Driven by a surge in homicides and an increase in cases of aggravated assault, the U.S. violent crime rate rose in 2020, according to data from the FBI. One bright spot in the latest data, however, was a year-over-year decline in reported robberies. In a continuation of a multi-decade trend, the number of robberies committed in the U.S. fell by 9%, from about 268,500 in 2019 to 243,600 in 2020.
According to the FBI, robbery is a crime in which force or the threat of force or violence is used to take, or to attempt to take, anything of value from another person. The largest share of robberies in the United States are committed on streets or sidewalks. Handguns are the most commonly used weapon in robberies, and more often than not, among the cases where a suspect can be identified, the offender and victim are strangers to one another.
While cases of robbery are falling in much of the country, there are some exceptions, and in some U.S. cities, robbery rates are on the rise.
Using data from the FBI, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 50 cities where the robbery rate is rising fastest. Cities, defined as having a population greater than 25,000, are ranked by the year-over-year change in the number of robberies per 100,000 people. Among the cities on this list, robbery rates have climbed by as much as 111 incidents per 100,000 people. For context, the U.S. robbery rate fell by 8 incidents per 100,000 in 2020.
Robbery – along with rаpe, aggravated assault, and homicide – is one component of the overall violent crime category. Even though robbery accounts for only a small percentage of all violent crimes, most of the cities on this list also reported an increase in violent crime overall in 2020. Here is a look at the states where crime is soaring.
In the majority of the cities on this list, the overall robbery rate was lower than the national rate in 2019. Following the surge in robberies in 2020, however, all but nine cities on this list now have a higher robbery rate than the current national rate of 74 incidents per 100,000 people. Here is a look at the states with the highest robbery rates.
Click here to see cities where the robbery rate is soaring
Click here to see our detailed methodology
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