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Section II: crime index offenses reported
Crime Index
Definition
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Crime Index is composed of selected offenses used to gauge fluctuations in the volume and rate of crime reported to law enforcement. The UCR Crime Index was first recommended to the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover in the report Uniform Crime Reporting: Report of the Consultant Committee (September 1958). This recommendation was accepted by the FBI and the term Crime Index first appeared in Crime in the United States, 1960.
The offenses selected to make up the Crime Index were the Part I crimes--the violent crimes of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault and the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. These crimes were considered by experts of the time to be the most serious and the most commonly reported crimes occurring in the Nation. The UCR Program created the Modified Crime Index to include arson, which was added to the Program in 1979 by congressional mandate. The definition of these offenses can be found in Appendix II of this report.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 11,876,669 4,162.6
2002 11,877,218 4,118.8
Percent change * -1.1
* Less than one-tenth of 1 percent
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
Nationally, the 2002 Crime Index, with an estimated 11,877,218 offenses, rose by less than one-tenth of a percent when compared to the 2001 Index. Five- and 10-year trend data showed that in 2002 the Crime Index was 4.9 percent lower than the estimate from 1998 and 16.0 percent below the 1993 estimate. The Crime Index for 2002 was comprised of 12.0 percent violent crime and 88.0 percent property crime. The offense of larceny-theft accounted for the greatest part of the Crime Index, 59.4 percent. Murder, the least often committed crime in the Index, contributed slightly more than one-tenth of a percent to the total.
The Crime Index rate, which reflects the number of Index offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, for the Nation was 4,118.8. Two-, 5-, and 10-year trend data indicated that in 2002 this rate represented a 1.1 percent decrease over the 2001 Crime Index rate, a 10.9 percent drop from the rate in 1998, and a 24.9 percent decline from the estimated rate for 1993. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
The UCR Program defines three community types: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside the MSAs, and rural counties which are discussed in detail in Appendix III of this report. MSAs are comprised of a central city of at least 50,000 people, the county in which the city is located, and any other adjacent counties with solid economic or social links to the central city and county. In 2002, 80 percent of the U.S. population lived within an MSA. MSAs as a community type posted an estimated Crime Index rate of 4,409.1 offenses per 100,000 people. Cities outside the MSAs, accounting for 8 percent of the Nation's inhabitants, experienced a Crime Index rate of 4,524.0. Rural counties, with 12 percent of the country's population, had an estimated Crime Index rate of 1,908.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the Nation into four regional areas: the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West. (A map depicting the regions and divisions of the United States is presented in Appendix III.) The characteristics of the 2002 Crime Index in the regions of the Nation were as follows:
The Northeast
The Northeastern Region, which comprised 18.8 percent of the Nation's population, accounted for an estimated 13.2 percent of the Crime Index offenses committed. This reflected a 3.2 percent decrease in offenses compared to the 2001 estimate. This region experienced an estimated rate of 2,889.0 Crime Index offenses per 100,000 in population. In 2002, this was the lowest rate of occurrence among the four regions. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The Midwest
The region of the Midwest, home to 22.6 percent of the U.S. population, had an estimated 21.3 percent of the Crime Index offenses committed, a 1.9 percent decrease from 2001. The Midwest had an estimated Crime Index rate of 3,883.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The South
The South, with 35.8 percent of the country's inhabitants, was the region with the most population. Accordingly, it also had the highest volume of Crime Index offenses, an estimated 41.1 percent. This was a 0.1 percent rise in offenses compared to the 2001. The rate of Crime Index offenses per 100,000 individuals in the Southern region was 4,721.9, the highest estimated rate among the regions. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The West
The West, with 22.8 percent of the population of the United States in 2002, registered an estimated 24.4 percent of Crime Index offenses. A two-year trend (2001-2002) showed a 3.3 percent increase that was the largest increase among of the four regions. An examination of the Crime Index rate showed 4,418.8 offenses per 100,000 people. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
Population groups in the UCR Program are comprised of city designations, aggregated by population, plus suburban and rural counties. Nationally, cities as a whole experienced a 0.5 percent decrease in offenses making up the Crime Index. A review of the Crime Index within population groups in 2002 revealed that cities with populations 250,000 to 499,999 had the largest decrease at 1.8 percent. Slight increases in the Crime Index occurred in both cities with a population range of 100,000 to 249,999 (0.8 percent) and cities with 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants (0.6 percent). Both suburban and rural counties counted increases in the Crime Index of 1.0 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. (See Table 12.)
Collectively, U.S. cities reported a Crime Index rate of 5,047.2 offenses per 100,000 persons. The Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, had the highest rate, 6,243.3 per 100,000. Among city agencies, smaller cities--those with a population of 10,000 to 24,999--reported the lowest Crime Index rate of 3,837.2 per 100,000 persons. Suburban counties had a rate of 3,047.4 Crime Index offenses per 100,000 individuals and rural counties, a rate of 2,054.8. (See Table 16.)
Clearances
An offense is cleared by UCR standards when an arrest is made and charges have been brought against the arrestee. A clearance by exceptional means can also be made when the offender has been identified and located and there is enough evidence to support an arrest, but conditions beyond the control of law enforcement preclude arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender. Additionally, if an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear before juvenile authorities, the UCR Program accepts that incident as cleared by arrest, even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. (More information about clearances can be obtained in Section III of this report.)
In the United States in 2002, 20.0 percent of all Crime Index offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. Within those offenses, 46.8 percent of violent crime and 16.5 percent of property crime were cleared. Murder, the most serious offense in the Index, had the largest percentage of offenses cleared (64.0 percent), and burglary had the smallest percentage of cleared offenses (13.0 percent). (See Table 25.)
Clearances and Juveniles
Of all the Crime Index offenses cleared in 2002, 18.0 percent involved only persons under 18 years of age. (According to UCR guidelines, any clearance that involves both adults and juveniles is listed as an adult clearance.) A study of clearances among juveniles revealed that persons under age 18 accounted for 11.9 percent of violent crime clearances and 20.3 percent of property crime clearances. In 2002, as in previous years, the single offense that demonstrated the largest percentage of clearances involving juveniles was the Modified Crime Index offense of arson at 43.0 percent, followed by the Crime Index offense of larceny-theft at 21.2 percent. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
Total Arrests
The Nation's law enforcement made an estimated 2,234,464 arrests for Crime Index offenses, including arrests for arson, in 2002. This represented an estimated 16.3 percent of the total number of arrests made. (See Table 29.) The arrest rate for Crime Index offenses was 788.4 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure reflected a violent crime arrest rate of 217.9 and a property crime arrest rate (including arson) of 570.5 arrests per 100,000 persons. (See Table 30.)
The Nation's four regions experienced the following arrest rates for Crime Index offenses per 100,000 persons: the West recorded an arrest rate of 871.9; the South posted a rate of 790.0; the Midwest reported a rate of 777.2; and the Northeast had a rate of 658.5 arrests per 100,000 population. (See Table 30.)
A review of arrests within UCR population groups revealed that the Nation's largest cities, those with more than 250,000 inhabitants, recorded the highest arrest rate for Crime Index offenses at 1,069.9 per 100,000 persons. Smaller cities, those with a population range of 10,000 to 24,999, reported the lowest Crime Index arrest rate among city agencies at 791.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. Suburban counties had an arrest rate of 528.7, and rural counties had a rate of 413.2 Crime Index arrests per 100,000 individuals. (See Table 31.)
Arrest Trends
A comparison of 2002 arrests to the previous year's arrest figures for all Crime Index offenses showed a slight increase, 0.2 percent. Five- and 10-year trends presented a decline in arrests of 11.1 percent and 22.2 percent, respectively. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.) Within the Crime Index, property crime arrests during 2002 increased 0.6 percent, and violent crime arrests declined 0.8 percent in comparison to arrests in 2001. Property crime arrests in 2002 were 12.5 percent lower than the 1998 figure and 25.2 percent below the 1993 number. Five- and 10-year trends for violent crime arrests also showed decreases of 7.3 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively.
By gender, arrests of females for Crime Index offenses increased in 2002 by 0.8 percent when compared to figures from the previous year. At the same time, arrests of males declined 0.1 percent. Violent crime arrests within the Crime Index demonstrated a 0.8 percent decline in arrests for both males and females. Property crime, however, experienced a 1.2 percent increase in the arrests of females and a 0.3 percent rise in the arrests of males. (See Table 37.)
A review of 2002 data by age of arrestees revealed that, although arrests of adults for Crime Index offenses in 2002 rose 1.5 percent over the previous year's arrests, arrests of juveniles fell 3.5 percent. (See Table 36.)
Distribution
Adults accounted for 74.3 percent of all arrestees of Crime Index offenses in 2002 and juveniles, 25.7 percent. (Based on Table 38.) Males accounted for the majority of Crime Index offense arrestees at 72.9 percent. (See Table 42.)
By race, 65.5 percent of arrestees were white, 31.9 percent were black, and 2.5 percent were other races (Asian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaskan Native). An examination of violent crime arrest data showed that 59.7 percent of arrests were of white individuals, 38.0 percent were of black persons, and 2.3 percent were individuals of other races. Property crime arrests were distributed as follows: 67.7 percent were white arrestees, 29.6 were black, and the remaining 2.7 percent were other races. (See Table 43.)
Table 2.1
Crime Index by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 8.5 8.0 7.8 7.8 8.2
February 7.5 7.2 7.3 6.8 7.0
March 8.2 8.0 8.1 7.8 7.8
April 8.0 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.1
May 8.4 8.4 8.6 8.5 8.5
June 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.5 8.4
July 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.2
August 9.0 9.2 9.2 9.1 9.1
September 8.4 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.7
October 8.5 8.7 8.8 9.2 8.8
November 7.8 8.2 8.1 8.5 8.0
December 8.2 8.4 8.0 8.5 8.2
Figure 2.2
Crime Index
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volumes inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -6.8 -7.7
2000 -7.0 -10.7
2001 -4.9 -9.9
2002 -4.9 -10.9
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.3
Crime Index Offenses
Percent Distribution (1) 2002
Aggravated Assault 7.5%
Motor Vehicle Theft 10.5%
Burglary 18.1%
Larceny-theft 59.4%
Murder 0.1%
Forcible Rape 0.8%
Robbery 3.5%
(1) Due to rounding, the percentages do not add to 100.0.
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Figure 2.4
Regional Crime Rates 2002
Violent and Property Crimes per 100,000 Inhabitants
Northeast
property crime 2,472.6
violent crime 416.5
Midwest
property crime 3,458.2
violent crime 424.9
South
property crime 4,151.0
violent crime 571.0
West
property crime 3,910.6
violent crime 508.2
Note: Table made from bar graph.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Violent Crime
Definition
Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program's definition, violent crimes involve force or threat of force.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 1,439,480 504.5
2002 1,426,325 494.6
Percent change -0.9 -2.0
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
During 2002, the number of violent crimes declined nationally by 0.9 percent from the 2001 estimate. An examination of 5- and 10-year trend data showed that the 2002 estimate of 1.4 million violent crimes was 7.0 percent lower than the 1998 approximation and 25.9 percent below the 1993 figure. (See Table 1.)
As in previous years, aggravated assaults accounted for the largest share of the violent crime distribution, 62.7 percent. Robbery made up 29.5 percent of the total; forcible rape, 6.7 percent; and murder, 1.1 percent. (Based on Table 1.)
The violent crime rate for 2002 was estimated at 494.6 offenses per 100,000 persons, a decrease of 2.0 percent from the previous year's rate. The current estimate was a decrease of 12.9 percent when compared to the 1998 rate and 33.8 percent when compared to the 1993 violent crime rate. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, are those community types made up of a central city or urbanized area of at least 50,000 inhabitants, the county containing that city or area, and any other adjacent suburban counties with close cultural and economic ties to the area. In 2002, an estimated 80 percent of the U.S. population resided in MSAs, where approximately 88.5 percent of the Nation's violent crimes occurred. The estimated offense total of 1,262,359 violent crimes resulted in a rate of 545.6 per 100,000 MSA residents. The cities outside MSAs accounted for 8 percent of the population in 2002, and they accounted for 6.4 percent of the Nation's total violent crimes. The rate of 403.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants of those cities was based on an estimated 90,586 violent crimes. Twelve percent of the U.S. population lived in rural counties in 2002, and 5.1 percent of the Nation's total violent crimes occurred in those areas. Rural counties had an estimated 73,380 violent crimes, or a rate of 212.6 violent offenses per 100,000 rural county inhabitants. (Based on Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. A map of the United States delineating the regions is included in Appendix III. Estimated crime volume, rates, and percent changes by region are published in Table 4.
The Northeast
The Northeastern Region, accounting for approximately 18.8 percent of the U.S. population in 2002, had an estimated 15.8 percent of the Nation's violent crimes. The estimated number of violent crimes, 225,841, was down 2.3 percent from the prior year's estimate. The 2002 violent crime rate of 416.5 per 100,000 inhabitants was also down, 2.8 percent, since 2001. The Northeastern Region had the lowest murder rate among the four regions. The estimated rate of 4.1 murders per 100,000 persons was a 3.7 percent decrease from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The Midwest
Accounting for 22.6 percent of the population in 2002, the Midwestern Region experienced 19.4 percent of the Nation's estimated violent crimes, a decline of 0.9 percent from the previous year's numbers. The region had an estimated 276,763 offenses, or a violent crime rate of 424.9 per 100,000 persons, a 1.4 percent decrease from 2001. The estimated murder rate of 5.1 per 100,000 in population reflected a 3.5 percent decrease from the prior year's figures. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The South
The Southern Region, the most populous section of the country accounting for 35.8 percent of the total U.S. population in 2002, had 41.4 percent of the total violent crimes, an estimated 590,086 offenses. The estimated violent crime rate of 571.0 per 100,000 persons was 2.0 percent lower than the 2001 rate. However, the South's murder rate increased slightly to 6.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, up 0.7 percent from the previous year's rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The West
Approximately 22.8 percent of the U.S. population resided in the Western Region of the country; the West accounted for 23.4 percent of total violent crimes. The volume of violent crimes, 333,635, decreased 0.5 percent from the 2001 figure. The violent crime rate was measured at 508.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 2.1 percent from the rate calculated for 2001. The estimated murder rate, however, increased 4.1 percent from the 2001 rate to 5.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
The Nation's cities experienced a cumulative decline of 1.9 percent since 2001 in the number of violent crimes that occurred. Those cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 showed the greatest decline, 3.9 percent. The smallest decline was recorded by cities in the 50,000 to 99,999 population group range, 1.0 percent. In 2002, violent crimes decreased 1.2 percent in the Nation's rural counties from the 2001 estimate; however, suburban counties experienced a 1.0 percent increase. (See Table 12.)
Cities collectively had a rate of 624.6 violent crimes per 100,000 individuals. The violent crime rate in cities ranged from 326.5 in those with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 to 1,029.9 in those with populations in excess of 250,000. Rural counties had a rate of 232.2 violent crimes per 100,000 persons, and suburban counties had a rate of 352.1. (See Table 16.)
Weapons Distribution
The UCR Program collects data on the weapons used to commit murder, robbery, and aggravated assault. During 2002, hands, fists, feet, etc. were the predominant weapons used to commit these offenses. Such personal weapons were used in 31.2 percent of the violent crimes, firearms were involved in 26.8 percent, and knives or cutting instruments were used in 14.9 percent. Other types of weapons were used in 27.1 percent of these violent offenses. (Based on Tables 19 and 2.10.) The UCR Program does not collect data on weapons for the crime of forcible rape.
Clearances
In the UCR Program, a crime is considered cleared when it is resolved either by arrest or by exceptional means, i.e., when some reason outside the control of law enforcement prevents the offender's arrest. In 2002, law enforcement cleared 46.8 percent of violent crime offenses. The highest percentage of clearances involved the crime of murder, 64.0 percent. Law enforcement cleared 56.5 percent of aggravated assaults, 44.5 percent of forcible rapes, and 25.7 percent of robberies. (See Table 25.)
A review of clearance data by population group indicated that the Nation's cities collectively cleared 44.5 percent of violent crimes, suburban counties cleared 54.0 percent, and rural counties cleared 61.4 percent of the violent crimes brought to the attention of law enforcement. Among cities, those under 10,000 in population cleared the greatest percentage of violent crimes, 58.9 percent. (See Table 25.) Regionally, the highest percentage of violent crime clearances for 2002 was reported by the Northeastern states, 52.2 percent. Law enforcement in the South cleared 47.2 percent of violent crimes; in the West, 46.0 percent; and in the Midwest, 42.9 percent of violent crimes. (See Table 26.)
Clearances and Juveniles
When an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, the UCR Program records that incident as cleared by arrest, even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. In addition, as defined by the Program, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances.
Approximately 11.9 percent of violent crime clearances for 2002 involved only juvenile offenders. Of those crimes cleared by the Nation's cities, collectively, 12.1 percent involved only juveniles. In suburban counties, juvenile clearances accounted for 12.3 percent of the overall violent crime clearances, and in rural counties, juvenile clearances accounted for 9.6 percent of offenses cleared. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
During 2002, law enforcement made an estimated 620,510 arrests for violent crimes. Approximately 76.1 percent of violent crime arrestees were charged with aggravated assault, 17.0 percent with robbery, 4.6 percent with forcible rape, and 2.3 percent with murder. The estimated number of arrests for violent crimes comprised 4.5 percent of all arrests nationally and 27.8 percent of the eight Part I offenses. (See Table 29 and Appendix II.)
For every 100,000 inhabitants, law enforcement effected 217.9 arrests for violent crime overall. A breakdown of violent crime arrests showed 4.9 arrests for murder, 9.8 arrests for forcible rape, 37.7 arrests for robbery, and 165.5 arrests for aggravated assault. (See Table 31.) An examination of the violent crime arrest rates for 2002 by city population size showed that the arrest rate in the Nation's cities ranged from 357.9 in cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants to 158.5 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants in cities with 10,000 to 24,999 residents. Suburban counties experienced a violent crime arrest rate of 168.7 arrests for every 100,000 persons, and rural counties a rate of 132.1 arrests. (See Table 31.)
Regionally, the Western states reported 275.6 violent crime arrests for each 100,000 inhabitants. The Southern states had a rate of 196.8 arrests; the Midwestern states, 193.5 arrests; and the Northeastern states, 188.9 violent crime arrests per 100,000 individuals. (See Table 30.)
Arrestees
Nationally, violent crime arrests were down 0.8 percent from the 2001 figure. The number of adults arrested for violent crimes decreased 0.4 percent, and the number of juveniles arrested decreased 3.0 percent from the 2001 number. (See Table 36.)
By gender, males made up 82.6 percent of violent crime arrestees. Females accounted for 10.8 percent of all murder arrestees, 1.4 percent of forcible rape arrestees, 10.3 percent of robbery arrestees, and 20.2 percent of aggravated assault arrestees. (See Table 42.)
A review of arrest data by race showed that whites made up 59.7 percent of all violent crime arrestees, with blacks comprising 38.0 percent, and other races, 2.3 percent. Fifty percent of the murder arrestees during 2002 were black, and 47.7 percent of arrestees were white. The remainder were individuals of other races. (See Table 43.)
By age, 43.7 percent of violent crime arrestees in 2002 were under the age of 25, and 14.9 percent were under age 18. (See Table 41.)
