Crime in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton's crime rate

There were 2,685 crimes reported in Trenton, New Jersey in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 3,217 incidents for every 100,000 people.

How does Trenton compare?

Trenton has a higher overall crime rate than the vast majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Trenton's overall crime rate is 109% 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 Trenton, however, property crimes account for only about 65% of all offenses.

Property crime is about as prevalent in Trenton than it is nationwide. There were 1,748 property crimes in Trenton in 2019, or 2,095 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 Trenton. There were 1,142 larcenies reported in Trenton in 2019, or 1,368 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 360 break-ins reported in Trenton in 2019, or 431 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 Trenton, meanwhile, there were 246 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 295 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 Trenton, however, violent offenses account for a much larger 35% share of all reported crime.

At 1,123 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Trenton is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Trenton reported a total of 937 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 Trenton. There were 552 aggravated assaults reported in Trenton in 2019, or 661 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 300 robberies reported in Trenton in 2019, a rate of 360 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 70 rapes reported in Trenton in 2019, or 84 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 15 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Trenton is 18.0 murders for every 100,000 people, more than triple the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Trenton compared to other cities in New Jersey

Trenton 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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