Crime Categories

The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program groups reported offenses into two major Part I categories: violent crime and property crime. Each Part I category has four specific offenses defined by the FBI and reported by local law enforcement agencies.

Violent Crime

FBI Part I violent offenses. Persons crimes involving force, threat, or attempted force.

Murder & Non-Negligent Manslaughter
Willful killing of one person by another (excludes negligent manslaughter and justifiable homicide).
Rape
Penetration, however slight, without consent. FBI revised definition effective 2013.
Robbery
Taking or attempting to take anything of value by force or threat of force.
Aggravated Assault
Unlawful attack for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.

Property Crime

FBI Part I property offenses. Loss or destruction of property without personal force or threat.

Burglary
Unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. Includes forcible and unlawful entry.
Larceny-Theft
Unlawful taking of property from possession without force. Typically the largest UCR category by count.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. Excludes taking by a person with lawful access.
Arson
Willful or malicious burning or attempting to burn a dwelling, structure, or property.

See the data

Safest cities (lowest violent rate) → Most dangerous cities (highest violent rate) → Lowest property crime cities → Composite safety scores → National violent & property crime trends → State-by-state safety grade distributions →

Category Definitions & Methodology

Category definitions follow the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program Handbook and the annual Crime in the United States report. Violent crime counts are the sum of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime counts are the sum of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Only Part I offenses are counted in the UCR rate calculations presented on PlainCrime; Part II offenses (e.g., simple assault, vandalism, drug abuse violations, DUI) are tracked separately by the FBI and are not reflected in the violent or property rates shown on this site. Population denominators for rate calculations come from FBI reporting tables, cross-checked against U.S. Census Bureau estimates when FBI populations are unavailable.

The FBI revised the rape definition in 2013 to a more inclusive standard. Comparisons across the definitional change should be interpreted carefully — see our UCR explainer guide for details.