By the Numbers: Data U-turn

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Revised FBI numbers reveal crime uptick after initially reporting a drop

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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4.5%

The increase in the U.S. violent crime rate from 2021 to 2022 according to updated data the FBI quietly released this fall. The revised number—discovered by keen-eyed private analysts in October—contradicts the FBI’s 2023 report, which had showed a drop in violent crime during the same time period. The new data also confirmed concerns that crime, especially property crime, had increased since violent protests in the summer of 2020.

10.1%

The increase in the property crime rate from 2021 to 2022 according to the revised data, though the reported rate remains well below the 20-year average.

1,067,522

The number of U.S. motor vehicle thefts in 2023 as reported by the FBI, the highest number since 2007.

24%

The increase in the shoplifting rate in major U.S. cities in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period the previous year, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

Family & Society