FBI Releases 2011 Crime Statistics for Oregon and Washington

Today, the FBI released its annual Crime in the United States report for American cities. Nationally, violent crime fell for the fifth year in a row, dropping 4.5 percent (per 100,000 people) in 2011. Property crime fell for the ninth year in a row, dropping by 1.3 percent.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program collects data on specific violent crimes (murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and specific property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.) In 2011, six of the seven categories saw decreases nationally; only the number of burglaries increased, and that increase was slight (0.2 percent per 100,000 people).

Some highlights from cities with populations of more than 100,000 people in the Pacific Northwest include:

• The rate of violent crime for Oregon’s cities decreased by 1.5 percent (per 100,000 people), and property crime increased 2.5 percent (per 100,000 people).
• The rate of violent crime for Washington’s cities decreased by 6.0 percent (per 100,000 people), and its property crime rate decreased by 3.4 percent (per 100,000 people).
• In Portland, there were decreases in the numbers of murders/non-negligent manslaughters (from 22 to 20), robberies, and motor vehicle thefts. There were increases in the numbers of rapes, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and larceny-thefts.
• In Eugene, there were decreases in the number of rapes and motor vehicle thefts, but increases in the numbers of robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and larceny-thefts. There were no murders/non-negligent manslaughters in either 2010 or 2011.
• In Gresham, there were decreases in the number of murders/non-negligent manslaughters (seven to one), as well as rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, and motor vehicle thefts. There were increases in the numbers of burglaries and larceny-thefts.
• In Salem, there were decreases in the numbers of rapes and larceny-thefts. There were increases in the numbers of murders/non-negligent manslaughters (one to three), aggravated assaults, and burglaries. The number of robberies and motor vehicle thefts were virtually unchanged.
• In Vancouver, there were decreases in the numbers of rapes, aggravated assaults, larceny-thefts, and motor vehicle thefts. There were increases in the number of murders/non-negligent manslaughters (zero to nine), robberies, and burglaries.

The breakdown for these cities of populations of 100,000 and more is:

For specific information by region, state, and on small cities within Oregon and Washington, please refer to the following links:

• Crime in the U.S. by region, geographic division, and state
• Oregon: Offenses known to law enforcement by city
• Washington: Offenses known to law enforcement by city

More than 18,200 city, county, state, federal, college/university, and tribal law enforcement agencies voluntarily contribute data to this annual report.

The FBI simply compiles the information as it is provided from local jurisdictions. You will need to contact those local jurisdictions for any analysis of the numbers listed above. Also note that the report features a prominent message cautioning against using the statistics to rank cities or counties. Such rankings can lead to simplistic or incomplete analyses, overlooking the many variables impacting crime and its reporting.

The FBI has been producing the Uniform Crime Report since 1930.

View the entire report: Crime in the United States, 2011