How Crime Affects Americans Across Communities

The state of the economy, democracy, immigration, and abortion. Those were the most important issues fueling voters in the 2024 presidential election, according to the exit polls. Crime was not at the top of the list.

That may be because violent crime in the U.S. dropped in 2023 after surging — and drawing much media attention — during the pandemic. Overall, the FBI reported a 3% decline in violent crime, with murders down 12%, rape 9%, and aggravated assault 3%, compared to 2022. Meanwhile, property crime in the country dropped 2%, with burglary down 8%, larceny 4%, but motor vehicle theft up 13%. In this time, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act took effect, considered the most substantial gun violence prevention law in nearly 30 years that includes enhanced background checks and safe storage requirements.

While crime continues to be amplified in America’s different information ecosystems, it is very much felt at the community level and in some communities more than others, as shown in our survey findings of 4,712 Americans this year.

Violent Crime by a Stranger

Residents nationwide were generally not direct victims of violent crime, our recent ACP/Ipsos survey found. Just 2% said they were personally a victim of violent crime by a stranger in the last year. Most community types were at or below 2%. It ticked up slightly in communities considered more racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse. In the African American South, 4% said they were personally a victim of violent crime by a stranger; the figure was 3% in Military Posts and Hispanic Centers.

When factoring in one’s immediate family, extended family, close friends, acquaintances, and neighbors affected, residents in diverse rural and urban communities reported violent crime by a stranger at higher percentages than average in the past year. Nearly one-quarter of residents, 24%, in Big Cities said they were or knew someone affected by violent crime by a stranger. It may not be surprising as these communities encompass America’s 48 biggest counties, housing more than 81 million people of many backgrounds. Meanwhile, in the rural African American South and Hispanic Centers, 19% and 18% of residents said they were a victim or knew someone who was a victim of violent crime by a stranger. The national average was 17%.

Violent Crime by Someone Known

Across the country, 15% of Americans said in the past year they were a victim and/or had immediate family, extended family, close friends, acquaintances, and/or neighbors who were victims of violent crime perpetrated by someone they knew.

Again, racially and ethnically diverse communities reported more bad experiences. In the African American South, 23% of residents reported being directly affected or being close to someone who was a victim of violent crime by a person they knew. In Hispanic Centers, many near the U.S. border where tensions have been high, it was 18%. In Big Cities, College Towns, and Working Class Country, 17% of residents said they were or knew someone affected by violent crime perpetrated by someone they knew. Working Class Country may be somewhat surprising, being that these are rural, homogeneous, often close-knit communities, however, many are in the South where violent crime has been higher.

On the personal level, 2% nationwide reported being a victim of violent crime by someone known to them. Most community types were at or below the national level. The figures were slightly higher in Military Posts at 4% and the African American South at 3%.

Property Crime Incidences Higher

Property crime was much more prevalent across America in the past year, our survey respondents said. Nationally, 10% of Americans reported they were personally a victim of theft or personal property crime. Being a victim reached as high as 14% in the African American South and 13% in the LDS Enclaves, Mormon-dominated communities in the interior West. Big Cities, College Towns, Hispanic Centers, and Working Class Country were also above average at 11%.

Adding in immediate family, extended family, close friends, acquaintances, and neighbors, 39% nationwide said they were or knew someone who was a victim of theft or personal property crime. The 15-point range at the community-type level was notable, as it underscores the different day-to-day experiences of Americans regarding their safety and sense of disorder. Several communities stood above the national average: 46% of residents in Hispanic Centers, 44% in African American South, and 44% in Big Cities reported they were or knew someone affected by theft or personal property crime. The lowest percentages were in Rural Middle America at 33% and Middle Suburbs at 31%.

Similarly, business property crime was also a significant concern in the past year. Overall, 25% of Americans said they have been the victim or knew a victim of business property crime. It was much above the national average in Hispanic Centers at 32%. Big Cities came in next highest at 29%. It was as low as 16% in the Military Posts.

Police Brutality and Law Enforcement Abuse 

Of all the kinds of crimes surveyed, police brutality or law enforcement abuse was generally not an issue faced personally or in one’s social circles. Nationally, 10% said they were or knew someone — immediate family, extended family, close friends, acquaintances, and neighbors — affected by police brutality or law enforcement abuse. Percentages were highest in the Big Cities at 15% and the African American South at 14%, where these crimes have been chronicled more in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

On the personal level, 3% in the Big Cities said they were a victim of police brutality or law enforcement abuse. In all other kinds of communities, 1% or 2% said they were personally a victim in the past year.

Where Crime Is a Top Local Issue

These figures track with the top local issues survey respondents cited. For example, 36% of residents in the African American South considered crime or gun violence a top-three local issue, the highest of the 15 types and more than double the national figure. Recall that many residents here said they or those they knew were affected by crime. (Last year's survey showed the figure in the African American South at 43%.) It was similar in the Big Cities, where 26% said crime or gun violence was a top local issue. In other communities where residents reported being close to crime, College Towns and Military Posts, 19% and 18% of residents respectively said crime or gun violence was a top-three local issue. The overall figure for the 15 community types was notably lower at 14%. (Last year, the national figure was 21%.) Our latest survey makes clear that residents’ lived experiences were connected to their attitudes on crime in their communities.