Violent crime down, carjackings up, according to FBI crime statistics

Violent crime ticked down in 2022, and car thefts spiked, according to data released by the FBI Monday.

The FBI's 2022 crime report compiles crime statistics from law enforcement agencies and partners nationwide, painting a picture of top crime trends in the U.S. Crime and public safety consistently rank high among issues for Americans heading to the polls, with politicians on both sides of the aisle messaging on violent crime and gun control measures. 

Here's what the latest numbers tell us. 

Violent crime trending down

Nationwide violent crime waned a little in 2022, according to the FBI report. Accounting for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, violent crime decreased collectively by 1.7% last year.

Homicides dropped by 6.1% nationwide, while aggravated assaults dipped by just 1.1% overall. Rape decreased by 5.4% in 2022, according to the data.

Guns used in 80% of murder, manslaughter crimes 

Firearms ranked highest among weapons used in violent crime offenses, with roughly 80.3% of murder and manslaughter crimes carried out with guns, according to FBI data.

Overall, an estimated 488,900 violent crime offenses reported involved one or more guns in 2022, marking a 0.6% increase compared to last year.

More minors were shot in 2022 than in 2021, according to the FBI statistics. While fatal and non-fatal gun deaths decreased for adults, the estimated volume of juvenile victims of fatal gun violence increased by a whopping 11.8%, from 1,300 to 1,500. Non-fatal gunshot incidents for juveniles also increased — spiking by 10.6%, from 61,800 to 68,300.

Car thefts up 

Motor vehicle theft saw a substantial increase of 8.6% from 2021 to 2022, with nearly a million vehicles stolen in 2022. According to FBI data, nearly 70,000 people were arrested for motor vehicle theft in 2022, including 2,000 who were carrying a firearm at the time of arrest.  

Carjackings were up 8.1% in 2022, compared to the previous year. Nearly 90% of carjackings involved a weapon, and more offenders worked in groups, marking a 13% increase in arrests involving two or more suspects. Males under the age of 18 accounted for 17.8% of those arrested. 

Data shows nearly half of all carjackings occur at night, between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. 

Hate crimes 

Hate crime statistics released by the FBI show that reported incidents in 2022 rose to 11,634 incidents, the highest number recorded since the FBI started tracking data in 1991 and marking a 0.5% increase compared with 2021. 

Reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crime incidents rose by more than 37%, reaching 1,122 incidents. 

"Reported hate crime incidents across the country have once again reached record highs, with anti-Jewish hate crimes at a number not seen in decades," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement, calling the reality of the data "sobering," albeit "not surprising."

Property crimes spike on college campuses 

Property crime rose 7.1% from 2021 to 2022, with property crimes on college campuses spiking 35.4% in 2022, according to the FBI.

There were more than 6.5 million instances of property crime reported to the FBI in 2022, the bureau said. 

Larceny —property theft without violence — increased by 7.8% compared to 2021. 

More police agencies contributed statistics to FBI

In 2022, more than 15,000 police agencies nationwide submitted crime data to the FBI, an increase of roughly 1,500 law enforcement agencies, compared with 2021. According to the FBI, the data contributed represents roughly 93% of the population. Notably, this year's report includes data from every city with a population of 1 million or greater. 

In:
• FBI
• Crime

Nicole Sganga

CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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