Table 2.2
Violent Crime by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 8.4 8.2 7.9 7.7 7.9
February 7.2 7.1 7.2 6.7 6.7
March 8.1 7.9 8.1 7.9 7.9
April 8.0 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.1
May 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.7 8.7
June 8.5 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8
July 9.1 9.3 9.3 9.3 9.3
August 9.2 9.1 9.1 8.9 9.3
September 8.6 8.4 8.6 8.7 9.2
October 8.5 8.6 8.7 9.0 8.6
November 7.7 8.0 7.8 8.2 7.7
December 7.8 8.0 7.7 8.1 7.7
Figure 2.5
Violent Crime
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -7.0 -7.9
2000 -7.1 -10.8
2001 -6.2 -11.1
2002 -7.0 -12.9
Note: Table made from line graph.
Murder
Definition
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, as defined in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.
The classification of this offense, as for all other offenses that make up the Crime Index, is based solely on police investigation as opposed to the determination of a court, medical examiner, coroner, jury, or other judicial body. The Program does not include the following situations in the count for this offense classification: deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident; justifiable homicides; and attempts to murder or assaults to murder, which are scored as aggravated assaults.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 16,037 5.6
2002 16,204 5.6
Percent change +1.0 *
* Less than one-tenth of 1 percent.
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
An estimated 16,204 murders took place in 2002. This figure represents a 1.0 percent increase over the 2001 volume. A comparison of the data from 5 and 10 years ago showed that the 2002 estimated volume decreased 4.5 percent from the 1998 estimate, and it fell 33.9 percent from the estimate for 1993. (See Table 1.)
During 2002, the murder rate was estimated at 5.6 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. The rate remained virtually unchanged from the rate for 2001. Five-year and 10-year trend analyses revealed that the 2002 murder rate was 10.5 percent lower than the rate in 1998 and 40.9 percent below the estimated murder rate in 1993. (See Table 1.)
Murder accounted for less than 1 percent of the offenses that make up the Crime Index reported in 2002. Among violent crimes, 1.1 percent were the offense of murder. (Based on Table 1.)
Community Types
When presenting crime data, the UCR Program designates three types of communities: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside of MSAs, and rural counties. In 2002, MSAs, accounting for an estimated 80 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 87.8 percent of the Nation's murders. This equated to a murder rate of 6.2 offenses per 100,000 persons in MSAs. Cities outside of MSAs, with 8 percent of the population, had 4.4 percent of total murder offenses with a rate of 3.2 murder offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Rural areas, making up 12 percent of the overall population, had an estimated 7.7 percent of murder offenses. Rural areas had an estimated rate of 3.6 murders per 100,000 in population. (See Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions for data analysis: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (Appendix III provides more information on UCR regional definitions.) An examination of 2002 murder data showed the following information regarding the Nation's four regions.
The Northeast
Nearly 19 percent (18.8) of the Nation's population in 2002 resided in the Northeast; 13.6 percent of the estimated murder offenses for the same year were reported there. The Northeast had 2,203 murder offenses, a 3.2 percent decrease from the 2001 estimate. The 2002 murder rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 4.1, which was an estimated 3.7 percent rate decrease when compared to the rate of the previous year. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The Midwest
With 22.6 percent of the U.S. population, the Midwest accounted for 20.4 percent of the country's murders. The estimated 3,298 murders in the Midwest represented a 3.0 percent decrease from the region's murder total in 2001. The 2002 murder rate per 100,000 population was 5.1, a decrease of 3.5 percent from the previous year's rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The South
The South, the Nation's most populous region (35.8 percent of the total population), accounted for 43.1 percent of the murders in the United States. The estimated 6,982 murders in the South during 2002 were an increase of 2.0 percent over the previous year's estimate. The murder rate during 2002 was 6.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 0.7 percent when compared to the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The West
With 22.8 percent of the country's population, the West accounted for 23.0 percent of the national murder volume, or an estimated 3,721 murder offenses. This volume was a 5.8 percent increase from the 2001 estimate. The West's 2002 murder rate was 5.7 murder offenses per 100,000 persons, a 4.1 percent increase from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
Murder trends in 2002 varied greatly among cities, suburban counties, and rural counties. Two-year trend data (2001-2002) indicated that the Nation's cities collectively experienced a 0.6 percent decrease in murder offenses. Among population groups labeled city, cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants had the largest decline in murder, 15.3 percent, and cities with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 had the largest increase, 7.2 percent. Suburban counties had an 11.7 percent increase in murder. In rural counties, however, murder decreased from 2001 to 2002 by 2.3 percent. (See Table 12.)
Among city population groups, rate of murder in 2002 ranged from a high of 13.2 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in cities with populations of 250,000 and over to a low of 2.4 murders per 100,000 in cities with under 10,000 in population. Collectively, the Nation's cities had a rate of 7.0 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Suburban counties had a rate of 4.0 murder offenses per 100,000 population and rural counties, 3.8 murder offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 16.)
Supplementary Homicide Reports
During 2002, law enforcement agencies contributing data to the UCR Program submitted Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHRs) for 14,054 homicides. The SHR supplies data on the age, sex, and race of both the victim and the offender; the type of weapon used; the relationship of the victim to the offender; and the circumstance surrounding the incident.
Victims
Based on 2002 SHR data provided (where age, sex, or race were known for the victims), 90.1 percent of murder victims were adults. Males accounted for 76.8 percent of murder victims. Just over 8 percent (8.2 percent) of male victims and 15.3 percent of female victims were under the age of 18. By race, 48.7 percent of murder victims were white, 48.5 percent were black, and 2.7 percent were other races. (Based on Table 2.5.)
Offenders
Of those who committed murder in 2002, 90.3 percent were identified as male; 91.7 percent of the male offenders were over 18 years of age. A racial breakdown of murder offenders for whom race was known showed that 49.8 percent were black, 47.8 percent were white, and 2.4 percent were persons of other races. (See Table 2.6.)
Data from single victim/single offender incidents indicated that 92.3 percent of black victims were slain by black offenders. Similarly, the majority of white victims--84.7 percent--were murdered by white offenders. (See Table 2.8.)
Weapons
The SHRs where weapon type was provided showed that 71.1 percent of murder incidents involved a firearm. Among the homicides in which firearms were the weapon, 76.6 percent involved handguns; 5.1 percent, rifles; 5.1 percent, shotguns; and 13.2 percent, other type or unknown firearms. Offenders used knives or cutting instruments in 13.4 percent of the murders they committed, personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) in 7.1 percent, and blunt objects in 5.1 percent of the incidents. Other weapon types (poison, arson, narcotics, etc.) accounted for the remainder of weapon types used in the commission of murder. (See Table 2.10.)
Victim/Offender Relationships
Of the 14,054 homicides for which 2002 SHR data were submitted, the relationship of the victim to the offender was unknown for 42.8 percent of the victims. An analysis of the 57.2 percent of the victims for whom the relationships to their offenders were known revealed the following: 24.4 percent of victims were murdered by strangers, and 75.6 percent of the victims knew their assailants. Among the incidents in which the victims knew their killers, 12.7 percent of the victims were related to their murderer, and 30.5 percent of the victims were acquainted with their offenders. Husbands and boyfriends killed 32.1 percent of female victims, and wives and girlfriends murdered 2.7 percent of male victims. (Based on Table 2.12.)
Circumstances
Supplemental data submitted in 2002 indicated that felonies (rape, robbery, arson, etc.) accounted for 16.5 percent of the circumstances surrounding murder offenses; another 0.5 percent of murder offense circumstances were suspected of being felonious in nature. Arguments resulted in 27.5 percent of the murders, and 23.0 percent of the murders involved other types of circumstances (brawls due to the influence of drugs or alcohol, juvenile gang killings, sniper attacks, etc.). Circumstances were unknown in 32.6 percent of the incidents. (Based on Table 2.14.)
Clearances
Clearances occur either by arrest or by exceptional means, i.e., when elements beyond the control of law enforcement prevent the placing of formal charges against the offender. (Section III provides more information regarding clearances.) During 2002, law enforcement cleared 64.0 percent of the murders nationwide, making murder the most frequently cleared Crime Index offense. (See Table 25.) Juveniles accounted for 5.0 percent of the total clearances for murder, the lowest percentage of juvenile involvement among the individual Crime Index offenses. (See Table 28.)
Law enforcement in the Nation's cities collectively cleared 62.0 percent of the murder offenses reported within their jurisdictions. Among city population groupings, cities with populations under 10,000 had the greatest murder clearance percentage, 73.7 percent. The largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and greater, cleared 57.8 percent of the murders reported in their jurisdictions, the least of all city population groupings. Additionally, suburban counties and rural counties cleared 66.6 percent and 78.9 percent, respectively, of reported murders. (See Table 25.)
Arrests
Total Arrests
During 2002, there were an estimated 14,158 arrests nationwide for the offense of murder. (See Table 29.) Adults accounted for 90.4 percent of murder arrestees. (Based on Table 38.) Overall, 51.1 percent of those arrested for murder were under the age of 25. (See Table 41.)
Arrest Rates
Based upon 2002 arrest data and population figures, the Nation's rate of arrest for murder was 4.9 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. By region, the South and the Midwest each had murder arrest rates of 5.7, the West had a rate of 4.6, and the Northeast experienced 3.2 murder arrests per 100,000 population. (See Table 30.)
Among population groups, the Nation's cities collectively had a murder arrest rate of 5.2 per 100,000 persons. The largest cities, those with 250,000 and over in population, registered the highest rate--10.4 murder arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest rate, 2.2 murder arrests per 100,000, was calculated for cities with 10,000 to 24,999 residents. Murder arrest rates for rural counties and suburban counties were, respectively, 4.0 and 4.3 arrests per 100,000 persons. (See Table 31.)
Arrest Trends
A comparison of 2002 murder arrest data to those of 2001 indicated a 1.9 percent decrease for the period. Arrests of adults also decreased, 2.2 percent. However, juvenile arrests increased 1.5 percent. By gender, murder arrests of males increased 0.1 percent, and those of females fell 15.2 percent. (See Tables 36 and 37.)
The 5-year trend data showed that overall murder arrests for 2002 fell 10.7 percent from the 1998 arrest level. Arrests of juveniles dropped 35.6 percent, but arrests of adults decreased 7.0 percent. An analysis of gender data for 1998 through 2002 showed that arrests of males for murder declined 10.6 percent, and arrests of females for murder dropped 11.0 percent. (See Tables 34 and 35.)
From 1993 to 2002, murder arrests fell 40.9 percent. Arrests of juveniles were 64.3 percent under the 1993 figure, and arrests of adults were 36.3 percent lower. The 10-year trend also revealed that arrests of males for murder were down 41.5 percent; arrests of females were 35.5 percent lower than arrests of females for murder in 1993. (See Tables 32 and 33.)
Arrest Distribution by Age, Sex, and Race
According to 2002 arrest data, by sex, males comprised 89.2 percent of all those arrested for murder. (See Table 42.) By race, blacks accounted for 50.0 percent of the murder arrestees; whites, 47.7 percent; and other races (American Indian or Alaskan Native; and Asian or Pacific Islander) made up 2.3 percent of the murder arrestees. (See Table 43.)
Justifiable Homicide
Justifiable homicide is defined in the UCR Program as the killing of a felon by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty or the killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen. Because these willful killings are determined through law enforcement investigation to be justifiable, or excusable, they are tabulated separately from the murder counts.
During 2002, contributing law enforcement agencies provided supplemental data for 564 justifiable homicides. According to those data, law enforcement officers justifiably slew 339 felons, and private citizens justifiably killed 225 felons. Tables 2.16 and 2.17 provide additional information about justifiable homicides.
Information regarding the UCR Program's statistical methodology and table construction can be found in Appendix I.
Table 2.3
Murder by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 (1) 2002
January 9.1 8.8 8.4 7.9 8.2
February 7.2 7.1 7.3 6.2 6.8
March 8.3 7.6 7.6 7.1 7.8
April 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.9 7.8
May 8.4 8.3 8.5 8.3 8.1
June 8.4 8.1 8.5 8.5 8.2
July 8.7 9.1 9.3 9.5 9.6
August 9.2 9.1 9.4 9.0 9.1
September 8.3 8.7 8.3 8.6 9.6
October 8.3 8.4 8.7 9.3 8.5
November 7.6 8.2 7.7 8.5 7.8
December 8.8 8.8 8.7 9.2 8.5
(1) The murder and nonnegligent homicides that occurred as
a result of the events of September 11, 2001, are not included.
Table 2.4
Murder Victims
by Race and Sex, 2002
Sex
Race Total Male Female Unknown
White 6,757 4,852 1,905 0
Black 6,730 5,544 1,184 2
Other race 377 256 121 0
Unknown race 190 127 41 22
Total 14,054 10,779 3,251 24
Table 2.5
Murder Victims
by Age, Sex, and Race, 2002
Sex
Age Total Male Female Unknown
Total 14,054 10,779 3,251 24
Percent distribution (1) 100.0 76.7 23.1 0.2
Under 18 (2) 1,357 867 489 1
Under 22 (2) 3,398 2,624 772 2
18 and over (2) 12,406 9,703 2,699 4
Infant (under 1) 180 96 84 0
1 to 4 328 180 147 1
5 to 8 86 35 51 0
9 to 12 92 50 42 0
13 to 16 390 281 109 0
17 to 19 1,184 1,018 166 0
20 to 24 2,756 2,356 398 2
25 to 29 2,059 1,746 313 0
30 to 34 1,587 1,212 375 0
35 to 39 1,337 976 359 2
40 to 44 1,137 812 325 0
45 to 49 856 624 232 0
50 to 54 566 412 154 0
55 to 59 353 246 107 0
60 to 64 245 181 64 0
65 to 69 162 103 59 0
70 to 74 156 96 60 0
75 and over 289 146 143 0
Unknown 291 209 63 19
Race
Age White Black Other Unknown
Total 6,757 6,730 377 190
Percent distribution (1) 48.1 47.9 2.7 1.4
Under 18 (2) 689 610 45 13
Under 22 (2) 1,581 1,683 104 30
18 and over (2) 5,945 6,009 331 121
Infant (under 1) 102 71 4 3
1 to 4 176 134 14 4
5 to 8 50 33 3 0
9 to 12 53 35 4 0
13 to 16 180 196 11 3
17 to 19 519 615 39 11
20 to 24 1,115 1,560 58 23
25 to 29 809 1,173 48 29
30 to 34 667 851 54 15
35 to 39 676 624 23 14
40 to 44 621 470 40 6
45 to 49 487 337 25 7
50 to 54 333 214 16 3
55 to 59 237 98 14 4
60 to 64 170 60 10 5
65 to 69 116 44 2 0
70 to 74 115 35 4 2
75 and over 208 69 7 5
Unknown 123 111 1 56
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
(2) Does not include unknown ages.
Table 2.6
Murder Offenders
by Age, Sex, and Race, 2002
Sex
Age Total Male Female Unknown
Total 15,813 10,285 1,108 4,420
Percent distribution (1) 100.0 65.0 7.0 28.0
Under 18 (2) 848 770 77 1
Under 22 (2) 3,402 3,128 269 5
18 and over (2) 9,525 8,511 996 18
Infant (under 1) 0 0 0 0
1 to 4 1 0 1 0
5 to 8 1 1 0 0
9 to 12 26 18 7 1
13 to 16 446 401 45 0
17 to 19 1,507 1,412 92 3
20 to 24 2,916 2,656 256 4
25 to 29 1,644 1,492 150 2
30 to 34 1,120 986 132 2
35 to 39 865 749 116 0
40 to 44 638 522 115 1
45 to 49 493 425 68 0
50 to 54 311 262 44 5
55 to 59 168 150 18 0
60 to 64 83 72 11 0
65 to 69 49 41 8 0
70 to 74 45 38 6 1
75 and over 60 56 4 0
Unknown 5,440 1,004 35 4,401
Race
Age White Black Other Unknown
Total 5,356 5,579 274 4,604
Percent distribution (1) 33.9 35.3 1.7 29.1
Under 18 (2) 389 424 26 9
Under 22 (2) 1,499 1,770 94 39
18 and over (2) 4,714 4,464 241 106
Infant (under 1) 0 0 0 0
1 to 4 0 1 0 0
5 to 8 0 1 0 0
9 to 12 7 18 0 1
13 to 16 227 198 15 6
17 to 19 648 802 42 15
20 to 24 1,265 1,547 73 31
25 to 29 769 819 37 19
30 to 34 573 506 27 14
35 to 39 460 385 13 7
40 to 44 367 242 21 8
45 to 49 298 172 20 3
50 to 54 195 103 7 6
55 to 59 117 41 6 4
60 to 64 59 22 2 0
65 to 69 38 9 2 0
70 to 74 32 12 0 1
75 and over 48 10 2 0
Unknown 253 691 7 4,489
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
(2) Does not include unknown ages.
Table 2.7
Murder Victim/Offender Relationship
by Age, 2002
[Single victim/single offender]
Age of offender
Age of victim Total Under 18 18 and over Unknown
Total 7,005 344 6,106 555
Under 18 758 98 624 36
18 and over 6,144 243 5,402 499
Unknown 103 3 80 20
Table 2.8
Murder Victim/Offender Relationship
by Race and Sex, 2002
[Single victim/single offender]
Race of offender
Race of victim Total White Black Other Unknown
White victims 3,582 3,000 483 58 41
Black victims 3,137 227 2,852 11 47
Other race victims 192 51 28 109 4
Unknown race 94 31 23 2 38
Sex of offender
Race of victim Total Male Female Unknown
White victims 3,582 3,169 372 41
Black victims 3,137 2,768 320 49
Other race victims 192 169 19 4
Unknown race 94 45 11 38
Race of offender
Sex of victim Total White Black Other Unknown
Male victims 4,931 2,192 2,545 121 73
Female victims 1,980 1,086 818 57 19
Unknown sex 94 31 23 2 38
Sex of offender
Sex of victim Total Male Female Unknown
Male victims 4,931 4,328 528 75
Female victims 1,980 1,778 183 19
Unknown sex 94 45 11 38
Table 2.9
Murder, Types of Weapons Used
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
Knives or
Total all cutting
Region weapons (1) Firearms instruments
Total 100.0 66.7 12.6
Northeast 100.0 62.6 17.4
Midwest 100.0 66.4 10.3
South 100.0 66.9 12.1
West 100.0 68.9 12.3
Unknown Personal
or other weapons
dangerous (hands, fists,
Region weapons feet, etc.) (2)
Total 14.1 6.6
Northeast 12.6 7.5
Midwest 16.5 6.8
South 14.6 6.4
West 12.4 6.4
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
(2) Pushed is included in personal weapons.
Table 2.10
Murder Victims
by Weapon, 1998-2002
Weapons 1998 1999 2000
Total 14,209 13,011 13,230
Total firearms: 9,220 8,480 8,661
Handguns 7,405 6,658 6,778
Rifles 546 400 411
Shotguns 626 531 485
Other guns 16 92 53
Firearms, type not stated 627 799 934
Knives or cutting instruments 1,890 1,712 1,782
Blunt objects 750 756 617
(clubs, hammers, etc.)
