Crime prevention statistics span reported offenses, victimization surveys, and evaluations of security and policing strategies. The figures below distinguish U.S. reporting data from estimated household and person-level prevalence, and identify the periods and populations measured.
Key Crime Prevention Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2023, more than 14 million criminal offenses were reported to the FBI UCR Program by U.S. reporting agencies.
- In 2023, FBI UCR participating agencies covered an estimated 94.3% of the U.S. population.
- From 2022 to 2023, estimated U.S. violent crime decreased 3.0%.
- In 2024, 7.34% of U.S. households experienced at least one property victimization.
- In 2024, 1.01% of U.S. households experienced burglary or trespassing.
- In 2024, 0.71% of U.S. households experienced burglary.
- From 2020 to 2024, motor-vehicle-theft prevalence rose from 0.37% to 0.58% of U.S. households.
- In 2024, 1.45% of U.S. people age 12 or older experienced one or more violent victimizations.
- U.S. violent-crime prevalence was 4.34% in 1993 versus 1.45% in 2024 among people age 12 or older.
- From 2020 to 2024, stranger-violence prevalence rose from 0.54% to 0.77% among U.S. people age 12 or older.
- In 2024, 416,580 U.S. people experienced one or more intimate-partner violent victimizations.
- Across 76 CCTV studies from 1978–2017, CCTV was associated with a reported 14% reduction in overall-crime odds.
- Across 22 CCTV studies, property-offense odds were reported as 16% lower in evaluated treatment areas.
- In evaluated car parks, CCTV was associated with a 37% crime reduction compared with control areas.
- A hot-spots-policing meta-analysis of 16 studies found a small overall effect favoring hot-spots policing.
- In 2013, about one-third of U.S. municipal police departments had implemented body-worn cameras.
- A 2017 Las Vegas randomized controlled trial involved 400 police officers.
Contents
- National crime scale and recent trends
- Household property crime and burglary trends
- Violent crime by offense and population
- CCTV crime prevention outcomes
- Policing strategy effectiveness
- Body-worn camera adoption and evidence
National Crime Prevention Statistics: Scale and Recent Trends
The FBI’s 2023 Crime in the Nation release reported more than 14 million criminal offenses from more than 16,000 state, county, city, university or college, and tribal agencies. Those participating agencies covered 94.3% of the U.S. population, but the counts reflect offenses reported by participating agencies rather than every crime or every unreported incident. FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics
| FBI UCR measure | Period | Reported or estimated result |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal offenses | 2023 | More than 14 million reported offenses |
| Participating agencies | 2023 | More than 16,000 agencies |
| Population coverage | 2023 | 94.3% of the U.S. population |
| Violent crime | 2022–2023 | Estimated decrease of 3.0% |
The FBI estimated that murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell 11.6% from 2022 to 2023, revised-category rape fell 9.4%, aggravated assault fell 2.8%, and robbery fell 0.3%. These are reported-data estimates and should not be read as a complete measure of crime outside participating-agency reporting.
The FBI’s hate-crime collection had 16,009 participating agencies and 95.2% population coverage in 2023. Those agencies submitted 11,862 hate-crime incidents and 13,829 related offenses; in the comparable-month dataset, reported incidents fell 0.6%, from 10,687 in 2022 to 10,627 in 2023.
Household Property Crime Prevention Statistics and Burglary Trends
The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey measures the share of unique households victimized at least once during a period, including incidents that may not have been reported to police. The 2024 report uses a new One Victimization Adjustment Method and revised weights, so historical comparisons should follow BJS cautions. Criminal Victimization, 2024
| Household measure | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any property victimization | 7.10% | 6.81% | 7.61% | 7.66% | 7.34% |
| Other household theft | 5.93% | 5.64% | 6.31% | 6.43% | 6.18% |
In 2024, about 9,823,900 U.S. households, or 7.34%, experienced at least one property victimization. Other household theft affected 6.18%, or about 8,278,340 households; this category excludes personal contact with the victim.
Burglary and vehicle-related measures show why definitions matter:
- Burglary or trespassing affected 1.01% of U.S. households in 2024, or about 1,357,570 households; the category includes unlawful or forcible entry, attempted entry, and specified trespassing distinctions.
- Burglary alone affected 0.71% of U.S. households, or about 943,900 households, and requires theft or attempted theft.
- Trespassing without theft affected 0.34% of U.S. households, or about 459,000 households, excluding trespassing on land.
- Motor-vehicle theft affected 0.58% of U.S. households, or about 772,410 households, in 2024.
