American Crime data is often summarized as a single headline, but the details don’t behave that way. For example, violent incidents are down in some categories, while drug overdoses and cyber losses keep climbing, with 81,806 opioid overdose deaths recorded in 2022 and $10.3 billion lost to cybercrime that same year. To make sense of that push pull, this post connects the dots across assaults, robberies, homicide, property crime, and fraud using the latest available U.S. measures.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 369,380 reported aggravated assaults nationwide, a 2.8% decrease from 2021
- Robberies totaled 202,962 incidents in 2022, down 1.6% from prior year
- Simple assault victimization rate was 11.4 per 1,000 persons age 12+ in 2021 per NCVS
- In 2022, drug abuse violations arrests totaled 1,193,631, down 7% from 2021
- Opioid overdose deaths: 81,806 in 2022, mostly fentanyl
- Marijuana possession arrests: 227,108 in 2022
- Identity theft complaints: 1,032,901 to FTC in 2022
- Elder fraud losses: $3.4 billion in 2022
- Cybercrime complaints: 880,418 to IC3 in 2022, losses $10.3 billion
- In 2022, the United States recorded 21,156 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, a 0.3% increase from 2021, with a rate of 6.3 per 100,000 inhabitants
- Firearm homicides accounted for 79% of all homicides in the US in 2021, totaling 19,651 deaths
- The homicide rate among Black Americans was 29.0 per 100,000 in 2021, compared to 3.4 for White Americans
- In 2022, burglaries numbered 898,585 nationwide, down 0.9% from 2021
- Larceny-thefts totaled 5,245,065 incidents in 2022, a 2.1% increase
- Motor vehicle thefts rose 8.4% to 1,037,354 in 2022, highest since 2001
In 2022, violent crime fell slightly while robberies and assaults with firearms remained major concerns nationwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Assault and Robbery27 stats
01
In 2022, there were 369,380 reported aggravated assaults nationwide, a 2.8% decrease from 2021
02
Robberies totaled 202,962 incidents in 2022, down 1.6% from prior year
03
Simple assault victimization rate was 11.4 per 1,000 persons age 12+ in 2021 per NCVS
04
42% of aggravated assaults involved firearms in 2022
05
Street robberies accounted for 52% of all robberies in large cities in 2022
06
Male victims of violent crime excluding homicide: 25.1 per 1,000 in 2021
07
Aggravated assault clearance rate: 50.5% in 2022
08
Robbery rate in urban areas: 113.5 per 100,000 in 2022
09
1.1 million assaults reported to police in 2021
10
Domestic violence assaults: 20% of aggravated assaults in 2022
11
Bank robberies: 1,324 in 2022, down from 5,000+ in 1990s
12
Assault victims aged 12-24: highest rate of 25.2 per 1,000 in 2021
13
Firearm use in robberies: 29% in 2022
14
Workplace assaults: 28,490 serious incidents in 2022
15
Black victims of robbery: 2.9 per 1,000 in 2021
16
Convenience store robberies: 12,740 in 2022
17
Assault clearance in agencies under 10k pop: 62.1% in 2022
18
Elderly robbery victimization: 1.5 per 1,000 age 65+ in 2021
19
Carjacking incidents: 3,411 reported in 2022
20
Assaults with injury: 45% of aggravated assaults in 2022
21
Robbery offenders median age: 27 in 2022 arrests
22
Rural assault rate: 8.2 per 1,000 in 2021 NCVS
23
School-related assaults: 98,000 in 2021-22 school year
24
Repeat victimization for assault: 25% within 1 year
25
Strong-arm robberies: 45% of total robberies in 2022
26
Assault on law enforcement: 62,500 officers assaulted in 2022
27
Female assault victims: 10.8 per 1,000 in 2021
Interpretation
Assault and Robbery Interpretation
While there is a slight, almost polite, decline in the overall numbers, the persistent and deeply troubling snapshot of American violence reveals we're still a nation where arguments are too often settled with a firearm, robberies are a coin flip for being solved, and the young, the Black community, and convenience store clerks bear a disproportionate burden of our collective failure to find better ways to disagree or get what we want.