Personal weapons 959 885 927
(hands, fists, feet, etc.) (2)
Poison 6 11 8
Explosives 10 0 9
Fire 132 133 134
Narcotics 33 26 20
Drowning 28 28 15
Strangulation 213 190 166
Asphyxiation 99 106 92
Other weapons or weapons 869 684 799
not stated
Weapons 2001 (1) 2002
Total 14,061 14,054
Total firearms: 8,890 9,369
Handguns 6,931 7,176
Rifles 386 480
Shotguns 511 476
Other guns 59 74
Firearms, type not stated 1,003 1,163
Knives or cutting instruments 1,831 1,767
Blunt objects 680 666
(clubs, hammers, etc.)
Personal weapons 961 933
(hands, fists, feet, etc.) (2)
Poison 12 23
Explosives 4 11
Fire 109 104
Narcotics 37 48
Drowning 23 18
Strangulation 153 143
Asphyxiation 116 103
Other weapons or weapons 1,245 869
not stated
(1) The murder and nonnegligent homicides that occurred as a result
of the events of September 11, 2001, are not included.
(2) Pushed is included in personal weapons.
Table 2.11
Murder Victims by Age
by Weapon, 2002
Weapons
Total Knives or
murder cutting
Age victims Firearms instruments
Total 14,054 9,369 1,767
Percent distribution (3) 100.0 66.7 12.6
Under 18 (4) 1,357 661 90
Under 22 (4) 3,398 2,358 256
18 and over (4) 12,406 8,568 1,646
Infant (under 1) 180 9 4
1 to 4 328 45 10
5 to 8 86 26 14
9 to 12 92 56 11
13 to 16 390 299 30
17 to 19 1,184 972 101
20 to 24 2,756 2,244 250
25 to 29 2,059 1,628 227
30 to 34 1,587 1,168 197
35 to 39 1,337 864 193
40 to 44 1,137 663 221
45 to 49 856 461 151
50 to 54 566 312 101
55 to 59 353 172 66
60 to 64 245 107 41
65 to 69 162 67 27
70 to 74 156 53 35
75 and over 289 83 57
Unknown 291 140 31
Weapons
Personal
Blunt weapons
objects (hands,
(clubs, fists,
hammers, feet,
Age etc.) etc.) (1) Poison
Total 666 933 23
Percent distribution (3) 4.7 6.6 0.2
Under 18 (4) 52 299 5
Under 22 (4) 94 345 6
18 and over (4) 595 607 18
Infant (under 1) 12 91 0
1 to 4 19 166 2
5 to 8 2 11 2
9 to 12 2 4 1
13 to 16 11 17 0
17 to 19 23 32 1
20 to 24 55 72 0
25 to 29 42 56 0
30 to 34 45 57 0
35 to 39 74 78 2
40 to 44 63 84 3
45 to 49 80 74 0
50 to 54 48 50 2
55 to 59 46 23 0
60 to 64 37 16 0
65 to 69 20 15 1
70 to 74 28 14 0
75 and over 40 46 9
Unknown 19 27 0
Weapons
Age Explosives Fire Narcotics
Total 11 104 48
Percent distribution (3) 0.1 0.7 0.3
Under 18 (4) 5 21 11
Under 22 (4) 5 29 14
18 and over (4) 6 76 36
Infant (under 1) 1 0 3
1 to 4 1 7 3
5 to 8 2 7 1
9 to 12 0 2 0
13 to 16 0 5 3
17 to 19 1 3 4
20 to 24 3 9 7
25 to 29 0 11 2
30 to 34 2 14 5
35 to 39 0 7 5
40 to 44 1 9 1
45 to 49 0 8 1
50 to 54 0 3 2
55 to 59 0 1 0
60 to 64 0 7 1
65 to 69 0 0 3
70 to 74 0 0 0
75 and over 0 4 6
Unknown 0 7 1
Weapons
Other
weapon or
weapon not
Age Strangulation Asphyxiation stated (2)
Total 143 103 887
Percent distribution (3) 1.0 0.7 6.3
Under 18 (4) 16 41 156
Under 22 (4) 23 47 221
18 and over (4) 125 58 671
Infant (under 1) 0 19 41
1 to 4 2 12 61
5 to 8 2 7 12
9 to 12 3 0 13
13 to 16 6 2 17
17 to 19 6 3 38
20 to 24 7 5 104
25 to 29 16 7 70
30 to 34 15 4 80
35 to 39 25 11 78
40 to 44 13 8 71
45 to 49 15 3 63
50 to 54 3 1 44
55 to 59 7 2 36
60 to 64 7 4 25
65 to 69 5 5 19
70 to 74 6 2 18
75 and over 3 4 37
Unknown 2 4 60
(1) Pushed is included in personal weapons.
(2) Includes drowning.
(3) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
(4) Does not include unknown ages.
Table 2.12
Murder Circumstances
by Relationship, (1) 2002
Total
murder
Circumstances victims Husband Wife Mother
Total 14,054 133 601 113
Felony type total: 2,314 4 17 4
Rape 43 0 0 0
Robbery 1,092 0 0 0
Burglary 96 0 1 0
Larceny-theft 15 0 0 0
Motor vehicle theft 16 0 0 1
Arson 59 0 1 1
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 8 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 8 0 0 0
Narcotic drug laws 657 0 1 0
Gambling 5 0 0 0
Other--not specified 315 4 14 2
Suspected felony type 67 0 0 1
Other than felony
type total: 7,097 109 516 93
Romantic triangle 130 1 9 0
Child killed
by babysitter 38 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 153 1 6 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 84 0 2 0
Argument over
money or property 203 0 4 5
Other arguments 3,527 81 334 45
Gangland killings 73 0 0 0
Juvenile gang killings 911 0 0 0
Institutional killings 12 0 0 0
Sniper attack 11 0 1 0
Other--not specified 1,955 26 160 43
Unknown 4,576 20 68 15
Circumstances Father Son Daughter Brother
Total 110 239 210 87
Felony type total: 3 8 9 4
Rape 0 0 1 0
Robbery 2 0 0 2
Burglary 0 0 0 0
Larceny-theft 0 0 0 0
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 0 0
Arson 0 1 2 0
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 0 1 1 0
Narcotic drug laws 1 0 0 1
Gambling 0 0 0 0
Other--not specified 0 6 5 1
Suspected felony type 0 0 0 0
Other than felony
type total: 88 199 184 69
Romantic triangle 0 1 0 1
Child killed
by babysitter 0 1 2 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 3 0 2 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 1 0 0 2
Argument over
money or property 1 0 0 0
Other arguments 47 52 29 51
Gangland killings 0 0 0 0
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 0 0
Institutional killings 0 0 0 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0 0
Other--not specified 36 145 151 15
Unknown 19 32 17 14
Other
Circumstances Sister family Acquaintance Friend
Total 20 271 3,217 352
Felony type total: 1 32 586 50
Rape 1 3 11 2
Robbery 0 13 221 10
Burglary 0 4 21 1
Larceny-theft 0 0 2 0
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 1 1
Arson 0 1 9 3
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 3 0
Other sex offenses 0 0 3 0
Narcotic drug laws 0 1 245 22
Gambling 0 0 2 0
Other--not specified 0 10 68 11
Suspected felony type 0 0 6 1
Other than felony
type total: 17 202 2,179 257
Romantic triangle 0 9 57 10
Child killed
by babysitter 0 7 23 3
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 0 5 68 10
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 0 3 36 3
Argument over
money or property 0 7 104 13
Other arguments 11 111 1,154 170
Gangland killings 0 0 23 0
Juvenile gang killings 0 1 221 0
Institutional killings 0 0 9 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0 0
Other--not specified 6 59 484 48
Unknown 2 37 446 44
Circumstances Boyfriend Girlfriend Neighbor
Total 154 444 110
Felony type total: 8 18 16
Rape 0 0 1
Robbery 4 1 11
Burglary 1 1 1
Larceny-theft 0 0 0
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 0
Arson 0 3 0
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 0 2 0
Narcotic drug laws 2 2 0
Gambling 0 0 0
Other--not specified 1 9 3
Suspected felony type 0 0 0
Other than felony
type total: 134 348 77
Romantic triangle 2 14 1
Child killed
by babysitter 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 1 4 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 0 3 1
Argument over
money or property 0 3 8
Other arguments 105 243 48
Gangland killings 0 0 0
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 0
Institutional killings 0 0 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0
Other--not specified 26 81 19
Unknown 12 78 17
Circumstances Employee Employer Stranger Unknown
Total 5 10 1,963 6,015
Felony type total: 0 1 595 958
Rape 0 0 7 17
Robbery 0 0 396 432
Burglary 0 1 39 26
Larceny-theft 0 0 8 5
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 7 6
Arson 0 0 17 21
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 2 3
Other sex offenses 0 0 0 1
Narcotic drug laws 0 0 67 315
Gambling 0 0 1 2
Other--not specified 0 0 51 130
Suspected felony type 0 0 2 57
Other than felony
type total: 4 7 999 1,615
Romantic triangle 0 0 15 10
Child killed
by babysitter 0 0 1 1
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 0 0 41 12
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 0 0 8 25
Argument over
money or property 0 1 17 40
Other arguments 4 3 496 543
Gangland killings 0 0 20 30
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 200 489
Institutional killings 0 0 1 2
Sniper attack 0 0 7 3
Other--not specified 0 3 193 460
Unknown 1 2 367 3,385
(1) Relationship is that of victim to offender.
Table 2.13
Murder Circumstances
by Weapon, 2002
Total
murder Total
Circumstances victims firearms Handguns
Total 14,054 9,369 7,176
Felony type total: 2,314 1,640 1,304
Rape 43 6 4
Robbery 1,092 797 664
Burglary 96 56 45
Larceny-theft 15 9 8
Motor vehicle theft 16 9 4
Arson 59 3 3
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 8 1 1
Other sex offenses 8 0 0
Narcotic drug laws 657 553 425
Gambling 5 5 5
Other - not specified 315 201 145
Suspected felony type 67 53 40
Other than felony type total: 7,097 4,522 3,532
Romantic triangle 130 92 64
Child killed by babysitter 38 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 153 72 60
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 84 65 50
Argument over money or
property 203 134 110
Other arguments 3,527 2,166 1,726
Gangland killings 73 68 59
Juvenile gang killings 911 870 752
Institutional killings 12 1 0
Sniper attack 11 11 3
Other - not specified 1,955 1,043 708
Unknown 4,576 3,154 2,300
Other
guns or
type not
Circumstances Rifles Shotguns stated
Total 480 476 1,237
Felony type total: 63 64 209
Rape 0 0 2
Robbery 24 34 75
Burglary 2 6 3
Larceny-theft 0 0 1
Motor vehicle theft 2 1 2
Arson 0 0 0
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 0 0 0
Narcotic drug laws 22 14 92
Gambling 0 0 0
Other - not specified 13 9 34
Suspected felony type 7 1 5
Other than felony type total: 281 284 425
Romantic triangle 11 4 13
Child killed by babysitter 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 2 5 5
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 4 4 7
Argument over money or
property 6 8 10
Other arguments 134 149 157
Gangland killings 2 0 7
Juvenile gang killings 37 18 63
Institutional killings 0 1 0
Sniper attack 7 0 1
Other - not specified 78 95 162
Unknown 129 127 598
Personal
Blunt weapons
objects (hands,
Knives (clubs, fists,
or cutting hammers, feet,
Circumstances instruments etc.) etc.)
Total 1,767 666 929
Felony type total: 198 116 99
Rape 9 5 9
Robbery 93 74 47
Burglary 18 10 5
Larceny-theft 2 2 1
Motor vehicle theft 2 0 0
Arson 0 0 1
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 2 2 0
Other sex offenses 1 1 5
Narcotic drug laws 39 13 11
Gambling 0 0 0
Other - not specified 32 9 20
Suspected felony type 7 2 0
Other than felony type total: 1,072 330 639
Romantic triangle 27 3 3
Child killed by babysitter 0 4 27
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 38 12 23
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 5 6 2
Argument over money or
property 42 12 9
Other arguments 733 196 253
Gangland killings 3 0 1
Juvenile gang killings 23 4 3
Institutional killings 1 1 7
Sniper attack 0 0 0
Other - not specified 200 92 311
Unknown 490 218 191
Pushed or
thrown out
Circumstances Poison window Explosives
Total 23 4 11
Felony type total: 1 1 5
Rape 0 0 0
Robbery 0 0 0
Burglary 0 0 0
Larceny-theft 0 0 0
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 1
Arson 0 0 4
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 0 0 0
Narcotic drug laws 0 1 0
Gambling 0 0 0
Other - not specified 1 0 0
Suspected felony type 0 0 0
Other than felony type total: 20 1 6
Romantic triangle 0 1 0
Child killed by babysitter 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 0 0 0
Argument over money or
property 0 0 2
Other arguments 4 0 2
Gangland killings 0 0 0
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 0
Institutional killings 0 0 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0
Other - not specified 16 0 2
Unknown 2 2 0
Circumstances Fire Narcotics Drowning
Total 104 48 18
Felony type total: 44 12 0
Rape 0 0 0
Robbery 3 0 0
Burglary 0 0 0
Larceny-theft 0 0 0
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 0
Arson 35 0 0
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 0 0 0
Other sex offenses 0 0 0
Narcotic drug laws 2 12 0
Gambling 0 0 0
Other - not specified 4 0 0
Suspected felony type 0 0 0
Other than felony type total: 29 26 12
Romantic triangle 0 0 0
Child killed by babysitter 0 0 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 0 1 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 0 2 0
Argument over money or
property 0 0 0
Other arguments 11 0 2
Gangland killings 0 0 0
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 0
Institutional killings 0 0 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0
Other - not specified 18 23 10
Unknown 31 10 6
Circumstances Strangulation Asphyxiation Other
Total 143 103 869
Felony type total: 38 26 134
Rape 9 5 0
Robbery 17 10 51
Burglary 1 1 5
Larceny-theft 0 0 1
Motor vehicle theft 0 0 4
Arson 4 0 12
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 1 0 2
Other sex offenses 0 1 0
Narcotic drug laws 1 2 23
Gambling 0 0 0
Other - not specified 5 7 36
Suspected felony type 1 0 4
Other than felony type total: 69 55 316
Romantic triangle 1 1 2
Child killed by babysitter 0 1 6
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 1 0 6
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 1 0 3
Argument over money or
property 3 0 1
Other arguments 35 17 108
Gangland killings 0 0 1
Juvenile gang killings 0 0 11
Institutional killings 0 2 0
Sniper attack 0 0 0
Other - not specified 28 34 178
Unknown 35 22 415
Table 2.14
Murder Circumstances, 1998-2002
Circumstances 1998 1999 2000
Total 14,209 13,011 13,230
Felony type total: 2,510 2,215 2,229
Rape 62 47 58
Robbery 1,243 1,057 1,077
Burglary 92 81 76
Larceny-theft 17 14 23
Motor vehicle theft 15 12 25
Arson 83 66 81
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 15 8 6
Other sex offenses 20 19 10
Narcotic drug laws 682 581 589
Gambling 12 17 12
Other--not specified 269 313 272
Suspected felony type 104 65 60
Other than felony type total: 7,203 6,880 6,871
Romantic triangle 187 137 122
Child killed by babysitter 23 34 30
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 211 203 188
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 117 127 99
Argument over money
or property 241 213 206
Other arguments 4,115 3,471 3,589
Gangland killings 73 122 65
Juvenile gang killings 625 580 653
Institutional killings 15 13 10
Sniper attack 16 5 8
Other--not specified 1,580 1,975 1,901
Unknown 4,392 3,851 4,070
Circumstances 2001 (1) 2002
Total 14,061 14,054
Felony type total: 2,364 2,314
Rape 61 43
Robbery 1,080 1,092
Burglary 80 96
Larceny-theft 17 15
Motor vehicle theft 22 16
Arson 71 59
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 5 8
Other sex offenses 7 8
Narcotic drug laws 575 657
Gambling 3 5
Other--not specified 443 315
Suspected felony type 72 67
Other than felony type total: 7,073 7,097
Romantic triangle 118 130
Child killed by babysitter 37 38
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 152 153
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 118 84
Argument over money
or property 198 203
Other arguments 3,618 3,527
Gangland killings 76 73
Juvenile gang killings 862 911
Institutional killings 8 12
Sniper attack 7 11
Other--not specified 1,879 1,955
Unknown 4,552 4,576
(1) The murder and nonnegligent homicides that occurred as a result
of the events of September 11, 2001, are not included.
Table 2.15
Murder Circumstances
by Victim Sex, 2002
Total
murder
Circumstances victims Male Female Unknown
Total 14,054 10,779 3,251 24
Felony type total: 2,314 1,894 419 1
Rape 43 3 40 0
Robbery 1,092 936 156 0
Burglary 96 68 28 0
Larceny-theft 15 14 1 0
Motor vehicle theft 16 14 2 0
Arson 59 28 31 0
Prostitution and
commercialized vice 8 3 5 0
Other sex offenses 8 1 7 0
Narcotic drug laws 657 595 61 1
Gambling 5 5 0 0
Other--not specified 315 227 88 0
Suspected felony type 67 56 11 0
Other than felony type total: 7,097 5,193 1,897 7
Romantic triangle 130 89 41 0
Child killed by babysitter 38 15 23 0
Brawl due to influence
of alcohol 153 131 22 0
Brawl due to influence
of narcotics 84 72 12 0
Argument over money
or property 203 165 38 0
Other arguments 3,527 2,567 957 3
Gangland killings 73 69 4 0
Juvenile gang killings 911 869 42 0
Institutional killings 12 11 1 0
Sniper attack 11 8 3 0
Other--not specified 1,955 1,197 754 4
Unknown 4,576 3,636 924 16
Table 2.16
Justifiable Homicide
by Weapon, Law Enforcement, (1) 1998-2002
Total
Year Total firearms Handguns Rifles Shotguns
1998 369 367 322 15 18
1999 308 305 274 11 15
2000 309 308 274 14 13
2001 378 375 318 25 11
2002 339 335 294 18 7
Firearms, Knives or Other
not type cutting dangerous Personal
Year stated instruments weapons weapons
1998 12 0 0 2
1999 5 0 1 2
2000 7 0 1 0
2001 21 0 3 0
2002 16 1 3 0
(1) The killing of a felon by a law enforcement officer in the
line of duty.
Table 2.17
Justifiable Homicide
by Weapon, Private Citizen, (1) 1998-2002
Total
Year Total firearms Handguns Rifles Shotguns
1998 196 170 150 6 14
1999 192 158 137 5 10
2000 164 138 123 4 7
2001 222 183 143 10 13
2002 225 184 154 11 13
Firearms, Knives or Other
type not cutting dangerous Personal
Year stated instruments weapons weapons
1998 0 17 5 4
1999 6 18 9 7
2000 4 15 8 3
2001 17 26 6 7
2002 6 26 9 6
(1) The killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony,
by a private citizen.
Figure 2.6
Murder
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -8.6 -9.4
2000 -8.2 -11.8
2001 -5.5 -10.5
2002 -4.5 -10.5
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.7
Murder by relationship (1)
Percent Distribution, Volume by Known Relationship, 2002
Unknown 42.8% 6,015 victims
Family 12.7% 1,784 victims
Stranger 14.0% 1,963 victims
Other Known 30.5% 4,292 victims
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Family
Husband 133
Wife 601
Mother 113
Father 110
Son 239
Daughter 210
Brother 87
Sister 20
Other Family 271
Other Known
Acquaintance 3,217
Friend 352
Boyfriend 154
Girlfriend 444
Neighbor 110
Employee 5
Employer 10
Note: Table made from bar graph.
