Violent crime and property crime rates in Washoe County are trending higher than the national average, according to data from the FBI’s 2023 Crime in the Nation statistics released earlier this month.
While the U.S. saw approximately 364 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens in 2023, Washoe County agencies reported approximately 499 violent crimes per capita in 2023. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
In fact, since 2015, Washoe County’s violent crime rate has remained higher than the national per capita, hitting a 10-year high at over 530 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2017.
Washoe County property crimes have also outpaced the national rate since 2020. Property crimes include larceny, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
In 2023, Washoe County agencies reported 2,194 property crimes per capita, while the national rate was just over 1,900 property crimes per capita.
Sandy Breault, public affairs specialist for the FBI Las Vegas Division, provided the following statement to 2 News Nevada with regards to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program and some important factors to consider in reading the data:
“Participation in the FBI’s UCR Program is voluntary and participation fluctuates not only across the data collections, but also from year to year. These reports reflect data reported to the FBI through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Summary Reporting System (SRS). For reporting year 2024, the FBI continues to accept SRS data submissions from agencies that have not yet transitioned to NIBRS to continue to provide nationally representative data. This will continue until more agencies make the transition. The challenges preventing departments from switching to NIBRS vary across agencies and states. Some of the more common challenges are funding and technology issues.”
To view the FBI's Crime in the Nation Statistics, visit this link.
