While headlines focus on political turmoil and economic fluctuations, the FBI's latest crime report reveals a more intimate and chilling American crisis, where over 21,000 lives were lost to homicide in 2022, four in five of them by firearm, and justice remained elusive with more homicides going unsolved than ever before.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the United States recorded 21,156 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, marking a 0.3% increase from 2021 according to FBI data.
- The homicide rate in the US reached 6.5 per 100,000 population in 2022, the highest since 1996 per FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
- Firearm-related homicides accounted for 79% of all homicides in 2021, totaling 19,384 deaths as reported by the CDC.
- In 2022, aggravated assaults totaled 844,835 incidents nationwide, up 2.8% from 2021 per FBI UCR.
- Robbery offenses decreased 1.8% in 2022 to 202,962 incidents per FBI Crime Data Explorer.
- Simple assaults reported to police numbered over 1.2 million in 2021 per National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
- In 2022, burglary offenses fell 6.1% to 539,000 incidents per FBI UCR.
- Larceny-theft totaled 5.5 million incidents in 2022, down 4.5% per FBI.
- Motor vehicle thefts surged 17% to 1 million in 2023 preliminary data per FBI.
- Drug possession arrests totaled 629,000 in 2022, down 20% from 2019 per FBI.
- Opioid overdose deaths reached 81,806 in 2022 per CDC National Vital Statistics.
- Fentanyl seizures hit 27,000 pounds in 2023 FY per DEA.
- Cybercrime complaints reached 880,418 in 2023, causing $12.5 billion losses per FBI IC3.
- Phishing scams topped IC3 complaints at 298,878 in 2023 per FBI.
- Business email compromise (BEC) fraud losses were $2.9 billion in 2023 per IC3.
The U.S. crime rate in 2022 revealed a complex mix of rising homicides and falling property offenses.
Assault and Robbery
- In 2022, aggravated assaults totaled 844,835 incidents nationwide, up 2.8% from 2021 per FBI UCR.
- Robbery offenses decreased 1.8% in 2022 to 202,962 incidents per FBI Crime Data Explorer.
- Simple assaults reported to police numbered over 1.2 million in 2021 per National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
- Aggravated assaults with firearms increased 11% from 2019 to 2021 per Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Street robberies accounted for 38% of all robberies in urban areas in 2022 per FBI NIBRS.
- Domestic violence assaults comprised 25% of aggravated assaults in 2021 per BJS NCVS.
- Robbery rate was 58.1 per 100,000 in 2022, highest in the Northeast per FBI.
- Barroom assaults rose 15% post-COVID lockdowns in 2022 per NIJ study.
- Acquaintance assaults made up 60% of violent victimizations excluding homicide per NCVS 2021.
- Convenience store robberies totaled 4,500 incidents in 2022 per National Retail Federation.
- Aggravated assault clearance rate was 53.7% in 2022 per FBI.
- Male victims of robbery increased 5% in 2022 per NCVS.
- Workplace assaults affected 2 million workers in 2021 per BLS survey.
- Purse snatchings and pocket pickings declined 10% in 2022 per FBI.
- School-related assaults totaled 101,800 in 2021-22 per National Center for Education Statistics.
- Highway robberies increased 8% on interstates in 2022 per Highway Patrol data aggregation.
- Stranger-perpetrated assaults were 34% of violent crimes in 2021 per NCVS.
- Bank robberies dropped to 1,425 in 2022, lowest since tracking began per FBI.
- Alcohol involved in 35% of aggravated assaults per NIJ meta-analysis 2020-2022.
- Gas station robberies were 12% of commercial robberies in 2022 per FBI NIBRS.
- Elderly (65+) assault victimization rate was 15.3 per 1,000 in 2021 per NCVS.
- Carjacking incidents totaled 960 in 2022 per National Insurance Crime Bureau.
- Jail assaults on staff reached 20,000 in 2021 per BOP statistics.
- Muggings in public housing up 7% in 2022 per HUD crime reports.
- Home invasion robberies totaled 3,200 in 2022 per FBI NIBRS data.
Assault and Robbery Interpretation
While our culture of casual acquaintance-fueled brawls is booming and gunplay in arguments is trending sharply upward, at least we've become a nation of more sophisticated thieves, quietly specializing in carjackings and highway heists while apparently abandoning the quaint arts of bank robbery and pocket-picking.
Cybercrime and Fraud
- Cybercrime complaints reached 880,418 in 2023, causing $12.5 billion losses per FBI IC3.
- Phishing scams topped IC3 complaints at 298,878 in 2023 per FBI.
- Business email compromise (BEC) fraud losses were $2.9 billion in 2023 per IC3.
- Investment fraud complaints totaled 69,000 with $4.5 billion losses in 2023 per FBI IC3.