(1) Relationship is that of victim to offender.
Figures are based on 14,054 murder victims for whom
Supplementary Homicide Report data were received.
Forcible Rape
Definition
Forcible rape, as defined in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Assaults or attempts to commit rape by force or threat of force are also included; however, statutory rape (without force) and other sex offenses are excluded.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 90,863 31.8
2002 95,136 33.0
Percent change +4.7 +3.6
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
Marking the third consecutive year of increase, the UCR Program's estimate of female forcible rapes for 2002 was 95,136 offenses. This estimate was 4.7 percent higher than the 2001 approximation, and it was 2.1 percent higher than the offense estimate for 1998. However, the volume of forcible rapes in 2002 was 10.3 percent below the 1993 estimate. (See Table 1.)
The UCR Program has traditionally collected rape data only for female victims. The rape rates listed above and in subsequent tables are based upon estimates of the total U.S. population. In this narrative, however, the rape rate is based on the 2002 estimate of the Nation's female population provided by the U. S. Bureau of the Census. That calculation yielded a rate of 64.8 forcible rapes per 100,000 females, which was an increase of 3.5 percent from the 2001 rate of 62.6. In comparison with the rates of 5 and 10 years ago, the 2002 female forcible rape rate was 3.9 percent below the 1998 rate of 67.5, and it was 19.4 percent below the 1993 estimate of 80.4 per 100,000 females.
Community Types
The UCR Program aggregates data for three types of communities: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside metropolitan areas, and rural counties. (For a detailed explanation of the composition of these community types, see Appendix III.) During 2002, the estimated rate of female forcible rapes increased for all community types. The greatest increase was seen in cities outside MSAs, where forcible rapes occurred at the estimated rate of 75.9 per 100,000 females, an increase of 12.1 percent since 2001. MSAs had an estimated rate of 66.5 forcible rapes for each 100,000 segment of the female population, a 3.3 percent increase over the prior year's estimate. In rural counties, female rapes occurred at an estimated rate of 46.8 per 100,000 females, up 6.8 percent from 2001. (Based on Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program aggregates statistics for four regions within the United States: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. A map delineating these regions is published in Appendix III. By region, the data on female forcible rapes reflected the following:
The Northeast
The Northeast had an estimated 13.5 percent of the Nation's forcible rapes during 2002, the lowest proportion of the four regions. Additionally, this group of states had the only decline in the estimated rate of 46.4 forcible rapes per 100,000 females. This figure was the lowest regional rate, and it reflected a 5.5 percent decrease from the Northeast's 2001 estimate.
The Midwest
Approximately 25.3 percent of the Nation's estimated forcible rapes occurred in the Midwestern states. In 2002, this region had an estimated 72.7 forcible rape rate per 100,000 females, which was an increase of 5.4 percent over 2001 estimates.
The South
The Nation's most populous region, the South, had the highest percentage of female rapes--37.5 percent. During 2002, the Southern states experienced an estimated 2.1 percent increase over the 2001 figure for the rate of forcible rapes, 67.9 for every 100,000 females.
The West
Of the Nation's rape offenses, an estimated 23.7 percent occurred in the Western Region during 2002. The West also had an increase of 3.2 percent in the rate of forcible rapes, with 67.4 rapes per 100,000 females. (Based on Table 4.)
Offense Analysis
The UCR Program counts each offense in which a female of any age is forcibly raped or upon whom an assault to rape or attempt to rape is made. Of the total rapes reported for 2002, 91.0 percent were classified as rapes, and the remainder were attempts. (See Table 19.) The UCR Program classifies all sex offenses (except forcible rape) as Part II offenses and, as such, collects only arrest data, which are presented in an aggregated total. (See Appendix II.) Consequently, statutory rapes of female victims where no force is used and the victim is under the age of consent are included in sex offenses. Sexual attacks on males are classified as assaults or sex offenses depending on the nature of the crime and the extent of injury.
Clearances
Forcible rapes had a national clearance rate of 44.5 percent during 2002. Collectively, the Nation's cities cleared 43.4 percent of forcible rapes, with clearance rates ranging from 40.4 percent in cities with populations of 25,000 to 49,999 to 46.2 percent in those with fewer than 10,000 residents. The Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, cleared 44.0 percent. Rural counties cleared 49.8 percent of the reported forcible rapes in their communities, and suburban counties cleared 47.0 percent. (See Table 25.)
The Northeast recorded the highest regional rape clearance rate, 50.7 percent of reported offenses. In 2002, the South cleared 48.4 percent of female rapes; the West, 40.1 percent; and the Midwest, 39.2 percent. (See Table 26.)
Clearances and Juveniles
When an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, the UCR Program records the incident as a clearance by arrest even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. In addition, according to Program definitions, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances.
In 2002, juveniles made up 12.0 percent of the total clearances for forcible rape. Among the Nation's cities, 11.6 percent of forcible rape clearances were the result of a juvenile arrest or an exceptional clearance. The highest percentage of forcible rape clearances involving only juvenile offenders, 16.0 percent, were reported in cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999; the lowest percentage of juvenile clearances, 9.1 percent, were reported by agencies in cities with more than 250,000 in population. During 2002, 13.8 percent of forcible rape clearances in rural counties involved only persons under age 18, as did 12.8 percent of those in suburban counties. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
Arrests for forcible rape in 2002 were estimated at 28,288. (See Table 29.) During 2002, 16.7 percent of all forcible rape arrests were of persons under the age of 18 and 46.1 percent were of persons under the age of 25. Adults (over the age of 18) made up 83.3 percent of arrests. (See Tables 38 and 41.) By race, 63.4 percent of arrestees for this offense were white, 34.0 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. (See Table 43.) Regarding juvenile forcible rape arrests, 62.0 percent of the juvenile arrestees were white, 36.0 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. (See Table 43.)
Two-, 5-, and 10-year trend data showed that the number of forcible rape arrests in 2002 was 1.8 percent higher than the 2001 arrest total; however, that figure was 7.2 percent lower than the 1998 total and 26.0 percent lower than the number of rape arrests in 1993. In 2002, arrests of adults for forcible rape increased 2.5 percent from the 2001 number, and arrests of juveniles decreased 1.4 percent when compared to 2001 arrest totals. Comparing the 2002 estimates with those of 5 years ago showed that adult arrests fell 5.8 percent and juvenile arrests dropped 13.8 percent from 1998. Adult arrests for forcible rape in 2002 declined 25.9 percent, and juvenile arrests decreased 26.5 percent when compared to arrests in 1993. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.)
Table 2.18
Forcible Rape by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 7.9 8.1 8.0 7.7 7.6
February 7.4 7.3 7.5 7.1 7.0
March 8.6 8.2 8.5 8.4 7.8
April 8.2 8.2 8.0 8.3 8.6
May 8.8 8.6 9.0 8.8 9.0
June 8.7 8.8 9.1 8.7 9.0
July 9.6 9.6 9.5 9.7 9.6
August 9.3 9.5 9.3 9.4 9.6
September 8.8 8.3 8.4 8.6 9.2
October 7.9 8.3 8.3 8.5 8.4
November 7.6 7.9 7.5 7.6 7.4
December 7.1 7.2 6.9 7.2 6.8
Figure 2.8
Forcible Rape
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
female
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -4.0 -4.2
2000 -3.2 -6.1
2001 -2.4 -6.6
2002 2.1 -3.2
Note: Table made from line graph.
Robbery
Definition
The Uniform Crime Reporting Program defines robbery as the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 423,557 148.5
2002 420,637 145.9
Percent change -0.7 -1.7
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
In 2002, there were an estimated 420,637 robberies in the Nation. This estimate indicated a decrease of 0.7 percent when compared to the 2001 offense estimate and 5.9 percent and 36.3 percent decreases when compared to the 1998 and the 1993 estimates, respectively. (See Table 1.) Robbery accounted for 3.5 percent of the Crime Index in 2002 and comprised an estimated 29.5 percent of the violent crimes. (Based on Table 1.)
The 2002 robbery rate of 145.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants reflected a 1.7 percent decrease from the 2001 rate. Robbery rates in 2002 compared to figures from 1998 showed an 11.8 percent decline. Compared to 1993 rates, 2002 rates demonstrated a 43.0 percent decrease.
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (More information concerning UCR area definitions can be found in Appendix III.) In 2002, robbery data collected regarding the Nation's four regions reflected the following:
The Northeast
The Northeast, which comprised 18.8 percent of the total United States population in 2002, experienced 19.2 percent of the Nation's estimated robberies. The estimated number of robberies remained virtually unchanged from the 2001 figure; however, the robbery rate of 148.7 offenses per 100,000 population reflected a slight decrease (0.5 percent) from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The Midwest
The Midwest, accounting for 22.6 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 19.5 percent of the country's robberies. The number of robberies that occurred in this region decreased by 1.1 percent from the 2001 figure, and the rate per 100,000 inhabitants (126.1) declined by 1.6 percent. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The South
With 35.8 percent of the Nation's population, the South experienced an estimated 38.5 percent of the country's robbery volume. The number of robbery offenses in this region declined 0.7 percent from the 2001 figure, and the rate per 100,000 inhabitants (156.8) decreased 2.0 percent from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The West
The West, comprising 22.8 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for an estimated 22.8 percent of the robbery volume. This percentage reflected a 0.9 percent decrease from the 2001 figure. The region reported a robbery rate of 146.0 offenses per 100,000, showing a 2.5 percent decline from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
The UCR Program often presents crime statistics in aggregations representing various population groups. An explanation of these population group classifications can be found in Appendix III.
Cumulatively, the Nation's cities experienced a 1.5 percent decrease in robberies in 2002. Among the Nation's cities, those with populations of 250,000 or more inhabitants reported the largest decline in robbery offenses --2.1 percent. Cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants reflected a 3.3 percent increase from the number of robberies in 2001, and cities with 10,000 or fewer people experienced a 0.7 percent increase. Also in 2002, the country's suburban counties experienced a 1.8 percent increase; rural counties reported a 0.8 percent decline in the number of robberies. Additional data for population groups can be found in Table 12.
Collectively, the Nation's cities reported a robbery rate of 208.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the Nation's cities, those with populations of 250,000 or more people experienced the highest rate of occurrence for robbery --395.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities with populations of less than 10,000 people reported the lowest rate of robbery in 2002--54.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The country's suburban counties had a rate of 70.7 robberies per 100,000 people; rural counties experienced a rate of 17.7 robberies per 100,000 population. Rates for population groups can be found in Table 16.
Offense Analysis
Supplemental data concerning robberies reported by law enforcement to the national UCR Program in 2002 revealed the following:
Robbery by Weapon
Firearms continued to be the weapon used most often in the commission of robberies. In 2002, offenders used firearms in 42.1 percent of the robberies reported to the UCR Program. Another 39.9 percent of robberies involved strong-arm tactics--hands, fists, feet, etc. Offenders used knives or cutting instruments in 8.7 percent of the offenses and other weapons in 9.3 percent of robberies. (See Table 2.22.) A state-by-state breakdown of weapons used in robberies in 2002 is provided in Table 21.
Dollar Loss
In 2002, offenders took an estimated $539 million from victims. Nationwide, the average monetary value of property stolen during a robbery was $1,281. Banks lost an average of $4,763 for each robbery, and commercial houses (including supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, taverns, finance companies, hotels, motels, etc.) lost an average of $1,676 per robbery offense. The estimated value of losses incurred from robberies of residences averaged $1,340, and robberies on streets/highways averaged a loss of $1,045 per robbery offense. Additionally, losses from gas or service stations and convenience stores averaged $679 and $665, respectively, per robbery. (Based on Tables 1 and 23.)
Robbery Trends by Location
When compared to 2001 volumes, the number of robberies that occurred in 2002 decreased at every location type except residences. Residential robberies increased 4.4 percent from the 2001 figure. The greatest decline in the number of robberies--7.6 percent--occurred at gas or service stations, and the smallest decrease--1.3 percent--occurred at commercial houses. Unspecified locations (denoted as miscellaneous) showed an increase of 2.7 percent. (See Table 23.)
Percent Distribution
Robberies of victims on the street or highway accounted for 42.8 percent of the total number of robberies that occurred during 2002. Robberies that happened in commercial houses (restaurants, taverns, hotels, etc.) and residences accounted for 14.6 percent and 13.5 percent, respectively, of reported robberies. Robberies perpetrated in convenience stores, gas or service stations, and banks comprised 6.5 percent, 2.7 percent, and 2.3 percent, respectively, of the total number of robberies. The remaining 17.7 percent of robberies occurred at other venues. (See Table 23.)
Clearances
In 2002, law enforcement agencies cleared by arrest or exceptional means 25.7 percent of robberies reported to the national Program. (More information concerning clearances, including what constitutes a clearance by exceptional means, can be found in Section III of this report.) Collectively, the Nation's cities cleared 25.0 percent of robbery offenses. Law enforcement in suburban and rural counties cleared 29.5 percent and 41.4 percent, respectively, of reported robberies. (See Table 25.)
Regionally, the Northeast had the highest rate of clearance for robbery--31.0 percent--followed by the South at 26.0 percent. Law enforcement in the West cleared 24.7 percent of reported robberies, and the Midwest cleared 21.5 percent of this offense. (See Table 26.)
Clearances and Juveniles
According to UCR Program reporting procedures, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances. Therefore, the statistics provided in this narrative are for clearances which involved only juveniles. In 2002, juvenile offenders (those under 18 years of age) accounted for 14.1 percent of the Nation's robbery clearances. In cities collectively, juveniles comprised 14.2 percent of robbery clearances. Additionally, arrests of juveniles for reported robbery offenses in suburban and rural counties, cleared 14.4 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively. Table 28 provides additional information concerning juvenile clearance data.
Arrests
Total Arrests
Law enforcement made an estimated 105,774 arrests for robbery offenses in 2002. Robbery arrests accounted for an estimated 4.7 percent of the arrests for Crime Index offenses and 17.0 percent of the arrests for violent crimes. (See Table 29.)
Arrest Trends
Robbery arrests for 2002 decreased 0.8 percent nationwide from the 2001 arrest total. Arrests of adults (persons 18 years of age and older) decreased 0.8 percent, and arrests of juveniles (persons under age 18) declined 0.9 percent over the 2-year period. (See Table 36.) By gender, the 2-year trend showed that there was a 1.1 percent decrease in the number of males who were arrested for robbery and a 1.6 percent increase in the number of females arrested for that offense. (See Table 37.)
A 5-year comparison of robbery arrests for the Nation showed an overall 8.3 percent decline. The number of adults and juveniles arrested for robbery in 1998 compared to the number arrested in 2002 reflected decreases of 3.8 and 20.7 percent, respectively. (See Table 34.) By gender, the 5-year trend showed that there was an 8.5 percent decrease in the number of males who were arrested for robbery and a 6.8 percent decrease in the number of females arrested for that offense. (See Table 35.)
A 10-year overall comparison revealed that robbery arrests fell 28.4 percent since 1993. (See Table 32.) The number of adults arrested for robbery was down 24.6 percent, and the number of juveniles arrested during the same period declined 38.4 percent. (See Table 32.) By gender, the 10-year trend showed that there was a 29.4 percent decrease in the number of males who were arrested for robbery and a 17.3 percent decrease in the number of females arrested for that offense. (See Table 33.)
Arrest Rates
Nationally, the robbery arrest rate for 2002 was 37.7 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 31.) Collectively, the Nation's cities experienced a robbery arrest rate of 46.9 per 100,000 people. Suburban and rural counties reported 20.8 robbery arrests per 100,000 inhabitants and 9.2 per 100,000 population, respectively.
Regionally, the robbery arrest rates were 44.7 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants in the Northeast; 32.1 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants in the Midwest; 35.5 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants in the South; and 40.0 arrests for robbery offenses per 100,000 individuals in the West. (See Table 30.)
Distribution by Age, Sex, and Race
During 2002, a total of 76.9 percent of all persons arrested for robbery were adults (persons 18 years of age and older). (See Table 38.) Further, 61.4 percent of the persons arrested for robbery were under the age of 25. (See Table 41.) The majority of the arrestees, 89.7 percent, were males. By race, 54.1 percent of persons arrested for robbery were black, 44.1 percent were white, and 1.7 percent were of other races (American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, or Pacific Islander.) (See Tables 41, 42, and 43.) Breakdowns of male and female arrestees by age are presented in Tables 39 and 40.
Table 2.19
Robbery by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 9.5 8.9 8.6 8.3 8.8
February 7.5 7.3 7.1 6.5 6.7
March 8.0 7.7 7.7 7.6 7.6
April 7.6 7.6 7.5 7.4 7.5
May 7.9 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.0
June 7.7 8.1 7.9 8.0 8.0
July 8.5 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.8
August 8.7 8.8 9.0 8.7 9.0
September 8.5 8.3 8.5 8.5 8.8
October 9.0 8.8 9.1 9.7 9.1
November 8.3 8.6 8.7 9.2 8.6
December 8.8 9.2 9.0 9.4 9.2
Table 2.20
Robbery
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
United
States
Type total Northeast Midwest South West
Total (1) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Street/highway 42.8 57.7 48.4 36.3 42.9
Commercial house 14.6 9.5 10.8 14.9 18.3
Gas or service 2.7 3.3 3.2 2.4 2.5
station
Convenience store 6.5 6.0 4.8 7.8 5.4
Residence 13.5 9.4 11.0 18.0 9.7
Bank 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.9
Miscellaneous 17.7 11.8 19.7 18.6 18.3
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Table 2.21
Robbery
Percent Distribution by Population Group, 2002
Group I Group II Group III
(62 cities, (148 cities, (380 cities,
250,000 100,000 to 50,000 to
and over; 249,999; 99,999;
population population population
Type 39,124,731) 22,295,369) 26,354,653)
Total (1) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Street/highway 51.7 42.1 40.3
Commercial house 12.2 16.9 16.0
Gas or service station 1.8 2.7 3.2
Convenience store 4.6 6.5 7.2
Residence 12.2 13.7 11.5
Bank 1.6 2.4 2.8
Miscellaneous 16.0 15.6 19.1
Group IV Group V
(698 cities, (1,573 cities,
25,000 to 10,000 to
49,999; 24,999;
population population
Type 24,398,552) 24,942,945)
Total (1) 100.0 100.0
Street/highway 32.8 28.8
Commercial house 16.0 17.5
Gas or service station 3.9 4.2
Convenience store 8.4 9.1
Residence 13.5 14.9
Bank 3.2 3.8
Miscellaneous 22.2 21.8
Group VI
(6,170 cities, County agencies
under 10,000; (3,493 agencies;
population population
Type 20,386,464) 79,119,438)
Total (1) 100.0 100.0
Street/highway 24.5 29.6
Commercial house 15.8 17.1
Gas or service station 4.4 3.8
Convenience store 10.4 9.2
Residence 14.2 19.3
Bank 3.9 2.8
Miscellaneous 26.8 18.2
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Table 2.22
Robbery, Types of Weapons Used
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
Armed
Total Knives or
all cutting Other
Region weapons (1) Firearms instruments weapons Strongarm
Total 100.0 42.1 8.7 9.3 39.9
Northeast 100.0 34.0 10.8 8.3 46.9
Midwest 100.0 43.8 6.5 9.7 40.0
South 100.0 47.8 7.8 9.7 34.7
West 100.0 36.3 10.3 9.1 44.3
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Figure 2.9
Robbery
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -8.5 -9.3
2000 -8.8 -12.4
2001 -5.3 -10.3
2002 -5.9 -11.8
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.10
Robery Categories
Percent Change from 1998
Street/ Commercial Gas or service Convenience
Highway house station store
1998 -- -- -- --
1999 -9.4 -7.7 -10.9 -5.0
2000 -12.7 -7.9 -0.8 -3.1
2001 -11.0 1.4 6.8 6.1
2002 -13.6 0.1 -1.3 1.0
Note: Table made from line graph.
