Plainfield's crime rate
There were 997 crimes reported in Plainfield, New Jersey in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 1,971 incidents for every 100,000 people.
How does Plainfield compare?
Plainfield has a lower overall crime rate than the country as a whole. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.
Plainfield's overall crime rate is 28% higher than the overall crime rate in New Jersey. Statewide, there were 137,012 crimes reported in 2019, or 1,543 for every 100,000 people.
What types of crimes are being committed?
The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.
Property crime
The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Plainfield, however, property crimes account for only about 81% of all offenses.
Property crime is less prevalent in Plainfield than it is nationwide. There were 805 property crimes in Plainfield in 2019, or 1,592 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.
Larceny
Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Plainfield. There were 607 larcenies reported in Plainfield in 2019, or 1,200 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.
Burglary
There were 140 break-ins reported in Plainfield in 2019, or 277 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Plainfield, meanwhile, there were 58 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 115 for every 100,000 people.
Violent crime
Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Plainfield, however, violent offenses account for a larger 19% share of all reported crime.
At 380 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Plainfield is about the same as the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Plainfield reported a total of 192 violent crimes in 2019.
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Plainfield. There were 97 aggravated assaults reported in Plainfield in 2019, or 192 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is higher, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.
Robbery
Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 90 robberies reported in Plainfield in 2019, a rate of 178 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.
Rape
There were 2 rapes reported in Plainfield in 2019, or 4 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.
Murder
There were 3 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Plainfield is 5.9 murders for every 100,000 people, higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.
Plainfield compared to other cities in New Jersey
Plainfield has a higher crime rate than the vast majority of all comparable cities in New Jersey. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.
Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.
Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.
Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.
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