(ThyBlackMan.com) Millions of people across the United States indulge in watching true and fictional crime television. With networks like Oxygen True Crime and Discovery+, Americans can learn a great deal about crime and the justice system. Unfortunately, a lot of what is portrayed on these networks doesn’t tell the entire story.
In fact, there are a lot of crime statistics that most Americans don’t know. There are even some that many Americans probably wish they didn’t know once they learn them.
8 Crime Statistics You Didn’t Know
Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting and alarming crime statistics you probably don’t know about.
- How Much Crime There Really Is
We all know that crime happens, but few of us know just how frequently. From DUI to drug crimes, assault to homicide, crime rates are alarmingly high. In 2019, there were 10,085,207 arrests. Of those, more than 470,000 arrests were for violent crimes. The number of arrests is not an accurate representation of how many crimes occur, however. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
- A violent crime occurs every 24.6 seconds
- A murder occurs every 30.5 minutes
- A rape occurs every 3.9 minutes
- A robbery occurs every 1.7 minutes
- An aggravated assault occurs every 39 seconds.
- Property Crimes are the Most Common Crimes
While most of reality TV related to crime focuses on homicides, rapes, and murders, these are actually less common than property crimes. In 2019, there were 2,109.9 property crimes for every 100,000 people. Theft is the most common crime, followed by burglary and vehicle theft. In 2020, there were 6.45 million property crimes in the U.S.
- More Whites Arrested than Blacks
While we know that Black Americans are often the subject of racial bias and unfair policing, many people don’t know that White Americans are actually arrested far more frequently than Blacks. There were 10,085,207 arrests in 2019, including:
- 7 million Whites
- 8 million Blacks
- 164,000 American Indian/Alaska Native
- 86,000 Asian
- 20,000 Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
- Local Events Impact Crime Rates
Major events in cities or localities apparently have an impact on crime rates. One prime example is 2020 following the death of George Floyd. In the days following Floyd’s death, crime rates in Minneapolis increased by 89%. This trend has also been documented in other cities following major events.
- Dangerous Metro Areas Have Higher Crime Rates than National Average
Certain populated metro areas in the U.S. are known to have high crime rates. But data in recent years indicates that heavily populated metro areas have violent crime rates of more than double the national average.
- Data Suggests that the Murder Rate of Black Males is more than 8 Times Higher than White Males
Murder rates among Black males has always been high. But recent data suggests that murder rates among Black males is now more than 8 times higher than among other ethnicities. The average rate for Black males is 32.5 per 100,000 people, compared to just 3.9 per 100,000 people among White males.
- More than Half of Hate Crimes are Race Related
Data suggests that, in 2019, more than 57% of hate crimes were related to race. After race, the focus of hate crimes was religion and sexual orientation.
- The U.S. Has More Inmates than Anywhere Else in the World
The United States has more people in jail than anywhere else in the world. With less than 5% of the global population living in the U.S., more than 20% of the world’s population is incarcerated here. In 2013, there were more than 2.2 million people in jail in the U.S.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a lot about crime in the U.S. that most people don’t know, or don’t care to know. It is also clear that racial bias and disparities continue to exist in our criminal justice system. Which statistics do you find the most interesting or alarming?
Staff Writer; Carl P. Poole