Aggravated Assault
Definition
According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, an aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Attempts involving the display or threat of a gun, knife, or other weapon are included because serious personal injury would likely result if the assault were completed.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 909,023 318.6
2002 894,348 310.1
Percent change -1.6 -2.7
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
Nationally, an estimated 894,348 offenses of aggravated assault accounted for 62.7 percent of the violent crimes in 2002. The estimated number of aggravated assault offenses in 2002 marked the 9th consecutive year of decline for that offense. (See Table 1.)
In 2002, there were an estimated 310.1 reported victims of aggravated assault per 100,000 inhabitants. Two-, 5-, and 10-year trend data showed that the estimated rate was 2.7 percent lower than in 2001, 14.2 percent lower than in 1998, and 29.6 percent lower than in 1993. (See Table 1.)
When compared to 2001 data, the 2002 estimate of aggravated assaults showed a 1.6 percent decline. A 5- and 10-year trend analysis showed that the number of estimated aggravated assaults decreased 8.4 percent from the 1998 estimate and declined 21.2 percent from the 1993 estimate. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
The UCR Program categorizes communities as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside of MSAs, and rural counties. MSAs are those community types made up of a central city of at least 50,000 inhabitants, the county containing that city, and adjacent areas with strong economic or cultural ties to the central city. Cities outside MSAs are mostly incorporated, and rural counties are composed of mostly unincorporated areas.
In 2002, the Nation's MSAs experienced an estimated rate of 332.3 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities outside MSAs had a rate of 300.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants, and rural counties had an estimated rate of 168.5 aggravated assaults per 100,000 persons. (See Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (See Appendix III.)
The Northeast
In 2002, the estimated number of aggravated assaults in the Northeast, which comprised 18.8 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 14.6 percent of the Nation's total for that offense. (See Table 3.) The estimated rate for Northeastern states, collectively, was 240.1 per 100,000 persons; this represented a 4.8 percent decrease from the 2001 rate. (See Table 4.)
The Midwest
The Midwest, accounting for 22.6 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 18.7 percent of the estimated aggravated assaults in 2002. (See Table 3.) The Midwest had an estimated rate of 256.7 per 100,000 persons, which was a 2.1 percent decrease from the 2001 estimated aggravated assault rate. (See Table 4.)
The South
In 2002, the South, the Nation's most populous region (35.8 percent of the population), accounted for an estimated 43.1 percent of the aggravated assaults in the United States. (See Table 3.) The South had a rate of 372.9 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants, which represented a 2.3 percent decline from the rate in 2001. (See Table 4.)
The West
The West, accounting for 22.8 percent of the population, had an estimated 23.7 percent of the aggravated assaults in the Nation in 2002. (See Table 3.) The region experienced an estimated rate of 322.2 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people. The rate was a decrease of 2.6 percent from the 2001 rate. (See Table 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
During 2002, the Nation's cities collectively had a 2.6 percent decrease in the number of aggravated assaults when compared to the 2001 figure. The largest decrease in aggravated assaults among the country's cities occurred in cities with 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants, a 3.3 percent decline in volume from 2001 to 2002. The Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, showed a 2.9 percent drop in aggravated assaults. Rural counties experienced a decrease of 1.9 percent. Suburban counties were the only population group with an increase, 0.1 percent. (See Table 12.)
The Nation's cities collectively had an aggravated assault rate of 372.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the Nation's cities, those cities with populations 250,000 and over had the highest aggravated assault rate at 577.5 offenses per 100,000 persons. Cities with populations from 10,000 to 24,999 had the lowest rate at 219.1 per 100,000. Suburban counties had a rate of 249.3 aggravated assaults per 100,000 in population, and rural counties had a rate of 186.0 per 100,000 persons. (See Table 16.)
Offense Analysis
By weapon type, personal weapons such as hands, fists, feet, etc. were used in 27.7 percent of the aggravated assaults, firearms in 19.0 percent, and knives or other cutting instruments in 17.8 percent. Other weapon types were used in 35.4 percent of the aggravated assaults in 2002. (See Table 2.24.)
In comparison to 2001 data, 2002 data showed that the use of firearms in aggravated assaults increased 2.1 percent. The three remaining weapon categories showed decreases in their use during aggravated assaults compared to 2001 figures. The use of personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) decreased 3.7 percent, the use of knives or other cutting instruments dropped 2.0 percent, and the use of other weapon types declined 2.4 percent. (See Table 15.)
Clearances
Nationwide in 2002, law enforcement agencies cleared 56.5 percent of reported aggravated assaults. Collectively, cities cleared 54.6 percent of aggravated assaults. Law enforcement agencies in the Nation's smallest cities, those with less than 10,000 in population, cleared 65.1 percent of their aggravated assaults. Law enforcement agencies in the Nation's largest cities, those with populations of 250,000 and over, cleared 49.1 percent of the aggravated assaults that came to their attention. Those agencies in rural and suburban counties cleared 64.5 and 61.6 percent, respectively, of the reported aggravated assaults in their jurisdictions. (See Table 25.)
The Nation's law enforcement cleared 63.3 percent of the aggravated assaults involving personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet and 62.2 percent of aggravated assaults involving a knife or cutting instrument. In addition, agencies cleared 41.3 percent of the aggravated assaults that involved firearms and 55.5 percent of those that involved other weapon types. (See Table 27.)
Law enforcement in the Northeastern Region cleared the highest percentage of aggravated assaults, 64.7 percent. Law enforcement in the Western Region cleared 56.1 percent of aggravated assaults, followed by the Southern Region with 55.8 percent, and the Midwestern Region with 53.3 percent. (See Table 26.)
Clearances and Juveniles
When an offender under the age of 18 is arrested or cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, the UCR Program records that incident as a clearance by arrest. However, according to Program definitions, clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances.
Of all aggravated assault clearances reported nationally in 2002, 11.6 percent involved only persons under the age of 18. In the Nation's cities, collectively, 11.7 percent of clearances for aggravated assault involved only juveniles. In suburban counties, 12.1 percent of aggravated assault clearances involved only persons under the age of 18; in rural counties, 9.5 percent of aggravated assault clearances were of juveniles. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
In 2002, approximately 472,290 persons were arrested for aggravated assault. (See Table 29.) The rate for aggravated assault arrests nationwide was 165.5 per 100,000 persons. Collectively, cities had a rate of 182.9 aggravated assault arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest arrest rate for aggravated assault among the Nation's cities was in the Nation's largest cities (those with 250,000 and over in population) at 257.1 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, and the lowest rate was in cities from 10,000 to 24,999 at 121.7 arrests per 100,000 persons. Rural counties had a rate of 109.0 aggravated assault arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, and suburban counties had a rate of 135.1 aggravated assault arrests per 100,000 in population. (See Table 31.)
Of the reported arrests for aggravated assault, 79.8 percent were of males. (See Table 42.) By race, 63.4 percent of those arrested during 2002 for aggravated assault were white, 34.2 percent were black, 2.4 percent were of all other races. (See Table 43.)
Aggravated assault arrests in 2002 were down 0.9 percent when compared to 2001 arrests; arrests of juveniles (persons under 18 years of age) for aggravated assault decreased 4.0 percent and arrests of adults decreased 0.4 percent. (See Table 36.) A comparison of 1998 and 2002 data revealed a 6.9 percent decrease in the number of aggravated assault arrests, a 15.0 percent decrease in the number of juveniles arrested for aggravated assault, and a 5.5 percent decline in the number of adults arrested for this offense. (See Table 34.) An examination of the 10-year trend data showed a decline of 6.7 percent in the number of arrests for aggravated assault, with a 23.0 percent decrease in the number of juveniles arrested and a 3.8 percent decline in the number of adults arrested. (See Table 32.)
Table 2.23
Aggravated Assault by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 7.9 7.9 7.5 7.5 7.5
February 7.0 7.0 7.2 6.7 6.7
March 8.1 8.0 8.3 8.1 8.0
April 8.3 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.4
May 9.1 9.1 9.3 9.0 9.0
June 8.9 8.8 8.9 8.9 9.1
July 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.6
August 9.4 9.2 9.1 9.0 9.4
September 8.7 8.5 8.6 8.8 9.4
October 8.3 8.6 8.6 8.7 8.4
November 7.4 7.7 7.3 7.7 7.3
December 7.4 7.5 7.2 7.5 7.1
Table 2.24
Aggravated Assault, Types of Weapons Used
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
Other
weapons
(clubs,
Total Knives or blunt
all cutting objects, Personal
Region weapons (1) Firearms instruments etc.) weapons
Total 100.0 19.0 17.8 35.4 27.7
Northeast 100.0 14.1 18.4 34.4 33.1
Midwest 100.0 18.0 17.2 34.7 30.1
South 100.0 21.0 19.5 37.6 21.9
West 100.0 18.0 15.2 32.6 34.3
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Figure 2.11
Aggravated Assault
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -6.6 -7.5
2000 -6.6 -10.4
2001 -6.9 -11.8
2002 -8.4 -14.2
Note: Table made from line graph.
Property Crime
Definition
In the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims. The property crime category includes arson because the offense involves the destruction of property; however, arson victims may be subjected to force. Because of limited participation and varying collection procedures by local agencies, only limited data are available for arson. Arson statistics are included in trend, clearance, and arrest tables throughout Crime in the United States, but they are not included in any estimated volume data. The arson section in this report provides more information on that offense.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses (1) inhabitants (1)
2001 10,437,189 3,658.1
2002 10,450,893 3,624.1
Percent change +0.1 -0.9
(1) Does not include arson. See Crime Index Tabulations.
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
Volume
In 2002, law enforcement reported an estimated 10,450,893 property crimes. The figure was 0.1 percent higher than the 2001 estimate. Further trend analyses of 5- and 10-year volumes for property crime indicated that the 2002 figure was 4.6 percent lower than the 1998 number and 14.5 percent lower than the number in 1993.
Among individual property crimes in 2002, burglary offenses rose 1.7 percent, and motor vehicle theft increased 1.4 percent when compared to the 2001 estimates. Larceny-theft decreased 0.6 percent. As previously noted, arson is excluded from the estimated property crime volume totals. (See Table 1.)
Rate
The Nation's rate of property crime offenses in 2002 was estimated at 3,624.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The 2002 rate decreased 0.9 percent compared to the previous year's rate. When measured against the rates from 5 and 10 years ago, property crime rates declined 10.6 percent from the 1998 rate and fell 23.5 percent from the 1993 level. (See Table 1.)
Distribution
Property crimes reported in 2002 accounted for 88.0 percent of the Crime Index. (Based on Table 1.) The highest volume of offenses was attributed to larceny-theft, which made up 67.5 percent of property crimes and 59.4 percent of the Crime Index. (Based on Table 1.)
Community Types
When presenting crime data the UCR Program designates three types of communities: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside of MSAs, and rural counties. In 2002, MSAs, accounting for an estimated 80 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated property crime rate of 3,863.5 offenses per 100,000 persons. Cities outside of MSAs, with 8 percent of the population, had a rate of 4,121.0 property crime offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Rural areas, making up 12 percent of the overall population, had a rate of 1,696.1 property crimes per 100,000 in population. (See Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions for data analyses: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (Appendix III provides more information on UCR area definitions.) An examination of 2002 data showed the following information regarding the Nation's four regions.
The Northeast
Property crimes reported by law enforcement agencies in the Northeast accounted for an estimated 12.8 percent of property crime nationwide. (See Table 3.) This category of offenses comprised 85.6 percent of the 2002 Index crimes in the Northeast. (Based on Table 4.) Compared to the 2001 volume, property crime decreased 3.3 percent in the Northeast in 2002. The rate of property crime offenses in the Northeast--2,472.6 per 100,000 inhabitants--also showed a decline, 3.8 percent from the previous year's rate. (See Table 4.)
The Midwest
Law enforcement agencies in the Midwest reported an estimated 21.6 percent of the Nation's property crime. (See Table 3.) Property crime comprised 89.1 percent of the Midwest's 2002 Index offenses. (Based on Table 4.) The estimated number of property crime offenses in the Midwest decreased 2.0 percent from the estimated number for 2001. The Midwest's property crime rate of 3,458.2 offenses per 100,000 population was 2.5 percent below the rate for the previous year. (See Table 4.)
The South
Property crimes reported by the South's law enforcement agencies made up 41.0 percent of the Nation's property crime total. (See Table 3.) Property crime offenses accounted for an estimated 87.9 percent of the Index crimes in the South for the year. (Based on Table 4.) The region's volume showed a 0.2 percent increase over the 2001 volume. When compared to the 2001 rate, the South's property crime rate declined 1.1 percent at 4,151.0 property crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 4.)
The West
Law enforcement agencies in the West reported 24.6 percent of the property crime nationwide. (See Table 3.) This offense category made up 88.5 percent of the Index crimes in the West. (Based on Table 4.) A comparison to the previous year's volume showed that property crime for 2002 increased 3.8 percent in the West. The estimated property crime rate of 3,910.6 offenses per 100,000 population in the West increased 2.2 percent over the 2001 rate. (See Table 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
Among population groups, property crime for 2002 decreased by 0.3 percent in the Nation's cities collectively. Changes from the 2001 volume for city groupings ranged from a 1.1 percent increase in cities with populations of 100,000 to 249,999 to a 1.7 percent decrease in cities of 250,000 to 499,999 inhabitants. Additionally, rural counties showed an increase of 0.7 percent in 2002, and suburban counties had an increase of 1.0 percent. (See Table 12.)
The Nation's cities collectively had a property crime rate of 4,422.6 per 100,000 population. Rural counties had a property crime rate of 1,822.6 per 100,000 people, and suburban counties had a rate of 2,695.3 property crime offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 16.)
Offense Analysis
In 2002, the estimated dollar loss attributable to property crimes (excluding arson) was $16.6 billion. This figure remained virtually unchanged from the 2001 estimated dollar loss for property crime, up less than three-tenths of one percent. (Based on Tables 1 and 23.)
Among individual property crimes, the 2002 estimated dollar losses were $3.3 billion for burglary, $4.9 billion for larceny-theft, and $8.4 billion for motor vehicle theft. (Based on Tables 1 and 23.) Arson (which is excluded from the estimated property crime tabulations because of limited coverage and participation) had an average dollar loss of $11,253 for the 66,308 offenses for which monetary values were reported. (See Table 2.32.)
Clearances
Clearances occur either by arrest or by exceptional means, i.e., when elements beyond the control of law enforcement prevent the placing of formal charges against the offender. (Section III provides more information regarding clearances.) During 2002, property crime clearances totaled 16.5 percent nationwide. (See Table 25.)
By region, 21.1 percent of property crimes in the Northeast were cleared in 2002, 15.8 percent in the Midwest, 16.7 percent in the South, and 14.7 percent in the West. (See Table 26.)
Law enforcement in the Nation's cities collectively cleared 16.4 percent of property crimes in 2002. Among the Nation's cities, those with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 had the greatest percentage of clearances, 21.1 percent, for property crimes. Cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 inhabitants cleared the lowest percentage of property crimes during 2002, 11.9 percent. (See Table 25.)
In rural counties, law enforcement cleared 18.3 percent of property crimes and in suburban counties, 16.4 percent. (See Table 25.)
Clearances and Juveniles
When an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear before juvenile authorities, the UCR Program clears the incident by arrest, even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. Additionally, the Program classifies clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders as adult clearances.
In 2002, clearances involving only juveniles (persons under the age of 18) comprised 20.3 percent of all property crime clearances. By offense breakdown, this age group accounted for 17.3 percent of burglary clearances, 21.2 percent of larceny-theft clearances, and 18.2 percent of motor vehicle theft clearances.
Juvenile clearances accounted for 20.9 percent of all property crime clearances in the Nation's cities during 2002. In the rural counties, 16.5 percent of the clearances involved juveniles and in the suburban counties, 18.1 percent. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
Total Arrests
Law enforcement made an estimated 1.6 million arrests during 2002 for property crime offenses (including arson). Property crime arrests accounted for an estimated 11.7 percent of all the arrests in 2002. Of all the arrests for property crimes, an estimated 1.2 million arrests (71.9 percent) were for larceny-theft offenses. (Additional arrest breakdowns can be found in Table 29.)
Arrest Rates
In 2002, the United States experienced a rate of 570.5 property crime arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the regions, the West had the highest arrest rate for property crimes with 596.3 arrests per 100,000 persons. The South had the second highest rate for property crime arrests with 593.2, followed by the Midwest with 583.6 and the Northeast with 469.6 property crime arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 30.)
Collectively, the Nation's cities recorded an overall property crime arrest rate of 675.4 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. Among those population groups labeled as city, the rate of arrests per 100,000 residents ranged from a low of 616.2 in cities with populations under 10,000 to a high of 716.5 in cities with 100,000 to 249,999 in population. The Nation's suburban counties had an arrest rate of 360.0 property crime arrests per 100,000 people, and rural counties experienced 281.2 property crime arrests per 100,000 residents. (See Table 31.)
Arrest Trends
A comparison of the volume of property crime arrests from 2002 to 2001 showed a 0.6 percent increase in the overall category. Individual property crime arrests increased for motor vehicle theft by 3.9 percent, for burglary by 0.6 percent, and for larceny-theft by 0.4 percent. Arson arrests decreased by 12.0 percent. Arrests of adults for property crime in 2002 were up 2.4 percent when compared to the 2001 figure, but arrests of juveniles were down 3.6 percent when compared to the previous years' arrests. (See Table 36.)
An analysis of 5-year and 10-year trend data revealed a nationwide decline in property crime arrests over the last decade. Property crime arrests in 2002 were 12.5 percent less than in 1998 and 25.2 percent fewer than in 1993. Tables 32 and 34 provide more information regarding trend data.
Distribution by Age, Sex, and Race
Tables 38-43 in Section IV of this report furnish information on the age, sex, and race of those arrested for property crimes. In 2002, a total of 70.2 percent of property crime arrestees were adults (persons 18 years and older). (See Table 38.) By gender, 69.3 percent of all property crime arrestees were males. (See Table 42.) By race, 67.7 percent of all property crime arrests were of whites, 29.6 percent were of blacks, and 2.7 percent were of other races. (See Table 43.)
Information regarding the UCR Program's statistical methodology and table construction can be found in Appendix I.