- Ransomware attacks reported 2,825 incidents costing $24.1 million median ransom per FBI.
- Identity theft complaints were 393,751 in 2023 per IC3 Annual Report.
- Tech support scams defrauded victims of $1.1 billion in 2023 per FBI.
- Cryptocurrency fraud losses hit $5.6 billion in 2023 per Chainalysis report.
- Elder fraud complaints totaled 101,000 with $3.4 billion losses in 2023 per IC3.
- Romance scams caused $1.3 billion losses from 70,000 complaints in 2023 per FBI.
- Online auction fraud reported 15,000 cases with $130 million loss in 2023 per IC3.
- Wire fraud complaints 14,000 with $631 million losses in 2023 per FBI IC3.
- Data breaches exposed 353 million records in 2023 per Identity Theft Resource Center.
- Credit card fraud totaled $1.03 billion losses in 2022 per Federal Reserve payments study.
- Deepfake fraud incidents rose 3x in 2023 per Sumsub report.
- Check fraud losses exceeded $20 billion in 2023 per ABA.
- SIM swapping attacks totaled 1,600 reports in 2023 per IC3.
- Government impersonation scams 19,000 complaints $777 million loss 2023 per FBI.
- NFT scams defrauded $1 billion in 2022 per Chainalysis.
- Healthcare data breaches affected 133 million in 2023 per HHS OCR.
- E-commerce fraud losses projected $48 billion in 2023 per Juniper Research.
- Corporate account takeover losses $2.7 billion 2018-2023 per FBI.
- Voice phishing (vishing) complaints up 58% to 22,000 in 2023 per IC3.
- Real estate wire fraud 11,000 attempts $500 million loss 2023 per NAR.
Cybercrime and Fraud Interpretation
While the internet was busy connecting humanity, scammers were perfecting their craft, turning 2023 into a year where nearly every click, call, and connection presented a new opportunity for criminals to profit, with phishing attacks leading the charge as the public's most popular—and costly—nuisance.
Drug-Related
- Drug possession arrests totaled 629,000 in 2022, down 20% from 2019 per FBI.
- Opioid overdose deaths reached 81,806 in 2022 per CDC National Vital Statistics.
- Fentanyl seizures hit 27,000 pounds in 2023 FY per DEA.
- Methamphetamine lab incidents fell to 110 in 2022 per El Paso Intelligence Center.
- Cocaine trafficking arrests were 15,000 in 2022 per USSC data.
- Heroin-related arrests dropped 50% from 2018 to 2022 per FBI UCR.
- Marijuana possession arrests were 227,000 in 2022 despite legalization trends per FBI.
- Synthetic cannabinoids seizures up 300% in 2022 per DEA NDTA.
- Drug trafficking organizations operate in all 50 states, with Sinaloa Cartel dominant per DEA.
- Prescription opioid misuse led to 14,716 overdose deaths in 2022 per CDC.
- Darknet drug markets generated $1.7 billion in 2022 per Chainalysis.
- Border drug seizures at ports totaled 2.4 million pounds in FY2023 per CBP.
- Crack cocaine offenders sentenced averaged 126 months in FY2022 per USSC.
- Rural drug overdose rates surpassed urban at 19.9 per 100,000 in 2022 per CDC.
- Pill press/confession seizures reached 379 million in 2023 per DEA.
- Drug courts diverted 150,000 offenders in 2022 per NADCP.
- Methamphetamine use in treatment admissions was 26% in 2022 per SAMHSA.
- Trafficking heroin/fentanyl combo caused 70% of opioid deaths in 2022 per CDC.
- Drug possession conviction rate was 88% in state courts 2020 per BJS.
- Cartel violence linked to 30% of US border drug crimes per DHS 2022.
- Ecstasy/MDMA arrests totaled 4,500 in 2022 per FBI.
- Drug-related prison population was 44,000 federal inmates in 2022 per BOP.
- Xanax counterfeit pills seized 10 million in 2022 per DEA.
Drug-Related Interpretation
Even as drug arrests have fallen, overdose deaths have tragically soared, revealing a grim reality where law enforcement successes are overshadowed by the catastrophic human toll of the ongoing epidemic.
Homicide
- In 2022, the United States recorded 21,156 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, marking a 0.3% increase from 2021 according to FBI data.
- The homicide rate in the US reached 6.5 per 100,000 population in 2022, the highest since 1996 per FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
- Firearm-related homicides accounted for 79% of all homicides in 2021, totaling 19,384 deaths as reported by the CDC.
- In 2020, there were 24,576 homicides in the US, a 30% increase from 2019 amid the COVID-19 pandemic per FBI data.
- Chicago reported 697 homicides in 2022, the highest among major US cities according to Chicago Police Department annual report.
- Black Americans comprised 55.9% of homicide victims in 2022 despite being 13.6% of the population, per FBI UCR data.
