Homicide Trends in the United States, 2000 Update; Data brief

摘要

Homicide rates recently declined to levels last seen in the late 1960's. The Nation's homicide rate was 4.6 per 100,000 population in 1950. It doubled from the mid-1960's to the late 1970's. In 1980 it peaked at 10.2 and fell to 7.9 in 1985. It rose again in the late 1980's and early 1990's to another peak of 9.8 in 1991. After 1991 the homicide rate declined sharply. In recent years the decline has slowed. The Nation's murder rate was 5.5 in 2000 compared to 5.7 in 1999. These findings and many more are from Homicide Trends in the United States, a section of the BJS web site that describes homicide patterns and trends in the United States since 1976. The site displays 50 graphics and supporting tables updated with the 2000 data. Homicide is of interest not only because of its severity but also because it is considered by experts to be a fairly reliable barometer of violent crime. At a national level, no other crime is measured as accurately and precisely.