Table 2.25
Property Crime by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 8.6 8.0 7.8 7.8 8.3
February 7.5 7.2 7.3 6.8 7.0
March 8.2 8.0 8.2 7.8 7.8
April 8.0 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.0
May 8.4 8.3 8.6 8.5 8.5
June 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.5 8.4
July 8.9 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.1
August 9.0 9.2 9.2 9.1 9.1
September 8.4 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.6
October 8.5 8.7 8.8 9.2 8.8
November 7.9 8.2 8.1 8.5 8.1
December 8.2 8.4 8.0 8.5 8.2
Figure 2.12
Property Crime
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -6.8 -7.6
2000 -7.0 -10.7
2001 -4.7 -9.7
2002 -4.6 -10.6
Note: Table made from line graph.
Burglary
Definition
Burglary is defined in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program as the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as a burglary. Burglary in the Program is categorized into three subclassifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible entry.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 2,116,531 741.8
2002 2,151,875 746.2
Percent change +1.7 +0.6
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
Burglary offenses nationwide in 2002 were estimated at 2,151,875, marking a 1.7 percent increase when compared to the 2001 estimate. Burglary offenses made up 18.1 percent of the Crime Index and 20.6 percent of all property crimes. Five- and 10-year trends showed that the estimated burglary volume decreased 7.8 percent when compared to the 1998 estimate, and it was down 24.1 percent when compared to 1993 data. (See Table 1.)
Two-, 5-, and 10-year trend data showed that in 2002 the burglary rate was estimated at 746.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. This was an increase of 0.6 percent when compared to the burglary rate in 2001, a 13.5 percent decrease from the 1998 rate, and a 32.1 percent decrease from the 1993 rate. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), which made up approximately 80 percent of the total U.S. population, accounted for 82.6 percent of the Nation's burglaries and had an estimated burglary rate of 768.5 per 100,000 persons in 2002. Cities outside of MSAs, which comprised approximately 8 percent of the Nation's population, accounted for an estimated 8.4 percent of the burglaries and had a burglary rate of 805.4 per 100,000 in population. Rural areas, comprising approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population, had an estimated 9.0 percent of the country's burglaries, or a rate of 558.2 burglaries per 100,000 inhabitants. (Based on Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (See Appendix III.) In 2002, data collected regarding the Nation's four regions reflected the following:
The Northeast
The Northeast, accounting for 18.8 percent of the U.S. population, had an estimated 11.5 percent of the burglaries nationwide. A comparison with 2001 data showed that in 2002 the Northeast was the only region to experience a decrease in the volume of burglaries (1.8 percent). The burglary rate per 100,000 persons for 2002 was estimated at 457.8 offenses per 100,000 persons-a 2.3 percent decrease from the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The Midwest
The Midwest, comprising 22.6 percent of the country's population, had an estimated 20.7 percent of all burglaries. In 2002, the region experienced a 1.8 percent increase in the volume of burglaries over the 2001 estimate. The burglary rate per 100,000 inhabitants for 2002 was 685.4, which was a 1.3 percent increase over the 2001 estimate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The South
In 2002, the South, which makes up 35.8 percent of the U.S. population, experienced an estimated 44.8 percent of the Nation's burglaries, a 1.5 percent increase in the volume of burglaries from the 2001 estimate. The burglary rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 932.6, a 0.1 percent increase when compared to the 2001 rate. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
The West
The West, with 22.8 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 22.9 percent of all burglaries. In 2002, the region experienced a 3.9 percent increase in the volume of burglaries over the 2001 volume. The burglary rate per 100,000 in population in 2002 was estimated at 751.5, an increase of 2.2 percent when compared to the estimated rate in 2001. (See Tables 3 and 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
An examination of the data by population group showed that those cities with populations under 10,000, as well as those with populations from 10,000 to 24,999, experienced a 2.8 percent increase in reported burglaries in 2002. Those cities with populations of 250,000 and over were the only population group to experience a decline, 0.3 percent, from 2001. The Nation's cities collectively saw a 1.0 percent increase in the number of burglaries reported in 2002 when compared to the 2001 estimate. Suburban counties had an increase of 2.6 percent, and rural counties had an increase in burglaries of 2.4 percent. (See Table 12.)
In 2002, the Nation's cities collectively had a burglary rate of 840.8 offenses per 100,000 persons. Those cities with populations from 500,000 to 999,999 had a burglary rate of 1,213.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest among all population groups. Cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 had the lowest rate among the Nation's cities, 645.6 per 100,000 persons. Suburban counties had a rate of 652.6 burglaries per 100,000 in population, and rural counties had a rate of 595.9 per 100,000 persons. (See Table 16.)
Offense Analysis
Among those agencies that reported burglary statistics for all 12 months of 2002, the data showed that forcible entry burglaries accounted for 62.8 percent of the burglary offenses, unlawful entry comprised 30.8 percent, and attempted forcible entry accounted for approximately 6.5 percent. (Based on Table 19.)
The majority of burglaries, 65.8 percent, were residential, and the remaining 34.2 percent were of nonresidences, such as stores, offices, etc. A review of burglary data in which the time of the offense was known showed that most residential burglaries, 61.7 percent, occurred during daytime hours, and most nonresidential burglaries, 57.7 percent, occurred at night. The time of occurrence for 24.1 percent of burglaries was unknown. (Based on Table 23.)
Losses due to burglary totaled an estimated $3.3 billion in 2002, with an estimated average value of $1,549 per offense. Residential burglaries averaged $1,482 per offense, and nonresidental burglaries averaged $1,678 per offense. (Based on Table 23.)
Clearances
Law enforcement cleared 13.0 percent of reported burglaries by arrest or exceptional means in 2002. Cities with under 10,000 in population cleared 16.3 percent of burglaries, the highest percentage of clearances among the Nation's cities. Those cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 cleared the lowest percentage of burglaries, 9.4 percent. Cities overall cleared 12.3 percent of burglaries in 2002. Rural counties cleared 16.6 percent of burglary offenses, and suburban counties cleared 14.0 percent. (See Table 25.)
Regionally, law enforcement agencies in the Northeast cleared 17.7 percent of the burglaries brought to the attention of law enforcement. Those in the South cleared 13.4 percent of burglaries, in the West 11.8 percent, and in the Midwest 11.0 percent. (See Table 26.)
Burglaries involving unlawful entry without use of force were cleared by arrest or exceptional means in 14.1 percent of the reported cases during 2002. Approximately 10.8 percent of attempted forcible entry burglaries and 12.3 percent of forcible entry burglaries were cleared. (See Table 27.)
Clearances and Juveniles
The UCR Program considers an incident involving only offenders under the age of 18 to be cleared by arrest when an offender is cited to appear in juvenile court or before other juvenile authorities, even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. Clearances involving both adult and juvenile offenders are classified as adult clearances. Therefore, juveniles who may be participating in a burglary with an adult were not included in these figures.
In 2002, persons under 18 years of age comprised 17.3 percent of the burglaries cleared by arrest or exceptional means. A review of the data by population group showed that cities with populations under 10,000 had the highest percentage of clearances for burglary involving juveniles at 21.5 percent. Cities 250,000 and over in population had the lowest percentage of clearances for burglary involving juveniles at 14.4 percent. Rural county agencies reported that 16.6 percent of the burglary clearances in their jurisdictions were of juveniles, and suburban county agencies reported that juveniles accounted for 17.6 percent of clearances. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
The estimated number of burglary arrests for 2002 was 288,291. Burglary arrests accounted for an estimated 12.9 percent of the arrests for Crime Index offenses and an estimated 17.9 percent of the arrests for property crimes. (Based on Table 29.)
In 2002, law enforcement agencies in the West reported 121.2 burglary arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. Agencies in the South reported an arrest rate of 103.5, the Northeast a rate of 83.3, and the Midwest a rate of 81.5 burglary arrests per 100,000 in population. (See Table 30.)
The Nation's cities collectively reported a burglary arrest rate per 100,000 inhabitants of 106.3. Those cities with populations of 25,000 to 49,999 reported the fewest arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, 89.1. Cities with 100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants reported the highest number of arrests per 100,000 population, 123.4. Rural and suburban counties reported arrest rates of 95.2 and 83.1, respectively. (See Table 31.)
When compared to 2001 data, overall arrests for burglaries in 2002 increased 0.6 percent. Arrests of adults increased 2.9 percent; however, arrests of juveniles declined 4.4 percent. (See Table 36.)
Five- and 10-year trend data showed that burglary arrests overall declined 12.0 percent since 1998 and 29.7 percent since 1993. Additionally, in 2002 arrests of adults for burglary declined 4.2 percent since 1998 and 24.4 percent since 1993; arrests of juveniles declined 26.1 percent since 1998 and 39.2 percent since 1993. (See Tables 32 and 34.)
Adults (persons aged 18 and over) comprised 70.0 percent of those individuals arrested for burglary in 2002.
(Based on Table 38.) Males accounted for 86.7 percent of burglary arrestees. (See Table 42.) Of the male arrestees, 30.7 percent were juveniles (under 18 years of age). (Based on Table 39.) Of the female arrestees, 25.3 percent were juveniles. (Based on Table 40.)
By race, 70.4 percent of all burglary arrestees were white, 27.5 percent were black, and 2.1 percent were of other races. Of those adults arrested for burglary, 69.6 percent were white, 28.5 percent were black, and 1.9 percent were of other races. Of burglary arrestees under age 18, 72.4 percent were white, 25.2 percent were black, and 2.4 were of other races. (See Table 43.)
Table 2.26
Burglary by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 8.9 8.3 8.1 7.9 8.6
February 7.5 7.2 7.2 6.6 6.9
March 8.2 7.9 8.0 7.6 7.7
April 8.0 7.7 7.8 7.7 7.9
May 8.3 8.2 8.5 8.3 8.5
June 8.2 8.4 8.4 8.2 8.2
July 9.0 9.0 9.2 9.1 9.1
August 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.0
September 8.4 8.7 8.6 8.6 8.7
October 8.4 8.6 8.7 9.3 8.8
November 7.9 8.4 8.3 8.9 8.2
December 8.2 8.5 8.1 8.8 8.5
Figure 2.13
Burglary
Percent Change from 1998
Rates per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -9.9 -10.8
2000 -12.1 -15.6
2001 -9.3 -14.1
2002 -7.8 -13.5
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.14
Burglary
Percent Change from 1998
Residential Nonresidential
Day Night Day Night
1998 -- -- -- --
1999 -10.0 -10.7 -6.2 -9.1
2000 -12.3 -13.0 -2.1 -9.9
2001 -8.3 -10.7 2.5 -5.4
2002 -4.4 -8.5 2.6 -5.4
Note: Table made from line graph.
Larceny-theft
Definition
Larceny-theft is the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. It includes crimes such as shoplifting, pocket-picking, purse-snatching, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of motor vehicle parts and accessories, bicycle thefts, etc., in which no use of force, violence, or fraud occurs. In the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, this crime category does not include embezzlement, confidence games, forgery, and worthless checks. Motor vehicle theft is also excluded from this category inasmuch as it is a separate Crime Index offense.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 7,092,267 2,485.7
2002 7,052,922 2,445.8
Percent change -0.6 -1.6
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
In the Nation in 2002, the number of larceny-theft offenses was estimated at over 7 million and cost victims an estimated $4.9 billion in losses. (See Tables 1 and 23.)
The larceny-theft offenses in the Nation accounted for 59.4 percent of the 2002 Crime Index total and 67.5 percent of the property crime total. An examination of trends showed a 0.6 percent decrease in larceny-theft volume when 2002 data are compared to 2001 data, a 4.4 percent decrease from 1998 figures, and a decrease of 9.8 percent from the 1993 total. (See Table 1.)
In 2002, the larceny-theft rate for the Nation was an estimated 2,445.8 offenses per 100,000 in population, a 1.6 percent decrease from the 2001 rate. Five- and 10-year trends showed the rate fell 10.4 percent from the 1998 rate and 19.4 percent from the 1993 rate. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
By community type, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) had an estimated a rate of 2,596.4 larceny offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities outside MSAs had a rate of 3,107.9, and rural counties experienced a rate of 1,005.0 per 100,000 population. (See Table 2.) The UCR Program's definition of these community types can be found in Appendix III.
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (See Appendix III.) Regionally in 2002, the South, the Nation's most populous region with 35.8 percent of the population, accounted for 40.9 percent of the larceny-thefts nationwide. The West accounted for 23.6 percent of the total larceny-thefts, followed by the Midwest with 22.3 percent, and the Northeast with 13.2 percent. (See Table 3.)
An examination of 2002 regional volumes for larceny-theft compared to 2001 data revealed that the West was the only region that had an increase (2.5 percent). Larceny-theft offenses decreased an estimated 3.4 percent in the Northeast, 2.6 percent in the Midwest, and 0.2 percent in the South. Among the geographic regions in 2002, the South had an estimated larceny-theft rate per 100,000 inhabitants of 2,794.1 and the West a rate of 2,534.0. The Midwest had a rate of 2,413.5 per 100,000 inhabitants and the Northeast, a rate of 1,714.0 per 100,000 population. Rate trends comparing 2001 and 2002 data showed that the larceny-theft rate per 100,000 inhabitants was up 0.8 percent in the West; the rate declined 3.9 percent in the Northeast, 3.1 percent in the Midwest, and 1.5 percent in the South. (See Table 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
Collectively in 2002, the Nation's cities reported a decrease of 0.7 percent in larceny-thefts from 2001. Cities with populations of 250,000 to 499,999 reported a decrease of 2.3 percent, and cities with populations of 100,000 to 249,999 reported an increase of 0.8 percent. Both rural and suburban counties reported decreases of 0.6 percent for larceny-theft offenses. (See Table 12.) Cities collectively had a larceny-theft rate of 3,017.1 per 100,000 in population. Cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 showed a rate of 3,907.2 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the Nation's largest cities (those 1 million and over in population) had a larceny-theft rate of 2,615.8. Suburban counties had a rate of 1,740.0 per 100,000 inhabitants, and rural counties registered a rate of 1,083.3. (See Table 16.)
Offense Analysis
Distribution
In 2002, thefts from motor vehicles accounted for 26.5 percent of reported larceny-thefts, followed by shoplifting with 14.0 percent. Thefts from buildings made up 12.5 percent of the larceny-theft total; thefts of motor vehicle accessories accounted for 10.7 percent; and thefts of bicycles, 3.9 percent. Pocket-pickings, purse-snatchings, thefts from coin-operated machines, and other miscellaneous types of larceny-thefts comprised the remainder. (See Table 23.)
Loss by Dollar Value
In 2002, an estimated $4.9 billion in property was lost due to larceny-theft. The average value of property stolen per offense was $699, down from the 2001 average value of $730. (See Table 23.)
Thefts from buildings in 2002 was the larceny-theft offense with the highest average loss, $1,013. For thefts from motor vehicles, the average value loss was $692, and for thefts of motor vehicle accessories, $432. Purse-snatchings had an average value loss of $332, and pocket-pickings an average loss of $328. Thefts of bicycles resulted in an average value loss of $257, and in thefts from coin-operated machines, the average loss was $250. Shoplifting was the category with the lowest average dollar loss, $187. (See Table 23.)
Losses of property valued over $200 accounted for 39.6 percent of reported larceny-thefts. Stolen property valued under $50 comprised 37.8 percent of the reported larceny-theft offenses, and 22.6 percent involved losses ranging from $50 to $200. (See Table 23.)
Clearances
Nationwide in 2002, 18.0 percent of larceny-theft offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. Collectively the Nation's cities had a larceny-theft clearance rate of 18.1 percent. Those cities with 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants had the highest rate of clearances for larceny-theft offenses among the Nation's cities, 22.6 percent, and cities with 500,000 to 999,999 inhabitants had the lowest clearance rate for larceny-theft offenses, 13.1 percent. Rural county agencies cleared 17.9 percent of larceny-thefts, and law enforcement in suburban counties cleared 17.4 percent. (See Table 25.)
Regionally, the highest rate of larceny-theft clearances in 2002 occurred in the Northeast with 22.9 percent of offenses cleared. Agencies in the South cleared 17.9 percent of the larceny-thefts reported. The Midwest and West had clearance rates of 17.3 and 16.6 percent, respectively. (See Table 26.)
Just over 21 percent (21.2) of all larceny-theft clearances were of juveniles (persons under 18 years of age). Juveniles comprised 21.9 percent of offense clearances in the Nation's cities. By population group, cities with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants had the largest percentage of juvenile clearances--25.0. Rural counties reported juvenile clearances at 15.9 percent, and suburban counties reported juvenile clearances at 18.6 percent. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
In 2002, the estimated number of arrests for larceny-thefts in the Nation was 1,160,085, the highest arrest total among the eight Crime Index offenses. Larceny-theft arrests accounted for an estimated 51.9 percent of the Crime Index arrests, and an estimated 71.9 percent of the property crime arrests. (Based on Table 29.) Law enforcement agencies in the South experienced the highest rate of larceny-theft arrests, 444.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. Those in the Midwestern states had an arrest rate of 441.4, followed by the West, 394.4, and the Northeast, 345.8 arrests per 100,000 population. (See Table 30.) Among the population groups, larcny-theft arrest rates were 503.0 per 100,000 inhabitants in the Nation's cities collectively, 234.2 in suburban counties, and 151.6 in rural counties. (See Table 31.)
Larceny-theft arrests in 2002 were up slightly, 0.4 percent, when compared to 2001 arrests. Larceny-theft arrests of juveniles declined 3.0 percent from the previous year's number. Arrests of adults for larceny-thefts showed an increase, 1.8 percent. (See Table 36.) Arrests for males were down 0.2 percent, and arrests of females increased by 1.3 percent. (See Table 37.)
In 2002, arrests of juveniles accounted for 29.5 percent of reported larceny-theft arrests. (See Table 41.) Of the juveniles arrested for larceny-theft, 70.1 percent were white, 26.5 percent were black, and the remainder were other races. (See Table 43.) By race, 67.9 percent of persons arrested for larceny-theft were white and 29.3 percent were black. The remaining 2.8 percent were of other races. (See Table 43.)
Males accounted for 63.0 percent of the total arrestees for larceny-theft. (See Table 42.)
