Violent and Property Crime in America: The Latest State Statistics and Trends for All 50 States

Violent Crime in the U.S.

When we envision threats to our tranquility and families, violent crimes inspire the deepest wariness. The UCR defines violent crimes as offenses involving force or threat of force, including murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Though violent crime was a focal issue in the 2024 election, playing on the public’s perception of increased daily dangers, the fact is that such offenses have been trending downward in the last two years.

Nationally, violent crime was down in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data are available from the FBI, compared to 2022. Overall, there was a three percent decrease in such offenses, with reductions for each type of crime. Robbery dipped only slightly, but murder and rape were down significantly.

Those numbers reflect only the year-over-year changes from 2022. Following a spike in violent crimes during COVID, this welcome drop indicates roughly a return to pre-pandemic levels.

In the grander scheme, however, violent crime is down only two percent nationally over the last decade. The ten-year decline in robbery rates was offset by increases in murder (up 27 percent), assault (up 15 percent), and rape (up four percent). To follow the ten-year arc of each offense, consult our interactive trend lines below.

State Violent Crime Statistics

Violent crime rates decreased in 39 states between 2022 and 2023. States like Indiana, New Jersey, and Montana had some of the most significant year-over-year increases in violent crime. The most dangerous states range from Alaska's arctic tundra to Louisiana’s bayou, but the five least violent states are in the Northeast, except Hawaii.

As the nation’s most violent state, New Mexico’s violent crime rate (749 incidents per 100k) was more than seven times that of Maine, the least violent state in the union. To assess where every state stands in the national rankings of violent crimes, use our interactive map above.

Murder Rates by State

According to the latest Crime in the U.S. report from the FBI, there were nearly 20,000 murders in 2023 across the country (or 5.7 incidents per 100K nationally). The FBI defines murder and non-negligent manslaughter as the willful killing of a human, excluding deaths caused by negligence, self-defense, or officers in the line of duty.

Despite being the safest overall state in the country, Maine endured the most tremendous increase in murder frequency during 2023, nearly doubling its homicide rate with a 96 percent leap. Montana’s Badlands became much less deadly as its murder rate dropped by more than one-third in a year (about 38 percent).

Here are the states with the five highest and lowest occurrences of murder or non-negligent manslaughter in the latest FBI findings.

Four of the five highest homicide rates lie in America's deep south, while three of the least murderous states are in the Northeast. With 14.5 incidents/100K residents, murder in Louisiana was an astounding 10 times more frequent than in Hawaii.

Rape Rates by State

More than 127,000 rapes were reported in the U.S. during 2023 under guidelines revised about a decade ago to reflect more modern sensibilities concerning assault types, consent, and gender identity. Unfortunately, Bureau of Justice research also suggests that most rape incidents are never reported to police, and far fewer end in convictions. Nationwide, the rape rate was about 38 per 100,000 residents.

Between 2022 and 2023, Connecticut saw the most notable increase in rape frequency, with an unfortunate – but relatively modest – 11 percent jump.

These states proved the most dangerous and safest regarding the frequency of rape incidents:

With more than one rape victim for every thousand inhabitants, Alaska has the highest rate in the nation by far – twice that of the third-highest state, Michigan. Research suggests this is partially attributable to low population density and limited law enforcement that often leaves such crimes unsolved, as well as an anomalous disparity in gender demographics in the population. Additional credence is lent to this theory by the fact that the most densely populated state, New Jersey, registered the lowest rape rate in the nation.

Aggravated Assault Rates by State

Aggravated assault is the most prevalent type of violent crime in America, with more than 884,000 incidents reported in 2023 alone, or 264 per 100,000 people. Aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another to inflict severe or aggravated bodily injury and often involves a weapon.

Nebraska logged a 22 percent reduction in aggravated assault incidents to earn the distinction as the most improved state, while Indiana’s 12 percent jump was the nation’s largest. The five states with the highest and lowest aggravated assault rates were:

The sedate New England states of Maine and New Hampshire proved the safest havens from aggravated assault by a wide margin over their nearest rivals. New Mexico emerged as the most menacing location, logging more than six aggravated assaults per thousand residents.

Robbery Rates by State

Law enforcement classifies robbery as taking or attempting to take anything of value from a person or persons by force, threat of force, violence, and/or by putting the victim in fear. The national rate was approximately 66.5 incidents per 100,000 people. Over 222,000 such crimes were committed in America during 2023, virtually the same frequency as the previous year.