02 · Category
Drug Offenses27 stats
01
In 2022, drug abuse violations arrests totaled 1,193,631, down 7% from 2021
02
Opioid overdose deaths: 81,806 in 2022, mostly fentanyl
03
Marijuana possession arrests: 227,108 in 2022
04
Drug trafficking organizations dismantled: 1,200+ in FY2022
05
Synthetic opioids seizures: 379 million doses in 2022
06
Methamphetamine lab incidents: 179 in 2022, down from thousands pre-2010
07
Heroin overdose deaths: 9,289 in 2021
08
Drug possession arrests for juveniles: 40,200 in 2022
09
Fentanyl pills seized: 115 million in 2023
10
Cocaine trafficking arrests: 25,000 in 2022
11
Drug-induced deaths rate: 32.4 per 100,000 in 2022
12
Border drug seizures: 2.4 million lbs marijuana in FY2022
13
Prescription opioid misuse: 9.3 million past-year users in 2021
14
Crack cocaine arrests: 12,500 in 2022
15
Rural drug overdose rate: 21.0 per 100,000 vs urban 18.5 in 2021
16
Drug court participants: 150,000 annually
17
Black drug arrest rate: 3x White rate for possession
18
Fentanyl trafficking indictments: 4,000+ in 2022
19
Drug paraphernalia arrests: 15,000 in 2022
20
Veteran drug overdoses: 6,176 in 2021
21
Cartel-related drug violence: 30,000 US seizures linked
22
Drug testing positives in workplace: 4.6% in 2022
23
Juvenile drug sales arrests: 15,400 in 2022
24
MDMA/ecstasy seizures: 500 lbs in FY2022
25
Drug overdose disparities: Native Americans 56.6 per 100,000 in 2022
26
Pill mill closures: 1,200 since 2012
27
Drug possession conviction rate: 85% of arrests in 2022
Interpretation
Drug Offenses Interpretation
While we’re handcuffing more people for simple possession, the real grim reaper—the synthetic opioid trade—is slipping through the cracks, leaving a trail of tragedy that makes our current enforcement priorities look tragically misaligned.
03 · Category
Fraud and Cybercrime29 stats
01
Identity theft complaints: 1,032,901 to FTC in 2022
02
Elder fraud losses: $3.4 billion in 2022
03
Cybercrime complaints: 880,418 to IC3 in 2022, losses $10.3 billion
04
Investment scams: $3.3 billion losses in 2022
05
Phishing/vishing/smishing: 298,878 complaints, $52 million loss in 2022
06
Business email compromise: $2.7 billion losses from 21,439 complaints in 2022
07
Ponzi scheme losses: $4 billion recovered since 2019
08
Credit card fraud: $7.5 billion losses in 2022
09
Ransomware attacks: 4,104 on US entities in 2023
10
Wire fraud in mortgages: $1.9 billion in 2022
11
Romance scams: 70,000 victims, $1.3 billion loss in 2022
12
Tech support scams: 23,000 complaints, $852 million loss
13
Securities fraud convictions: 400+ in FY2022
14
Health care fraud: $4.3 billion charged in 2022
15
Cryptocurrency scams: $3.9 billion losses in 2022
16
Check fraud: 680,000 complaints, $12.5 billion exposure
17
Corporate fraud recoveries: $2.9 billion in FY2022
18
Online auction fraud: 15,000 complaints in 2022
19
Government imposter scams: 180,000 victims, $700 million loss
20
Embezzlement convictions: 1,200 in federal courts 2022
21
PPP loan fraud: $64 billion improper payments
22
Dark web cybercrime markets: $1.7 billion revenue 2022
23
Insider trading cases: 90 charged in 2022
24
Money mule recruitment: 14,000 cases in 2022
25
Tax fraud refunds: $8.8 billion improper in 2022
26
Data breaches: 1,802 in 2022 affecting 422 million records
27
Pyramid schemes: 5,000 complaints, $100 million loss
28
Wire transfer fraud recoveries: $500 million in 2022
29
Nonprofit fraud losses: $40 billion annually estimated
Interpretation
Fraud and Cybercrime Interpretation
The sheer volume and variety of these scams prove that while the American dream may be free, the grift to steal it is now a multi-trillion-dollar industry operating on every platform from your dating app to your email inbox.