Table 2.27
Larceny-theft by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 8.4 7.8 7.6 7.7 8.1
February 7.5 7.2 7.3 6.8 7.0
March 8.2 8.0 8.2 7.8 7.8
April 8.1 8.0 7.9 8.0 8.1
May 8.4 8.4 8.6 8.6 8.6
June 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.6 8.5
July 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.2
August 9.0 9.2 9.2 9.1 9.1
September 8.4 8.5 8.5 8.4 8.6
October 8.5 8.7 8.8 9.1 8.9
November 7.8 8.1 8.0 8.3 8.0
December 8.2 8.3 7.9 8.4 8.1
Table 2.28
Larceny-theft
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
United
States
Type total Northeast Midwest South West
Total (1) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Pocket-picking 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.4 0.4
Purse-snatching 0.6 1.2 0.5 0.4 0.5
Shoplifting 14.0 15.2 13.1 13.5 14.8
From motor vehicles 26.5 21.5 23.8 25.0 32.7
(except
accessories)
Motor vehicle 10.7 8.2 10.9 10.7 11.7
accessories
Bicycles 3.9 5.8 4.6 3.1 4.0
From buildings 12.5 16.3 14.6 10.5 12.9
From coin-operated 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.7
machines
All others 30.7 30.3 31.5 35.4 22.3
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Figure 2.15
Larceny-theft
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -5.7 -6.5
2000 -5.5 -9.2
2001 -3.9 -8.9
2002 -4.4 -10.4
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.16
Larceny-theft categories
Percent Change from 1998
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Pocket-picking -- 3.7 1.6 -4.9 -9.6
Shoplifting -- -7.4 -12.0 -9.7 -7.7
Motor vehicle accessories -- -5.6 -8.9 -1.6 3.0
From buildings -- -4.1 -3.9 -2.8 -8.0
Purse-snatching -- -6.1 -7.1 -4.0 -1.1
From motor vehicles -- -6.9 -7.4 -2.5 0.3
Bicycles -- -12.4 -20.2 -24.5 -27.3
From coin-operated machines -- 3.4 0.7 13.4 15.4
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 2.17
Larceny-theft
Percent Distribution (1) 2002
Pocket-picking 0.5%
Purse-snatching 0.6%
From coin-operated machines 0.7%
Bicycles 3.9%
Motor vehicle accessories 10.7%
From buildings 12.5%
Shoplifting 14.0%
From motor vehicles
(except accessories) 26.5%
All others 30.7%
(1) Due to rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Motor vehicle theft
Definition
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines motor vehicle theft as the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. This offense includes the stealing of automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motorscooters, snowmobiles, etc. The taking of a motor vehicle for temporary use by persons having lawful access is excluded from this definition.
Trend
Rate per 100,000
Year Number of offenses inhabitants
2001 1,228,391 430.5
2002 1,246,096 432.1
Percent change +1.4 +0.4
National Volume, Trends, and Rates
There were an estimated 1,246,096 motor vehicle thefts in the United States during 2002, which was a 1.4 percent increase in volume when compared to the 2001 estimate and a 0.3 percent increase over the 1998 estimate. The estimated number of motor vehicle thefts decreased 20.3 percent when compared to the 1993 estimate. (See Table 1.)
The rate of motor vehicle thefts in the Nation in 2002 was an estimated 432.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, which was a 0.4 percent increase over the 2001 rate. The rate of motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants decreased 6.0 percent when compared to the 1998 rate and 28.7 percent from the 1993 rate. (See Table 1.)
Community Types
The UCR Program defines three community types: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside MSAs, and rural counties. Additional information regarding community types is presented in Appendix III.
The estimated motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 inhabitants during 2002 was 498.6 in MSAs, 207.6 in cities outside MSAs, and 132.8 in rural counties. (See Table 2.)
Regional Offense Trends and Rates
As shown in Appendix III, the UCR Program divides the Nation into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. An examination of motor vehicle theft data by region indicated the following:
The Northeast
In 2002, 18.8 percent of the Nation's population resided in the Northeast. This region accounted for an estimated 13.1 percent of all motor vehicle thefts. (See Table 3.) The rate of stolen vehicles in the Northeast was an estimated 300.8 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, a 5.4 percent decrease from the previous year's data. (See Table 4.)
The Midwest
The Midwestern Region, accounting for 22.6 percent of the U.S. population, had an estimated 18.8 percent of all motor vehicle thefts in the Nation. (See Table 3.) In 2002, the Midwest had an estimated rate of 359.4 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, which was a 5.2 percent decline from the previous year's rate. (See Table 4.)
The South
The most populous region, with 35.8 percent of the Nation's inhabitants, the South had the highest percentage of motor vehicle thefts, 35.2 percent. (See Table 3.) In 2002, the South had a rate of 424.3 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 in population, which was a 1.1 percent decrease from the 2001 estimate. (See Table 4.)
The West
The Western Region, with 22.8 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 32.9 percent of the motor vehicle theft offenses. (See Table 3.) The region had the highest estimated rate, 625.1 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. The region had the only increase, 8.0 percent, in rate from 2001 to 2002. (See Table 4.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
In the UCR Program, cities are grouped according to population size and counties are classified as either suburban or rural. (Additional information about population groups is located in Appendix III.) In 2002, the Nation's cities collectively had a 0.2 percent increase in the number of motor vehicle thefts. Cities with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants had the largest increase of motor vehicle thefts, 2.7 percent, from the previous years' total.
Both suburban and rural counties had increases in the number of motor vehicle theft offenses when comparing 2001 to 2002 data--6.8 percent in suburban counties and 3.4 percent in rural counties. (See Table 12.)
During 2002, cities overall had a rate of 564.7 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities with populations of 250,000 and over had the highest rate at 927.8, and cities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants had the lowest rate at 229.9 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 in population. Suburban counties had a rate of 302.7 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. In rural counties, the rate was 143.4. (See Table 16.)
Offense Analysis
By vehicle type, automobiles were stolen at a rate of 337.5 cars per 100,000 inhabitants. Trucks and buses (commercial vehicles) were stolen at a rate of 85.2 vehicles per 100,000 in population, and other types of vehicles at a rate of 35.9. (See Table 19.)
In the Nation, 73.6 percent of stolen vehicles were automobiles. Of the vehicles stolen in the Northeast, 88.5 percent were automobiles; in the Midwest, 78.5 percent, and in the West, 70.8 percent. In the South, 69.8 percent of the motor vehicles stolen in that region were automobiles. (See Table 2.30.)
The average value of motor vehicles reported stolen in 2002 was $6,701. The estimated total value of all motor vehicles stolen was $8.4 billion. (Based on Tables 1 and 23.)
Clearances
The UCR Program considers an offense to be cleared by arrest or "solved" when at least one person is arrested, charged with the commission of the offense, and turned over to the court for prosecution. A clearance by exceptional means can be recorded when the offender has been identified and located and there is enough evidence to support an arrest, but conditions beyond law enforcement's control prevent an agency from bringing charges. More information about clearances is available in Section III of this publication.
Of the motor vehicle thefts committed in the Nation in 2002, 13.8 percent were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. Cities overall had a motor vehicle theft clearance rate of 12.8 percent. Of all the city population groupings, cities with populations under 10,000 persons had the highest clearance rate at 26.3 percent; the Nation's largest cities, those with 250,000 or more inhabitants, had the lowest clearance rate at 10.3 percent. Rural counties cleared 27.9 percent of motor vehicle thefts by arrest or exceptional means, and suburban counties cleared 15.7 percent. (See Table 25.)
By region, the Northeast had the highest clearance rate, 15.7 percent. The South cleared 15.6 percent of the motor vehicle theft offenses reported in that region and the Midwest, 14.9 percent. The West cleared 10.8 percent of the motor vehicle thefts brought to law enforcement's attention. (See Table 26.)
Clearances and Juveniles
The UCR Program also considers an incident cleared by arrest if an offender under the age of 18 is physically arrested or if the individual is cited to appear before juvenile authorities. According to UCR guidelines, any clearance that involves both adult and juvenile offenders is listed as an adult clearance. Clearances involving only juveniles (those under age 18) accounted for 18.2 percent of all motor vehicle theft clearances. In cities overall, 18.5 percent of motor vehicle theft clearances involved juveniles only. Among the population groups labeled as city, those cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 inhabitants had the highest percentage of juvenile clearances at 21.1 percent. Cities with populations of 100,000 to 249,999 and those with 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants had the lowest percentage of juvenile clearances at 17.1 percent each. Law enforcement agencies in rural counties reported 19.7 percent of clearances involved juveniles; suburban county law enforcement officials reported 16.1 percent of motor vehicle theft clearances involved only juveniles. (See Table 28.)
Arrests
Throughout the United States in 2002, there were an estimated 148,943 arrests for motor vehicle theft. (See Table 29.) Two-, 5-, and 10-year trend data showed that the number of motor vehicle theft arrests in the Nation was 3.9 percent higher than in 2001 but 0.8 percent lower than the number of motor vehicle theft arrests in 1998. The number of motor vehicle theft arrests during 2002 was 26.4 percent lower than in 1993. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.)
The rate of motor vehicle theft arrests was 52.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. Among the four geographic regions, the West had the highest arrest rate for motor vehicle theft at 74.9 per 100,000 inhabitants; the Midwest, 54.9; the South, 39.2; and the Northeast, 34.6. (See Table 30.)
An examination of arrests by those population groups labeled as city showed that the Nation's largest cities, those with 250,000 inhabitants or greater, had the highest arrest rate for motor vehicle theft at 109.1 per 100,000 in population. Cities with populations of 25,000 to 49,999 had the lowest arrest rate at 31.8 per 100,000 in population. Law enforcement agencies in suburban counties reported a motor vehicle theft arrest rate of 36.9 per 100,000 inhabitants; rural law enforcement agencies reported a rate of 29.5. (See Table 31.)
By age, of those persons arrested for motor vehicle thefts in 2002, 63.8 percent were under the age of 25 and 30.4 percent were under the age of 18. Adults comprised 69.6 percent of motor vehicle theft arrestees. (See Tables 38 and 41.)
By sex, 83.5 percent of motor vehicle theft arrestees were males. (See Table 42.) Overall arrests of males for motor vehicle theft during 2002 increased 3.9 percent when compared to 2001 arrest totals; arrests of male juveniles decreased 5.6 percent. Arrests of females increased 4.0 percent from 2001 to 2002; however, arrests of female juveniles from 2001 to 2002 decreased 6.2 percent. (See Table 37.)
During 2002, 60.4 percent of arrestees for motor vehicle theft were white, 36.5 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. Of juvenile arrestees, whites accounted for 58.3 percent and blacks accounted for 38.3 percent. The remaining percentage was comprised of juveniles of other races. (See Table 43.)
Table 2.29
Motor Vehicle Theft by Month
Percent Distribution, 1998-2002
Month 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
January 9.1 8.5 8.1 8.1 8.6
February 7.9 7.3 7.4 6.9 7.2
March 8.5 7.9 8.0 7.7 8.1
April 7.9 7.7 7.6 7.6 7.8
May 8.3 8.0 8.2 8.0 8.1
June 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.2 8.1
July 8.7 8.8 8.9 9.0 9.0
August 8.8 9.0 9.1 8.9 8.8
September 8.3 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.6
October 8.4 8.8 8.7 9.3 8.8
November 7.9 8.5 8.5 8.9 8.4
December 8.1 8.8 8.6 9.0 8.6
Table 2.30
Motor Vehicle Theft
Percent Distribution by Region, 2002
Trucks
and Other
Region Total (1) Autos buses vehicles
Total 100.0 73.6 18.6 7.8
Northeast 100.0 88.5 5.2 6.2
Midwest 100.0 78.5 14.2 7.3
South 100.0 69.8 20.2 10.0
West 100.0 70.8 22.9 6.4
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Figure 2.18
Motor Vehicle Theft
Percent Change from 1998
Rate per
100,000
Volume inhabitants
1998 -- --
1999 -7.3 -8.1
2000 -6.7 -10.4
2001 -1.2 -6.4
2002 0.3 -6.0
Note: Table made from line graph.
Arson
Definition
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines arson as any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.
Only fires determined through investigation to have been willfully or maliciously set are classified as arsons. Fires of suspicious or unknown origins are excluded.
National Coverage
During 2002, 12,454 law enforcement agencies provided from 1 to 12 months of arson data and reported 74,921 offenses to the UCR Program. Of the 12,454 agencies, 12,414 submitted additional information (such as structure type and estimated value of property damage) for 66,308 arsons. Of those agencies submitting supplemental information, 9,413 agencies provided 12 months of data covering 72.7 percent of the population.
Because of limited reporting of arson offenses by law enforcement, the UCR Program does not estimate for this offense and, therefore, does not include arson offenses in tables that contain offense estimates. (Tables 1 through 7, inclusive.) Tables 8-11 in this report present the total number of arsons reported by individual law enforcement agencies. The number of arson offenses are listed separately in the Arson column and aggregated with the Crime Index offenses for presentation in the Modified Crime Index column presented in those tables. Arson is not included in the national rate calculations; arson rates are computed separately and presented in Table 2.31. Tables 12-15 in this publication provide 2-year arson trend data. Arson clearance data are located in Table 2.32 and Tables 25-28. Additional information regarding the specific composition of each table is provided in the Table Methodology section of Appendix I.
Characteristics
Type
The UCR Program identifies arson by type of property burned: structure, mobile, and other. In 2002, structural arsons (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) were the type most frequently reported, and accounted for 41.3 percent of those arsons for which supplemental data were received. Mobile properties, such as motor vehicles and trailers, made up 33.1 percent of arsons, and other properties (crops, timber, etc.) accounted for 25.7 percent of arson offenses. (See Table 2.32.)
Within structural arsons, the burning of residential properties accounted for 60.7 percent of those offenses. Single occupancy residences comprised 71.0 percent of the residential arsons. At the time of the arson, 18.2 percent of structural properties were uninhabited or not in use. In terms of mobile property arsons, motor vehicles comprised 94.6 percent of that type of arson. (See Table 2.32.)
During 2002, structural arsons declined 6.9 percent and arson incidents involving mobile property decreased 2.5 percent when compared to 2001 arson data. Arsons of other type property decreased 5.5 percent from the 2001 number. (See Table 15.)
Dollar Loss
In 2002, the average dollar loss associated with arson offenses was $11,253. The average dollar loss for structural property arsons was $20,818, and the average dollar loss for mobile property arson offenses was $6,073. Other property type arson offenses had an average dollar loss of $2,536. (See Table 2.32.)
Population Groups: Trends and Rates
The UCR Program determines population groups using several factors, one of which includes population size. These groups are further discussed in Appendix III. An examination of 2-year trend data showed that arsons in the Nation in 2002 declined 3.7 percent from 2001 data. In the Nation's cities collectively, arsons declined 3.1 percent from the previous year's number. Among the population groups labeled as city, cities with 100,000 to 249,999 in population had the only increase in the number of arson offenses, a rise of 0.7 percent when compared with 2001 data. Law enforcement agencies in suburban counties reported a 5.4 percent decrease, and rural county law enforcement agencies had a 5.0 percent decrease in the number of arsons when compared to 2001 data. (See Table 12.)
Rates
Collectively, law enforcement agencies in the Nation reported an arson rate of 32.4 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities overall reported a rate of 36.5 arsons per 100,000 inhabitants. Among city population groupings, cities with populations of 250,000 and over posted the highest arson rate at 58.6 per 100,000 persons, and cities of 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants had the lowest rate, 20.0 arsons per 100,000 inhabitants. Rural counties had an arson rate of 16.6 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, and suburban counties had a rate of 27.0 per 100,000 in population. (See Table 2.31.)
Clearances
According to the UCR Program definition, an offense is cleared when an arrest is made and charges have been brought against the arrestee. A clearance by exceptional means can also be made when the offender has been identified and located and there is enough evidence to support an arrest, but conditions beyond the control of law enforcement personnel preclude the arrest, charging, and prosecuting the offender. Section III of this report contains additional information regarding clearances.
In 2002, law enforcement agencies in the Nation cleared 16.5 percent of arson offenses either by arrest or exceptional means; those in cities collectively cleared 15.9 percent of arsons. Law enforcement agencies in rural counties cleared 23.0 percent of arson offenses, and 17.1 percent in suburban counties. (See Table 25.) By geographic region, the Northeast cleared 19.8 percent of the arson incidents brought to law enforcement's attention; the South, 18.9 percent; the Midwest, 14.8 percent; and the West, 13.9 percent of the arsons reported in that region. (See Table 26.)
A review of the data within city population groupings showed that cities with less than 10,000 in population had the highest percentage of both structural arsons and mobile property arsons cleared by arrest at 29.0 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively. Cities with 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants had the highest percentage--25.9 percent--of arsons of other property types cleared by arrest. (See Table 27.)
During 2002, 12,414 law enforcement agencies provided supplemental clearance data for arson. Of the arsons for which supplemental clearance data were received, 22.4 percent of all structural arsons were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. The highest percentage of structural arson clearances --33.0 percent--were for those offenses committed against community/ public structures. The lowest percentage of structural arson clearances--17.7 percent--were for those offenses committed against other commercial properties. Law enforcement also cleared 7.2 percent of mobile property arsons and 20.4 percent of the arsons committed against other properties. (See Table 2.32.)
Clearances and Juveniles
The UCR Program lists any clearance involving both adults (those aged 18 and over) and juveniles (persons under age 18) as an adult clearance. In addition, if an offender under the age of 18 is cited to appear before juvenile authorities, the UCR Program considers that incident as cleared by arrest even though a physical arrest may not have occurred. Forty-three percent of arsons cleared in the Nation in 2002 involved juvenile offenders. In cities collectively, 45.6 percent of arsons cleared involved juveniles. By population group, juvenile clearances accounted for 50.3 percent of arsons cleared in cities with less than 10,000 in population and 42.1 percent in cities of 250,000 and over in population. Juvenile clearances accounted for 28.6 percent of arsons cleared in rural counties and 39.1 percent in suburban counties. (See Table 28.)
As shown in Table 2.32, community/ public structures had the highest percentage--71.8 percent--of clearances involving juveniles, and motor vehicle arsons had the lowest--21.9 percent --of clearances involving juveniles.
Arrests
Total Arrests and Rates
In 2002, an estimated 16,635 people were arrested for arson. (See Table 29.) The arson arrest rate in the Nation was 5.8 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. By geographic region, the Northeast and Midwest each had an arson arrest rate of 5.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, the West had a rate of 5.8 per 100,000 persons, and the South had a rate of 5.6 arson arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 30.) Among population groups labeled city, law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants had the highest arson arrest rate at 7.2 per 100,000 persons, and cities with populations of 250,000 and over along with cities with 25,000 to 49,999 in population had the lowest rates at 5.3. Rural counties had an arson arrest rate of 4.9, and suburban counties had an arrest rate of 5.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 31.)
Arrest Trends
In 2002, arson arrests declined 12.0 percent from the number of arrests reported in 2001. Overall, arrests of adults for arson declined 13.8 percent. Arrests of juveniles decreased 10.2 percent from the previous year's number and included a 10.4 percent decline in arrests of juveniles under 15 years of age. (See Table 36.) The number of females arrested for arson was down 16.1 percent from the 2001 figure, and arson arrests of males declined 11.2 percent. Arrests of female juveniles for arson fell 15.8 percent, and the number of male juveniles arrested for arson declined 9.4 percent from the 2001 figure. (See Table 37.)
Law enforcement agencies in the Nation's cities collectively reported that arrests declined 15.1 percent from the 2001 number, including a 10.8 percent decrease in juvenile arrests for arson and a 19.8 percent drop in adult arson arrests. (See Table 44.) In the Nation's suburban counties, law enforcement officials reported a 0.3 percent decline in total arson arrests. Juvenile arson arrests in suburban counties declined 5.2 percent while adult arson arrests in suburban counties increased 4.1 percent. (See Table 50.) In rural counties, the number of arson arrests decreased 10.8 percent in 2002 from the 2001 total. Juvenile arson arrests in rural counties fell 17.7 percent; adult arson arrests declined 7.3 percent. (See Table 56.)
An examination of arson arrests over a 5-year period indicated that nationwide, arson arrests decreased 5.6 percent from the 1998 figure. From 1998 to 2002, law enforcement agencies reported an 11.3 percent decrease in juvenile arson arrests and a 1.2 percent increase in the number of adults arrested for arson. (See Table 34.)