However, the rate of robbery varied widely among the states. Illinois' jump of 30 percent and New Mexico's drop of 34 percent were the most considerable one-year swings in the country. Illinois’ surge in robberies made it the third riskiest state for such crimes. Here are the rest of the top and bottom states for robbery rates:

Interestingly, four of the five states with the highest robbery rates (California, Washington, New York, and Maryland) were among the ten costliest places to live. One common thread among states with low robbery rates was a smaller population: all the top five contain fewer than two million citizens.

Property Crime in the U.S.

Property crimes are less physically threatening than violent crimes but can feel equally confrontational. Burglary of one’s home disrupts the sanctity of safe space, thefts deprive monetary and sentimental value, and auto theft causes great inconvenience and drives up insurance rates.

Though viral stories depicting rampant shoplifting rings have fueled perceptions of spreading lawlessness, the FBI’s report shows property crimes dipped by over two percent in 2023. However, 6.4 million incidents were still reported, comprising more than $27 billion in stolen goods. Burglary and larceny were both down for the year, but auto thefts notched a significant rise in the same period, rising by nearly 13 percent.

Unlike violent crimes, property crimes actually dipped during the pandemic. Many Americans hunkered at home, leaving less unattended property. As a result, some property crimes recently posted slight year-over-year increases. However, the ten-year trend shows a dramatic drop in most thefts over the past decade.

Overall, property crimes decreased by 30 percent from 2013 – 2023, led by an astonishing drop of 59 percent decrease in burglary and a 26 percent drop in larceny. Motor vehicle theft, however, leaped by a whopping 52 percent in those ten years (partially attributable to the vulnerability of modern, keyless autos).

State Property Crime Statistics

Idaho had the lowest property crime rate in the country, and New Mexico scored a disappointing double-dip by proving the riskiest state for both violent and property crime.

New Hampshire and Rhode Island were among the top five safest states for violent and property crimes. At the same time, New Mexico and Louisiana each ranked in the bottom five in both categories. Overall, 33 states registered a decrease in property crimes in 2023.

Motor Vehicle Theft Rates by State

During pandemic years, strained supply chains inflated the value of new and used autos. Today, tariffs and trade wars are poised to drive new auto prices even higher. Such incentives may dramatically increase motor vehicle theft even as other property crimes dwindle. For the first time since 2007, thieves stole more than one million cars nationwide in 2023.

Wisconsin notched the best improvement by reducing its motor vehicle theft rate by one-third between 2022 and 2023. These were the five best and worst states for motor vehicle theft rates:

Larceny Rates by State

Larceny is the most common property crime due to a broad definition encompassing almost all forms of non-violent theft outside of stolen motor vehicles or incidents of fraud. This category also includes many forms of package theft. According to the FBI, larceny is  “the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.”  With 4.5 million offenses reported nationally in 2023, larceny comprised 70 percent of all property crime incidents.

Idaho had the nation’s lowest larceny risk, with a rate less than half the national average. New Mexico, Oregon, and Louisiana all had high larceny frequencies, approaching two crimes per thousand residents.

Burglary Rates by State

Burglary is perhaps the most frightening property crime, as it’s inherently invasive and can lead to violent confrontation. Defined as “the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft, including by forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, or attempted forcible entry,” the FBI recorded 839,563 burglaries in 2023.

The worst increase in burglary occurred in Illinois, where rates jumped 11 percent between 2022 and 2023. Though burglary rates have declined more dramatically than other crimes featured in this report over the past decade, several states still wrestle with the problem.

New Mexico's burglary rate is more than twice the national average. Conversely, New Hampshire's impressive number is 78 percent below that line and less than half that of its nearest competitor, Rhode Island.

The Financial Toll of Property Crime

Focusing on the frequency of crime can obfuscate the real-world impact of property crimes, but the accumulated financial impact is devastating. The 6.3 million incidents reported in 2023 involved nearly $28B in stolen personal property. Of that total, barely one-quarter was recovered and returned to rightful owners.

Motor vehicles accounted for nearly half the value of stolen goods in 2023 ($12.5B) but also featured the highest recovery rate. The $5.7B in stolen liquid assets (cash, jewelry, and precious metals) proved hardest to track down, with a recovery rate of less than two percent.

Here's a full breakdown of stolen property types, values, and recovery success:

Source: “Property Stolen and Recovered in the United States,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Data Explorer (2023)

Breaking down the numbers and examining trends helps Americans better understand local and national safety issues and gauge how their communities are performing. We’ll continue to monitor the big and small picture to help you make informed decisions about personal security.

Methodology

Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2023 Crime in the U.S. Report.

Limitations: Limited data for 2023 were available for Florida. According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE.