Reported violent crime rate in the U.S. 1990-2021

In 2021, the violent crime rate in the United States was 395.7 cases per 100,000 of the population. Even though the violent crime rate has been decreasing since 1990, the United States tops the ranking of countries with the most prisoners.

Reported violent crime rate in the United States

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks the rate of reported violent crimes per 100,000 U.S. inhabitants. In the timeline above, rates are shown starting in 1990. The rate of reported violent crime has fallen since a high of 758.20 reported crimes in 1991 to a low of 361.6 reported violent crimes in 2014.

In 2020, there were roughly 1.3 million violent crimes committed in the United States. This number can be compared to the total number of property crimes, roughly 6.45 million that year. Of violent crimes in 2020, there were 921,505 aggravated assaults, making this offense the most common of violent crime offenses.

Law enforcement officers and crime clearance

Though the violent crime rate was down in 2013, the number of law enforcement officers also fell. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of law enforcement officers in the United States rose from around 673,100 to 708,600. However, since 2009, the number of officers fell to a low of 626,900 officers in 2013. The number of law enforcement officers has since grown, reaching 696,644 in 2020.

In 2020, the crime clearance rate was highest for murders and non-negligent homicides, with around 54.4 percent of murders being solved by investigators and a suspect being charged with the crime. Roughly 46.4 percent of aggravated assaults were cleared in that year. A dossier of statistics on violent crime in the U.S. can be found here.