within the basic accuracy of their estimates, however the numbers include a significant caveat. The 2021 crime knowledge depends on estimates to a higher diploma than ever earlier than, as a result of the FBI modified its crime knowledge assortment system and lots of main police jurisdictions — together with New York and Los Angeles — are usually not but taking part. 

Thus, whereas the report estimates that homicide elevated 4.3 % as theft decreased by 8.9 %, FBI officers cautioned in opposition to putting an excessive amount of emphasis on the fluctuations. In different phrases, they are saying, crime charges stayed about the identical.

“You will need to notice that these estimated traits are usually not thought of statistically vital,” the FBI stated in a information launch. “The nonsignificant nature of the noticed traits is why, regardless of these described adjustments, the general message is that crime remained constant.”

Although that implies the large spike in murders throughout the pandemic has now flatlined, the homicide fee remains to be a lot increased than earlier than the pandemic. Different surveys have discovered that property crime has been on the rise prior to now yr as the speed of inflation has risen.

This knowledge comes on the identical day a Politico/Morning Seek the advice of ballot discovered that greater than three-quarters of voters stated violent crime is a significant downside within the U.S.

Nonetheless, a September NBC Information ballot discovered that crime ranked seventh amongst voters’ prime considerations, trumped by points regarding the financial system, immigration and abortion.