Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2024
Did crime go down in Colorado in 2023?
Crime in Colorado fell in nearly all categories while remaining higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Violent crime decreased more than 6% from 2022 to 2023, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Nonconsensual sex offenses dropped 12%, robberies declined 14% and aggravated assaults decreased by 3%.
Murders came down 16.4% but were still 37% higher than 2019.
The trend corresponded with a national decline in the violent crime rate, which fell 6% from 2022 to 2023, according to the FBI’s quarterly uniform crime report. All violent crime categories were still higher than 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Many less serious crimes in Colorado also trended downward in 2023. Larcenies dipped 6.4%. Burglaries decreased 10.2%.
More than 4,000 fewer motor vehicle thefts occurred in 2023, a decrease of 17% from 2022, but 74% more than in 2019.
Fraud was one crime that rose, ticking up 3%.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation Violent Crime 2023
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crime Percent Change By Region from Quarter 4, 2022 and Quarter 4, 2023
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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