Motor-vehicle-theft prevalence increased from 0.37% of U.S. households in 2020 to 0.58% in 2024, and the report identifies that increase as significant. These are household prevalence estimates, not counts of police reports or individual vehicles.
Violent Crime Prevention Statistics by Offense and Population
For people age 12 or older, NCVS violent-crime prevalence was 1.45% in 2024. The same measure was 4.34% in 1993, 1.14% in 2015, and 1.12% in 2020, while violent crime excluding simple assault was 0.60% in 2024 compared with 1.88% in 1993. Criminal Victimization, 2024
The comparison is a prevalence measure, not a count of reported incidents, and NCVS excludes homicide because it interviews victims. Some categories overlap, so they should not be added together.
- Stranger-violence prevalence rose from 0.54% in 2020 to 0.77% in 2024 among U.S. people age 12 or older.
- Violent crime with a weapon rose from 0.28% in 2020 to 0.36% in 2024 among U.S. people age 12 or older.
- An estimated 416,580 people experienced one or more intimate-partner violent victimizations in 2024, compared with 296,260 in 2023; this subset excludes homicide.
- Among U.S. people ages 12–17, violent-crime prevalence rose from 1.45% in 2023 to 1.95% in 2024, a difference reported as statistically significant at the 90% level.
- Among people in U.S. households earning $200,000 or more, violent-crime prevalence rose from 1.08% in 2023 to 1.34% in 2024, also reported as significant at the 90% level.
These population-specific figures show why prevention planning should specify age, household income, offense definition, and whether the measure captures victimization or reported crime.
CCTV Crime Prevention Statistics and Measured Surveillance Outcomes
The NIJ CrimeSolutions profile summarizes an international systematic review of CCTV evaluations conducted from 1978 through 2017. The evidence base contained 80 evaluations, with 76 providing data for meta-analysis; 34 evaluations were from the United Kingdom, 26 from the United States, 6 from Canada, 3 from South Korea, 4 from Sweden, and 5 from other countries. Practice Profile: Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance
| CCTV outcome | Studies or setting | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Overall crime | 76 studies | 14% reduction in odds, as reported |
| Property offenses | 22 studies | 16% reduction in odds, as reported |
| Vehicle crime | 23 studies | 16% reduction in odds, as reported |
| Violent offenses | 29 studies | No statistically significant effect |
| Car parks | Evaluated subgroup | 37% reduction |
| Residential areas | Evaluated subgroup | 12% reduction |
The profile reports the odds-ratio wording in the direction shown in its text. These are systematic-review estimates from evaluated treatment and control areas, not evidence that every camera deployment produces the same result; the null violent-offense finding also does not prove no effect in every setting.
Policing Strategy Effectiveness Statistics
Evidence about policing varies by strategy and study design. A Campbell systematic review of problem-oriented policing identified more than 5,500 articles and reports, but only 10 methodologically rigorous evaluations met its review criteria. Is Problem-Oriented Policing Effective in Reducing Crime and Disorder?: Findings From a Campbell Systematic Review
A NIJ-cited hot-spots-policing meta-analysis included 16 studies and found a small overall effect favoring hot-spots policing. The review literature was drawn from more than 4,000 studies published between 1989 and 2011 before the 16-study meta-analysis subset, so screening volume is not itself an outcome measure. Body-Worn Cameras: What the Evidence Tells Us
A historical Kentucky telephone study interviewed 557 residents in spring 1985 about self-help crime-prevention measures. It was a local historical survey rather than a nationally representative estimate, so its sample should not be generalized to current U.S. households. Effects of ‘Self-Help’ Precautionary Measures on Criminal Victimization and Fear
Body-Worn Camera Crime Prevention and Accountability Statistics
Body-worn-camera evidence concerns policing technology, officer behavior, accountability, and implementation conditions rather than direct proof that cameras alone prevent crime. NIJ reported that about one-third of U.S. municipal police departments had implemented body-worn cameras in 2013; implementation did not necessarily mean full officer coverage. Body-Worn Cameras: What the Evidence Tells Us
A 2017 randomized controlled trial in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department involved 400 officers assigned cameras or controls. Because it was a single-department trial, its findings are specific to that design and setting.
Research coverage was still developing: a 2015 review identified 14 completed body-worn-camera studies and at least 30 additional ongoing studies. NIJ’s 2016 primer reported more than 60 commercial cameras produced specifically for law-enforcement use, a market count rather than an adoption or effectiveness measure. Primer on Body Worn Camera Technologies