US violent crime decreased in 2023, hate crimes rose, FBI reports

Incidents of violent crime in the United States fell by 3% last year, while the number of hate crimes rose, the FBI said in an annual report released on Monday.

The report collects crime data from more than 16,000 state and local law enforcement agencies who collectively represent about 85% of the FBI’s crime data reporting program.

The FBI said that murder and non-negligent manslaughter was down about 11.6% while reports of rape decreased by about 9.4%.

But the number of hate crimes reported rose by 2% to 11,862 from 11,634, the report said.

Hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States for several years. The FBI last year reported a surge of 11.6% in 2021 from 2020, with the largest number of incidents spurred by bias against Black people.

Monday’s report on violent crime trends runs counter to claims by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked his Democratic rival Kamala Harris for her record on crime and safety and claimed without evidence that migrants who cross the border illegally are responsible for a rising tide of violent crime.

Read more: Reuters