Special Report
Michigan's Crime Rate Has Been Higher Than Average For Decades
Published:
Violent crime has been trending downward in the United States for decades. According to the FBI, the U.S. violent crime rate — a population-adjusted measure that includes incidents of robbery, homicide, and aggravated assault — fell by nearly 90% between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s. Though a historic surge in homicides helped drive the violent crime rate up in 2020, the U.S. remains far safer than it was at any point in the 1990s.
Over the 26 year period of comprehensive FBI data, beginning in 1995 and going through 2020, the number of violent crimes reported annually in the U.S. ranged from about 1.8 million, down to less than 1.2 million. Over the same period, the violent crime rate peaked at 684 incidents for every 100,000 people in 1995, and hit a multi-decade low of 362 per 100,000 in 2014.
The FBI also tracks violent crime rates at the state level, and in Michigan, criminal violence tends to be more concentrated than it is nationwide. Nearly every year between 1995 and 2020, the violent crime rate in Michigan exceeded the national rate — and since 2005, Michigan has ranked among the 10 most dangerous states in the country.
Still, like the U.S. as a whole, Michigan is much safer now than it was in the 1990s. As of 2020, Michigan’s violent crime rate was 31% lower than it was in 1995.
While some factors that led to the reduction of criminal violence remain unknown, experts have identified several likely underlying causes. According to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit policy institute, these include an aging population, declining alcohol use, increased policing and incarceration, and several economic conditions related to inflation, unemployment, and consumer confidence.
While homicide is the most serious violent offense in the FBI’s hierarchy of violent offenses, it is also the least common. In the last 26 years, homicides have never accounted for more than 1.6% of all violent crimes reported in Michigan. In contrast, aggravated assault has accounted for over 60% of all violent offenses reported in Michigan every year.
Year | Violent crimes per 100,000 people in Michigan | Violent crimes per 100,000 people in the U.S. | Total violent crimes in Michigan | Total violent crimes in U.S. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 478.0 | 398.5 | 47,641 | 1,313,105 |
2019 | 438.6 | 380.8 | 43,793 | 1,250,393 |
2018 | 452.5 | 383.4 | 45,176 | 1,252,399 |
2017 | 449.9 | 394.9 | 44,883 | 1,283,875 |
2016 | 460.9 | 397.5 | 45,782 | 1,285,606 |
2015 | 420.6 | 373.7 | 41,712 | 1,199,310 |
2014 | 429.1 | 361.6 | 42,555 | 1,153,022 |
2013 | 452.2 | 369.1 | 44,757 | 1,168,298 |
2012 | 455.0 | 387.8 | 44,962 | 1,217,057 |
2011 | 442.8 | 387.1 | 43,731 | 1,206,031 |
2010 | 493.0 | 404.5 | 48,693 | 1,251,248 |
2009 | 499.8 | 431.9 | 49,825 | 1,325,896 |
2008 | 514.9 | 458.6 | 51,512 | 1,394,461 |
2007 | 533.8 | 471.8 | 53,765 | 1,422,970 |
2006 | 564.4 | 479.3 | 56,981 | 1,435,123 |
2005 | 553.8 | 469.0 | 55,936 | 1,390,745 |
2004 | 492.2 | 463.2 | 49,737 | 1,360,088 |
2003 | 511.3 | 475.8 | 51,550 | 1,383,676 |
2002 | 540.7 | 494.4 | 54,306 | 1,423,677 |
2001 | 553.9 | 504.5 | 55,424 | 1,439,480 |
2000 | 555.0 | 506.5 | 55,159 | 1,425,486 |
1999 | 574.9 | 523.0 | 56,709 | 1,426,044 |
1998 | 620.8 | 567.6 | 60,947 | 1,533,887 |
1997 | 590.0 | 611.0 | 57,663 | 1,636,099 |
1996 | 635.3 | 636.6 | 60,951 | 1,688,540 |
1995 | 687.8 | 684.5 | 65,680 | 1,798,792 |
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