More related reading
04 · Category
Homicide Statistics30 stats
01
In 2022, the United States recorded 21,156 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, a 0.3% increase from 2021, with a rate of 6.3 per 100,000 inhabitants
02
Firearm homicides accounted for 79% of all homicides in the US in 2021, totaling 19,651 deaths
03
The homicide rate among Black Americans was 29.0 per 100,000 in 2021, compared to 3.4 for White Americans
04
In 2020, there were 24,576 firearm-related homicides in the US, the highest on record
05
Homicide victimization rate for males aged 15-34 was 36.9 per 100,000 in 2021
06
Clearance rate for murders in 2022 was 52.3% nationally, varying from 90% in small agencies to 36.7% in large cities
07
In 2022, New York City reported 438 homicides, down 11.8% from 2021
08
Gang-related homicides comprised 13% of all homicides in large US cities in 2021
09
Intimate partner homicides resulted in 1,549 female victims in 2021
10
The US homicide rate peaked at 9.8 per 100,000 in 1991 and fell to 5.0 by 2014 before rising
11
In 2022, 54% of homicides involved firearms known to be used
12
Homicide rates in rural areas were 4.2 per 100,000 in 2021, versus 7.8 in urban areas
13
Child homicides under age 1 numbered 384 in 2021, mostly by maltreatment
14
Mass shootings (4+ victims) occurred 636 times in 2023, killing 693
15
Black males aged 15-34 had a homicide rate of 95.3 per 100,000 in 2021
16
Drug-related homicides increased 30% from 2019 to 2022
17
Police homicides numbered 1,145 in 2022
18
Homicide offenders were known in 64% of cases in 2022
19
In 2021, 93% of Black homicide victims were killed by firearms
20
Elderly homicide rate (65+) was 2.3 per 100,000 in 2021
21
Domestic violence homicides: 10% of total homicides in 2020
22
Chicago reported 617 homicides in 2022
23
Homicide rate for Hispanics was 7.9 per 100,000 in 2021
24
Multiple-victim homicides: 1,200 incidents in 2022
25
Homicide clearance in South region: 48.5% in 2022
26
Youth (under 18) homicide victims: 2,590 in 2021
27
Robbery-related homicides: 1,200 in 2022
28
Homicide rate in Midwest: 5.8 per 100,000 in 2022
29
Female homicide offenders: 10.5% of total in 2022
30
Pandemic-era homicide spike: +30% from 2019 to 2021
Interpretation
Homicide Statistics Interpretation
America has made a statistically precise, morbidly ironic art of distributing its violence—consistently armed, disproportionately fatal to young Black men, largely unsolved in its cities, and tragically domestic in its details—all while managing the grim feat of treating a 0.3% annual increase as stability.
05 · Category
Property Crimes29 stats
01
In 2022, burglaries numbered 898,585 nationwide, down 0.9% from 2021
02
Larceny-thefts totaled 5,245,065 incidents in 2022, a 2.1% increase
03
Motor vehicle thefts rose 8.4% to 1,037,354 in 2022, highest since 2001
04
Burglary rate: 166.2 per 100,000 in 2022
05
Residential burglaries: 57% of all burglaries in 2022
06
Shoplifting incidents: 1.2 million arrests in 2022
07
Property crime victimization rate: 19.8 per 1,000 households in 2021 NCVS
08
Auto theft clearance rate: 12.1% in 2022
09
Burglary with forced entry: 62% in 2022
10
Retail theft losses: $112 billion in 2022
11
Bike thefts: 194,000 annually, 2% clearance rate
12
Property crimes in urban areas: 23.1 per 1,000 in 2021
13
Purse snatching/pocket picking: 70,000 incidents in 2022
14
Home invasion burglaries: 1% of burglaries but 25% of violent burglaries
15
K-12 school thefts: 300,000 incidents in 2021-22
16
Catalytic converter thefts: 14,433 arrests in 2022
17
Property crime trend: down 67% since 1993 peak
18
Elderly property victimization: 16.5 per 1,000 households 65+ in 2021
19
Commercial burglaries: 38% of total in 2022
20
Mail theft complaints: 352,000 in 2022
21
Construction site thefts: $1 billion losses annually
22
Repeat property victimization: 18% within 1 year
23
Larceny value over $1,000: 15% of cases in 2022
24
Rural property crime rate: 15.2 per 1,000 in 2021
25
Black households property victimization: 22.4 per 1,000 in 2021
26
Burglar alarm effectiveness: reduces burglary risk by 300%
27
Package theft (porch piracy): 260 million incidents in 2022
28
Counterfeit goods seizures: $1.1 billion in 2022
29
Hotel room burglaries: 25,000 annually
Interpretation
Property Crimes Interpretation
America’s burglars seem to be taking a slight coffee break, shoplifters are having a moment, and car thieves are outright throwing a party, painting a picture where your catalytic converter is far more likely to go on an adventure than the person who stole it will ever get caught for it.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). American Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-crime-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "American Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/american-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "American Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level