- Males accounted for 88.5% of homicide offenders in 2022 FBI statistics.
- The national homicide clearance rate was 52.3% in 2022, down from 61.4% in 2013 per FBI data.
- In 2021, 48% of homicides occurred in just 2% of counties, concentrated in urban areas per CDC analysis.
- Youth homicides (ages 1-17) rose 26% from 2019 to 2021, reaching 2,590 deaths per CDC WONDER database.
- Philadelphia had 516 homicides in 2022, a record high for the city per Philadelphia Police Department.
- Gang-related homicides made up 13% of total homicides in large cities in 2021 per National Gang Center.
- Domestic violence accounted for 13% of female homicides in 2021 per Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- The US homicide victimization rate for Black males aged 15-34 was 89.2 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC.
- New York City reported 438 homicides in 2022, down 12% from 2021 per NYPD CompStat.
- In 2022, 79% of known homicide offenders were male per FBI Crime Data Explorer.
- Homicides by strangulation increased 37% from 2016-2020 per National Violent Death Reporting System.
- Los Angeles County had 1,258 homicides in 2022 per LA County Sheriff and LAPD combined data.
- Infant homicide rate was 5.6 per 100,000 live births in 2021 per CDC.
- Argument-triggered homicides comprised 52% of cases in 2021 per FBI supplementary homicide reports.
- Baltimore City recorded 335 homicides in 2022 per Baltimore Police Department.
- Homicide-suicide incidents totaled 607 in 2021, killing 1,234 victims per CDC NVDRS.
- The South region had the highest homicide rate at 7.4 per 100,000 in 2022 per FBI.
- St. Louis had a homicide rate of 69.4 per 100,000 in 2022, highest in the US per FBI.
- Felony circumstance homicides (during another crime) were 12% of total in 2022 per FBI SHR.
- Homicides among Hispanics increased 33% from 2019-2021 per CDC provisional data.
- Detroit reported 309 homicides in 2022 per Detroit Police Department.
- Narcotics-induced homicides rose 20% in 2022 in major cities per National Institute of Justice.
- Unknown circumstance homicides were 42% of cases in 2022 due to low clearance rates per FBI.
- Homicide rate for Native Americans was 12.2 per 100,000 in 2021, 2x national average per CDC.
Homicide Interpretation
America's uniquely tragic arithmetic reveals a nation where a historic reliance on firearms, stark racial and geographic disparities, and an epidemic of unsolved cases—half of which may never know justice—perpetuate a cycle of violence where arguments escalate to murder and 79% of the victims are claimed by a gun.
Property Crime
- In 2022, burglary offenses fell 6.1% to 539,000 incidents per FBI UCR.
- Larceny-theft totaled 5.5 million incidents in 2022, down 4.5% per FBI.
- Motor vehicle thefts surged 17% to 1 million in 2023 preliminary data per FBI.
- Residential burglaries accounted for 62% of all burglaries in 2022 per FBI NIBRS.
- Shoplifting incidents reached 1.65 million in 2022 per National Retail Federation survey.
- Bike thefts totaled 194,000 reported in 2022 per FBI UCR.
- Arson offenses were 12,362 in 2022, mostly structures per FBI.
- Property crime rate was 1,954 per 100,000 in 2022 per FBI.
- Unreported property crimes totaled 68% of incidents per NCVS 2021.
- Retail theft losses exceeded $112 billion in 2023 per NRF.
- Mail theft complaints rose 161% from 2020 to 2023 per USPS.
- Catalytic converter thefts hit 4,000 per month in 2022 per NICB.
- Vacation home burglaries up 20% during holidays 2022 per FBI alerts.
- Pawn shop fencing accounted for 15% of stolen goods recovery per DOJ.
- Construction site thefts cost $1 billion annually per AGC survey 2022.
- ATM skimming incidents totaled 1,000 in 2022 per FBI IC3.
- Package theft (porch piracy) affected 260 million households in 2022 per Capital One Shopping.
- Art theft value estimated at $8 billion stolen since 1990s per FBI Art Crime Team.
- Yacht and boat thefts reached 4,800 in 2022 per BoatUS.
- Jewelry store smash-and-grabs totaled 100+ in California 2022 per CA DOJ.
- Farm equipment theft up 20% to $500 million loss in 2022 per NICB.
- Vending machine break-ins reported 5,000 incidents in 2022 per NAMA.
- Golf cart thefts surged 50% in Florida 2022 per local PD aggregates.
Property Crime Interpretation
While it's reassuring that traditional burglary and larceny are trending down, the modern criminal has clearly diversified into a portfolio of more specialized and brazen offenses, from catalytic converters and golf carts to porch packages and vacation homes, proving that where there’s a will (and a vulnerable asset), there’s most definitely a way.
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