Crime in the United States
by Region, Geographic Division, and State, 2007-2008
The FBI collects these data through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
General comments
- This table provides estimated number and rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) of crime in each region, geographic division, and state in 2007 and 2008, and the percent change in each.
- For Illinois, valid counts for murder, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft were available only for agencies in cities 100,000 and over in population. For other agencies, the only available data generated by the Illinois State Program were totals based upon an incident-level system without indication of multiple offenses recorded within single incidents. Therefore, the UCR Hierarchy Rule could not be applied in order to convert the state’s data to the Summary Reporting System format. (The Hierarchy Rule requires that only the most serious offense in a multiple-offense criminal incident is counted.) To arrive at a comparable state estimate to be included in national compilations, the Illinois State Program’s totals were reduced by the proportion of multiple offenses reported within single incidents in the National Incident-Based Reporting System database. Data for cities 100,000 and over in population were excluded from the reduction process.
- The data collection methodology for the offense of forcible rape used by Illinois (with the exception of Rockford, Illinois) and Minnesota (with the exceptions of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota) do not comply with national UCR Program guidelines. Consequently, their figures for forcible rape were estimated for inclusion in this table.
- The UCR Program does not have sufficient data to estimate for arson.
Caution against ranking
Any comparisons of crime among different locales should take into consideration relevant factors in addition to the area’s crime statistics. Variables Affecting Crime provides more details concerning the proper use of UCR statistics.
Methodology
- The data used in creating this table were from all law enforcement agencies in the UCR Program (including those submitting less than 12 months of data).
- Crime statistics include estimated offense totals (except arson) for agencies submitting less than 12 months of offense reports for each year.
- The FBI derives state totals by estimating for nonreporting and partially reporting agencies within each state. Using the state’s individual agency estimates, the UCR Program aggregates a state total.
Population estimation
For the 2008 population estimates used in this table, the FBI computed individual rates of growth from one year to the next for every city/town and county using 2000 decennial population counts and 2001 through 2007 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Each agency’s rates of growth were averaged; that average was then applied and added to its 2007 Census population estimate to derive the agency’s 2008 population estimate.
If you have questions about this table
Contact the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division via e-mail at cjis_comm@leo.gov or by telephone at (304) 625‑4995.