Robbery

Robbery Trends

Two major sources of national crime data provide information on the incidence, nature, and rate of robberies, as well as other major criminal offenses that occur annually in the United States. The best known and most widely cited is the Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Compiled and published by the FBI since 1930, the UCR is based on monthly reports of known crimes submitted by state and local law enforcement agencies. The report is limited to crimes that have come to the attention of law enforcement through citizen complaints or police patrols. The second source of crime statistics is the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Information in the NCVS comes from a survey of households in the United States conducted annually since 1973 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau. Based on interviews with household members aged 12 years and older, the NCVS is able to provide information on unreported as well as reported criminal incidents.

According to the UCR, in 2000, there were 407,842 robberies reported to or observed by police, representing a rate of 145 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants. The NCVS reports that 732,000 robberies occurred that year, constituting a rate of 320 per 100,000 persons. The discrepancy between the two reports is due primarily to the inclusion of unreported robberies in the NCVS. Indeed, according to the NCVS, less than half of all robbery victims reported their victimization to police in 2000.

Robbery is completed or attempted theft of property or cash directly from a person by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2002), since 1994, robbery rates have declined, reaching the lowest levels recorded in 2001.

Copyright © Roy Morsch/CORBIS.

Figure 1 Trends in Robbery Rates

Figure 1 presents trends in robbery rates from 1973 to 2000 as reported by the UCR and NCVS. Despite differences in their methodology, there is a striking similarity in robbery trends provided by the two sources. Both show that robbery rates declined in the mid-1970s and then increased sharply later that decade, peaking in 1981 with robbery rates for the UCR and NCVS at 258.7 and 740.0, respectively. Robbery rates declined during the early 1980s, but then both sources show steep increases during the late 1980s that continued through the early 1990s. UCR robbery rates were the highest in 1991, at 272.7 robberies per 100,000. According to both the UCR and NCVS, robbery rates have dramatically declined since the early 1990s.

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