Crime in the 2010s
Crime reached historic lows, but the decade ended with rising tensions around policing, mass shootings, and the opioid epidemic.
Key Insights
- →Violent crime rate: 404.5 (2010) → 397.5 (2016) — -1.7%
- →Homicide rate: 4.8 → 5.4 per 100K — +13.0%
- →Property crime rate: 2945.9 → 2451.6 — -16.8%
- →Crime reaches 50-year lows (2014)
Start vs End of Decade
Violent Crime Rate
2010
404.5
↓ 1.7%
2016
397.5
Homicide Rate
2010
4.8
↑ 13.0%
2016
5.4
Property Crime Rate
2010
2945.9
↓ 16.8%
2016
2451.6
Year-by-Year Crime Rates
What Defined This Era
The 2010s brought crime to generational lows but also exposed deep fractures in the relationship between police and communities. The killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others sparked a national reckoning. Mass shootings became grimly routine. The opioid epidemic killed tens of thousands annually, reshaping drug-related crime.
Key Events
- •Crime reaches 50-year lows (2014)
- •Ferguson protests and Black Lives Matter movement (2014)
- •Opioid epidemic declared a public health emergency
- •Mass shootings: Sandy Hook, Pulse, Las Vegas, Parkland
- •Slight uptick in violent crime (2015-2016), the "Ferguson Effect" debate
Policy Changes
- ⚖First Step Act — federal criminal justice reform (2018)
- ⚖Marijuana legalization spreads (Colorado, Washington first in 2012)
- ⚖Police body camera adoption accelerates
- ⚖Ban the Box movement for employment applications
- ⚖Bail reform efforts in multiple states
Notable Cases & Events
- ▸Sandy Hook school shooting (2012)
- ▸Boston Marathon bombing (2013)
- ▸Charleston church shooting (2015)
- ▸Pulse nightclub shooting (2016)
- ▸Las Vegas mass shooting (2017)
- ▸Parkland school shooting (2018)