FBI Releases Crime Report Statistics For 2023

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday released crime totals for 2023, estimating that reported violent crime had decreased 3% year-over-year, murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 11.6%, rapes dropped 9.4%, hate crimes rose 2%, and auto theft rose 12.6%.

For Context: In 2021, the FBI transitioned to a "more robust" crime data collection system from an older version with "limited information." Therefore, year-to-year comparisons are only valid for 2021 and later, or 2020 and earlier. Although the statistics cover 94% of the U.S. population, some police departments do not report their crime numbers to the FBI.

Other Estimates: A piece in Wall Street Journal Opinion (Lean Right bias) said a Bureau of Justice Statistics survery was more reliable than the FBI's and showed "no statistically significant evidence that violent crime or property crime is dropping in America." The independent Real-Time Crime Index takes monthly samples of police reports instead of using estimated yearly totals; it shows a decrease in violent crime and an increase in property crime from 2022 to 2023.

How the Media Covered It: Monday's data release was covered widely from the left and center, but sparsely on the right. Washington Times (Lean Right) called the figures "reported crime" in its headline, implying doubt that they represent true crime rates. Daily Kos (Left) called out the "nearly 12%" drop in murders, which the New York Times (Lean Left) called a "steep decline." The Hill (Center) mentioned Republicans who have "seized on crime as a campaign issue" and portrayed the FBI data as countering their claims that "violent crime has surged."