The Violent Crime Rate measures the number of reported incidents of homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents, using standardized data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Because these offenses pose the greatest direct threat to personal safety, this indicator provides a clear lens into the level of serious violence experienced in a community. Tracking violent crime trends over time helps local leaders understand patterns of risk, evaluate prevention and policing strategies, and identify neighborhoods where violence reduction efforts, community investment, and trauma-informed supports are most needed.

Why Does this Matter?

1. Violent crime directly affects health, life expectancy, and trauma exposure

• Exposure to violence—whether as a victim, witness, or even through neighborhood-level rates—is linked to higher rates of chronic stress, PTSD, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality (Krieger et al., 2018). Tracking violent crime helps identify communities where safety interventions can also improve long-term health outcomes.¹

2. Violent crime is connected to neighborhood disadvantage

• Research shows that a small number of city blocks account for a large share of violent crime, and these areas often face overlapping challenges such as poverty, housing instability, and limited economic opportunity (Weisburd, 2015). Monitoring violent crime helps cities target place-based investments and violence-interruption strategies where they can have the greatest impact.²

3. Lower violent crime enables community stability

• Declines in violent crime are associated with higher levels of neighborhood cohesion, stronger local economies, increased business activity, and rising property values. Understanding patterns of violent crime informs decisions about public safety, economic development, and community revitalization.

1.  Krieger, N., Chen, J. T., Waterman, P. D., Kiang, M. V., & Feldman, J. M. (2018). Police killings and police deaths are public health data and can be counted. PLOS Medicine, 15(12), e1002675. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002675
2. Weisburd, D. (2015). The law of crime concentration and the criminology of place. Criminology, 53(2), 133–157. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12070