Over the 10-year period from 1993 to 2002, total arson arrests declined 20.5 percent--adult arrests decreased 17.7 percent and juvenile arrests declined 23.2 percent. (See Table 32.)
Distribution
Nearly half (49.4 percent) of arrestees for arson during 2002 were under the age of 18. Overall, 67.8 percent of arson arrestees were under age 25. (See Table 41.) Males accounted for 84.8 percent of those persons arrested for arson. (See Table 42.) Of the males arrested for arson, 51.7 percent were under age 18. (See Table 39.) Thirty-seven percent of females arrested for arson were under age 18. (See Table 40.)
An examination of arson arrests by race indicated that 76.8 percent of arson arrestees were white, 21.5 percent were black, and 1.7 percent were of other races. (See Table 43.)
Table 2.31
Arson Rate
by Population Group, 2002
[9,413 agencies; 2002 estimated population
209,674,400; rate per 100,000 inhabitants]
Population group Rate
Total 32.4
Total cities 36.5
Group I (cities 250,000 and over) 58.6
(cities 1,000,000 and over) 52.3
(cities 500,000 to 999,999) 57.3
(cities 250,000 to 499,999) 68.3
Group II (cities 100,000 to 249,999) 38.8
Group III (cities 50,000 to 99,999) 28.6
Group IV (cities 25,000 to 49,999) 24.3
Group V (cities 10,000 to 24,999) 20.0
Group VI (cities under 10,000) 25.2
Suburban counties 27.0
Rural counties 16.6
Suburban area (1) 24.2
(1) Suburban area includes law enforcement agencies
in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and
county law enforcement agencies that are within a
Metropolitan Statistical Area (see Appendix III).
Suburban area excludes all metropolitan agencies
associated with a central city. The agencies
associated with suburban areas also appear in other
groups within this table.
Table 2.32
Arson
by Type of Property, 2002
[12,414 agencies; 2002 estimated population 225,428,667]
Number of Percent
Property classification offenses distribution (1)
Total 66,308 100.0
Total structure: 27,373 41.3
Single occupancy residential 11,789 17.8
Other residential 4,821 7.3
Storage 1,940 2.9
Industrial/manufacturing 333 0.5
Other commercial 2,735 4.1
Community/public 3,140 4.7
Other structure 2,615 3.9
Total mobile: 21,920 33.1
Motor vehicles 20,736 31.3
Other mobile 1,184 1.8
Other 17,015 25.7
Percent
not Average Total
Property classification in use damage clearances
Total $11,253 11,190
Total structure: 18.2 20,818 6,139
Single occupancy residential 19.7 18,535 2,631
Other residential 14.8 21,846 1,071
Storage 19.7 15,627 391
Industrial/manufacturing 22.8 71,376 62
Other commercial 15.4 45,927 485
Community/public 13.6 11,181 1,036
Other structure 24.3 11,933 463
Total mobile: 6,073 1,584
Motor vehicles 5,781 1,423
Other mobile 11,183 161
Other 2,536 3,467
Percent of Percent of
offenses clearances
Property classification cleared (2) under 18
Total 16.9 42.1
Total structure: 22.4 40.3
Single occupancy residential 22.3 31.2
Other residential 22.2 30.7
Storage 20.2 54.0
Industrial/manufacturing 18.6 29.0
Other commercial 17.7 27.6
Community/public 33.0 71.8
Other structure 17.7 47.1
Total mobile: 7.2 23.6
Motor vehicles 6.9 21.9
Other mobile 13.6 39.1
Other 20.4 53.5
(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
(2) Includes offenses cleared by arrest or exceptional means.
Hate crime
Definition
A hate crime, also known as a bias crime, is a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.
Background
In response to mounting national concern over crimes motivated by bias, Congress enacted the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 on April 23 of that year. This law required the Attorney General to collect data "about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity." The Attorney General delegated the responsibilities of developing the procedures for and implementing, collecting, and managing hate crime data to the Director of the FBI, who in turn assigned the tasks to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. In September 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act amended the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include both physical and mental disabilities as potential bias factors, and the actual collection of disability-bias data began in January 1997. Additionally, the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 mandated that hate crime data collection become a permanent part of the UCR Program.
Those who developed the guidelines for hate crime data collection recognized that hate crimes are not separate, distinct crimes; instead they are traditional offenses motivated by the offender's bias. After much consideration, the developers decided that hate crime data could be derived by capturing the additional element of bias in those offenses already being reported to the UCR Program. Appending the collection of hate crime statistics to the established UCR data collection procedures, they concluded, would fulfill the directives of the Hate Crime Statistics Act without placing an undue additional reporting burden on law enforcement and, in time, develop a substantial body of data about the nature and frequency of bias crimes occurring throughout the Nation. Accordingly, the law enforcement agencies that participate in the national hate crime program collect details about an offender's bias motivation associated with the following offense types: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation, robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and destruction/ damage/vandalism of property. (The law enforcement agencies participating in the National Incident-Based Reporting System also collect additional offense types for crimes against persons and crimes against property, which the UCR Program publishes as "other." In addition, these agencies collect hate crime data for another category called "crimes against society.")
An abstract based on the information received from law enforcement agencies that provided 1 to 12 months of hate crime reports during 2002 follows. More detailed information concerning the characteristics of hate crime can be found in the UCR Program's annual publication Hate Crime Statistics.
Participation
A total of 12,073 law enforcement agencies participated in the hate crime program during 2002. Of these agencies, 1,868 agencies (15.5 percent) submitted 7,462 hate crime incident reports to the FBI. (See Table 2.36.) The following hate crime abstract is based on the data received from those law enforcement agencies that provided 1 to 12 months of hate crime reports.
Law Enforcement Reports
The UCR Program data collection guidelines stipulate that a hate crime may involve multiple offenses, victims, and offenders within one incident. Accordingly, in 2002, the 7,462 hate crime incidents reported to the FBI involved 8,832 separate offenses, 9,222 victims, and 7,314 known offenders. (See Table 2.33.) (The term known offender does not imply that the identity of the suspect is known but only that some attribute of the suspect has been identified, distinguishing him or her from an unknown offender.)
Incidents
Of the total single-bias incidents reported in 2002, 48.8 percent were motivated by racial bias, 19.1 percent were driven by prejudice against a particular religion, 16.7 percent involved a sexual-orientation bias, 14.8 percent resulted from a bias against an ethnicity or national origin, and 0.6 percent were motivated by a disability bias. (Based on Table 2.33.)
In addition to single-bias incidents, hate crime data collection guidelines permit the identification of multiple-bias incidents. These are incidents in which two or more offense types were committed as a result of two or more bias motivations. Only 3 of the 7,462 incidents reported in 2002 met that criteria. (See Table 2.33.)
Offenses
A victim of an offense, according to the UCR definition, may be either a person, a business, an institution, or society as a whole. When aggregating the number of hate crime offenses committed against individuals, the program counts one offense for each victim. The offense types of murder, rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, and intimidation are possible crimes against persons. When counting crimes against property, the program allots one offense for each distinct incident regardless of the number of victims. Robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and destruction/damage/ vandalism comprise the offense types that are possible crimes against property.
During 2002, a total of 5,960 (67.5 percent) of reported hate crime offenses were crimes against persons, and 2,823 (32.0 percent) were crimes against property. (Crimes against society comprised 0.6 percent of the reported offenses.) Intimidation continued to be the most frequently reported hate crime against individuals and accounted for 52.1 percent of all crimes against persons. Destruction/ damage/vandalism of property was the most frequently reported crime against property. Of the instances of crimes against property, 83.1 percent were for the offenses of destruction/damage/vandalism. (Based on Table 2.34.)
Victims
A total of 9,222 individuals, businesses, institutions, or society as a whole were victims of hate crimes in 2002. Approximately 49.7 percent of all single-bias hate crime victims were targets of racial prejudice. Of these victims, 67.2 percent were attacked because of an anti-black bias motivation, and 19.9 percent were attacked because of an anti-white bias motivation. Eighteen percent of single-bias hate crime victims were targets because of the offender's bias toward the victim's religion. Of these, 65.3 percent were targeted because of an anti-Jewish bias motivation. Additionally, 16.4 percent of total single-bias hate crime victims were attacked because of the offender's prejudice against the victim's sexual-orientation; among these victims, 65.0 percent were victims of an anti-male homosexual bias motivation. Approximately 15.3 percent of hate crime victims were targets of ethnicity/ national origin bias. Of these, 45.4 percent were victims of anti-Hispanic sentiment. (Based on Table 2.33.)
Offenders
In 2002, there were 7,314 known offenders who committed crimes motivated by biases. The majority of these known hate crime offenders were white, 61.8 percent; 21.8 percent were black; 1.2 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander; 0.6 percent were American Indian or Alaskan Native; 9.8 percent were of unknown race; and 4.9 percent were groups of offenders consisting of multiple races. (Based on Table 2.35.)
Table 2.33
Incidents, Offenses, Victims, and Known Offenders
by Bias Motivation, 2002
Bias motivation Incidents Offenses
Total 7,462 8,832
Single-Bias Incidents 7,459 8,825
Race: 3,642 4,393
Anti-White 719 888
Anti-Black 2,486 2,967
Anti-American Indian/Alaskan Native 62 68
Anti-Asian/Pacific Islander 217 268
Anti-Multiple Races, Group 158 202
Religion: 1,426 1,576
Anti-Jewish 931 1,039
Anti-Catholic 53 58
Anti-Protestant 55 57
Anti-Islamic 155 170
Anti-Other Religion 198 217
Anti-Multiple Religions, Group 31 32
Anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc. 3 3
Sexual Orientation: 1,244 1,464
Anti-Male Homosexual 825 957
Anti-Female Homosexual 172 207
Anti-Homosexual 222 259
Anti-Heterosexual 10 26
Anti-Bisexual 15 15
Ethnicity/National Origin: 1,102 1,345
Anti-Hispanic 480 601
Anti-Other Ethnicity/National Origin 622 744
Disability: 45 47
Anti-Physical 20 20
Anti-Mental 25 27
Multiple-Bias Incidents (3) 3 7
Known
Bias motivation Victims (1) offenders (2)
Total 9,222 7,314
Single-Bias Incidents 9,211 7,311
Race: 4,580 4,011
Anti-White 910 1,064
Anti-Black 3,076 2,510
Anti-American Indian/Alaskan Native 72 52
Anti-Asian/Pacific Islander 280 242
Anti-Multiple Races, Group 242 143
Religion: 1,659 568
Anti-Jewish 1,084 317
Anti-Catholic 71 21
Anti-Protestant 58 34
Anti-Islamic 174 103
Anti-Other Religion 237 73
Anti-Multiple Religions, Group 32 18
Anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc. 3 2
Sexual Orientation: 1,513 1,438
Anti-Male Homosexual 984 1,022
Anti-Female Homosexual 221 172
Anti-Homosexual 267 225
Anti-Heterosexual 26 6
Anti-Bisexual 15 13
Ethnicity/National Origin: 1,409 1,247
Anti-Hispanic 639 656
Anti-Other Ethnicity/National Origin 770 591
Disability: 50 47
Anti-Physical 20 21
Anti-Mental 30 26
Multiple-Bias Incidents (3) 11 3
(1) The term victim may refer to a person, business, institution,
or society as a whole.
(2) The term known offender does not imply that the identity of the
suspect is known, but only that an attribute of the suspect is
identified, which distinguishes him/her from an unknown offender.
(3) A multiple-bias incident only occurs when two or more offense types
are committed in a single incident. In a situation when there is more
than one offense type, the agency can indicate a different bias type
for each offense. In the case of a single offense type, only one bias
type can be indicated.
Table 2.34
Incidents, Offenses, Victims, and Known Offenders
by Offense Type, 2002
Offense type Incidents (1) Offenses
Total 7,462 8,832
Crimes against persons: 4,784 5,960
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter 11 11
Forcible rape 8 8
Aggravated assault 800 1,035
Simple assault 1,473 1,791
Intimidation 2,484 3,105
Other (4) 8 10
Crimes against property: 2,823 2,823
Robbery 131 131
Burglary 131 131
Larceny-theft 151 151
Motor vehicle theft 9 9
Arson 38 38
Destruction/damage/vandalism 2,347 2,347
Other (4) 16 16
Crimes against society (4) 49 49
Known
Offense type Victims (2) offenders (3)
Total 9,222 7,314
Crimes against persons: 5,960 6,090
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter 11 15
Forcible rape 8 16
Aggravated assault 1,035 1,498
Simple assault 1,791 2,436
Intimidation 3,105 2,117
Other (4) 10 8
Crimes against property: 3,213 1,423
Robbery 179 269
Burglary 163 86
Larceny-theft 157 95
Motor vehicle theft 9 3
Arson 47 27
Destruction/damage/vandalism 2,642 927
Other (4) 16 16
Crimes against society (4) 49 61
(1) The actual number of incidents is 7,462. However, the column
figures will not add to the total because incidents may include more
than one offense type, and these are counted in each appropriate
offense type category.
(2) The term victim may refer to a person, business, institution,
or society as a whole.
(3) The term known offender does not imply that the identity of the
suspect is known, but only that an attribute of the suspect is
identified, which distinguishes him/her from an unknown offender.
The actual number of known offenders is 7,314. However, the column
figures will not add to the total because some offenders are
responsible for more than one offense type, and they are, therefore,
counted more than once in this table.
(4) Includes additional offenses collected in NIBRS.
Table 2.35
Race of Known Offenders, 2002 (1)
Known offender's race
Total 7,314
White 4,517
Black 1,592
American Indian/Alaskan Native 43
Asian/Pacific Islander 87
Multiple Races, Group (2) 355
Unknown Race 720
(1) The term known offender does not imply that the identity
of the suspect is known, but only that an attribute of the
suspect is identified, which distinguishes him/her from an
unknown offender.
(2) The term multiple races, group is used to describe a
group of offenders comprised of individuals of varying races.
Table 2.36
Agency Hate Crime Reporting by State, 2002
Agencies Total
Number of submitting number of
Participating participating Population incident incidents
state agencies covered reports reported
Total 12,073 247,246,683 1,868 7,462
Alabama 31 259,938 2 2
Alaska 1 267,280 1 7
Arizona 88 5,023,657 29 238
Arkansas 7 387,957 0 0
California 726 35,056,859 243 1,648
Colorado 190 4,251,762 30 96
Connecticut 84 2,838,717 50 129
Delaware 50 806,717 8 13
District of 2 570,898 2 14
Columbia
Florida 489 16,660,424 93 257
Georgia 76 1,558,760 10 31
Idaho 117 1,330,416 14 43
Illinois 59 4,639,084 46 155
Indiana 163 4,476,334 25 77
Iowa 221 2,863,046 18 46
Kansas 339 2,366,821 13 55
Kentucky 341 3,663,360 38 76
Louisiana 159 3,418,556 13 15
Maine 180 1,291,128 14 36
Maryland 148 5,458,137 26 211
Massachusetts 305 5,822,308 90 430
Michigan 619 9,814,593 164 416
Minnesota 279 4,843,609 71 203
Mississippi 66 942,735 3 3
Missouri 144 2,955,399 19 64
Montana 93 881,473 6 13
Nebraska 203 1,362,661 17 74
Nevada 35 2,173,491 7 62
New Hampshire 107 654,470 19 27
New Jersey 557 8,590,300 220 570
New Mexico 49 1,180,982 3 15
New York 505 19,154,571 63 693
North Carolina 446 8,242,488 29 62
North Dakota 74 562,980 7 18
Ohio 400 8,244,818 63 263
Oklahoma 301 3,493,714 19 44
Oregon 172 3,509,432 24 61
Pennsylvania 849 11,086,040 26 92
Rhode Island 48 1,069,725 7 38
South Carolina 310 4,103,856 35 70
South Dakota 130 734,731 4 4
Tennessee 443 5,796,102 54 129
Texas 969 21,698,160 82 347
Utah 59 1,790,393 17 54
Vermont 57 565,746 10 18
Virginia 399 7,258,150 54 291
Washington 246 6,036,923 47 174
West Virginia 336 1,758,307 16 41
Wisconsin 370 5,438,068 13 32
Wyoming 31 290,607 4 5
Figure 2.19
Bias-motivated Offenses
Percent Distribution, (1) 2002
Multiple Bias 0.1%
Disability 0.5%
Ethnicity 15.2%
Sexual Orientation 16.6%
Religion 17.8%
Race 49.7%
(1) Due to rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Crime index tabulations
The tables in Section II--Crime Index Offenses Reported--organize crime data in many ways. First, for the Nation as a whole, then categorized by geographic divisions; individual states; Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs); and cities, towns, and counties. The data are presented as crime volume and/or crime rate (occurrence per 100,000 U.S. inhabitants).
Although the exact number of crimes occurring within the United States is unknown, criminal activity can be gauged by studying those crimes reported to law enforcement. The reader is cautioned, however, that many factors affect crime volumes and crime types and can cause them to vary from time to time and from place to place. Even though one of these factors, population, is used in computing crime rates, all communities are affected to some degree by seasonal or transient population. Because current, permanent population counts are used in their computation, crime rates do not account for short-term population variables, such as an influx of day workers, tourists, shoppers, etc. Other factors contributing to the amount of crime in a given area are discussed in Crime Factors (page iv).
One tool law enforcement administrators can use in analyzing the volume of local crime and the performance of the law enforcement agencies is national data. That analysis, however, should not end with a comparison based solely on data presented in this publication. A true assessment of a community's crime problem or the effectiveness of law enforcement operations can be made only by including all the variables that shape local crime.
Brief Description of the Tables
Table 1 is a 20-year table that sets forth national estimates of volume and rate per 100,000 population for the offenses that make up the Crime Index. Table 2 shows estimates of crime volume and rates for 2002 for the Nation as a whole and for the Nation disaggregated by community type: MSAs, rural counties, and cities and towns outside metropolitan areas. Definitions of these community types can be found in Appendix III.
Data showing the regional distribution of estimated Index crimes along with proportional population estimates are provided in Table 3. A map of the United States illustrating the regions and divisions employed by the UCR Program appears in Appendix III.
Table 4 offers a 2-year trend in the volume and rate estimates by region, geographic division, and state. The estimated volume and rate of Crime Index offenses for each state and for individual MSAs are shown in Tables 5 and 6. Table 7 provides breakdowns for the offenses of robbery (by location), burglary (by time of day), and larceny-theft (by type) over the past 5 years.
Offenses known to police for cities over 10,000 in population are presented in Table 8, and Table 9 shows the number of offenses occurring on college and university campuses as reported by college and university law enforcement agencies. The UCR Program does not assign population to educational institutions.
Offenses reported by suburban and rural county law enforcement agencies are presented in Tables 10 and 11. Tables 12-19 supply crime trends and rates by population groupings. The UCR Program's definition of the population groups can be found in Appendix III.
Data concerning weapons used in the violent crimes of murder, robbery, and aggravated assault are presented in Tables 20-22. Tables 23 and 24 analyze the value of property lost through the crimes of robbery, burglary, and larceny-theft, and offer breakdowns by type and value of property stolen and recovered.
Note
Because the UCR Program does not estimate for arson, arson offenses are not included in the tables containing offense estimates. However, the number of arson offenses reported by individual law enforcement agencies are displayed in Tables 8-11. Two-year arson trends are shown in Tables 12-15. An in-depth discussion of table construction methodology can be found in Appendix I.