Preliminary FBI Data: Crime Steeply Declined in Early 2024

Violent crime in the U.S. dropped by a significant amount in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the FBI's Quarterly Uniform Crime Report.

The FBI data, which is collected from participating police departments across the country, shows that overall violent crime decreased by 15 percent nationally compared to the first quarter of 2023. "Murder decreased by 26.4 percent, rape decreased by 25.7 percent, robbery decreased by 17.8 percent, and aggravated assault decreased by 12.5 percent," the FBI reported. "Reported property crime also decreased by 15.1 percent."

There are major caveats with the data: It is preliminary and unaudited; police departments will likely report more incidents before it is finalized; and it only quantifies crimes that were reported, leaving out unreported incidents. Bureau of Justice Statistics surveys of crime victims show that fewer than half of violent crimes (excluding murder) and property crimes are reported to the police.