Property crime down 5% in Colorado, FBI data show
By Cindy House 
| September 14, 2009 | 2:12 PM
Property crime rates were down about 5 percent from 2007 to 2008, new data released from the FBI show. The overall rate of violent crime in Colorado was down slightly.
In particular, the rate of motor vehicle thefts in the state was down nearly 21 percent. In the West, car theft rates declined nearly 18 percent, and about 13 percent in the U.S. as a whole.
The violent crime rate in the U.S. was down nearly 3 percent, led by a nearly 5 percent decline in the murder rate.
In Colorado, the murder rate rose 1 percent, the rape rate rose about 3 percent, the robbery rate was down about 4 percent, and the aggravated assault rate declined about 1 percent. Overall, the violent crime rate declined about 1 percent.
The FBI tracks actual numbers of crimes and also calculates the rate per 100,000 people.
| Area | Year | Population | Violent Crime Rate* | Murder Rate | Rape Rate | Robbery Rate | Agg. Assault Rate | Property Crime Rate | Burglary Rate | Larceny Rate | Car Theft Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colo. | 2007 | 4,861,515 | 347.8 | 3.1 | 41.1 | 71.0 | 232.5 | 3,006.1 | 591.4 | 2,069.3 | 345.4 |
| 2008 | 4,939,456 | 343.1 | 3.2 | 42.5 | 68.1 | 229.3 | 2,849.0 | 572.0 | 2,003.3 | 273.7 | |
| % Chg. | 1.6 | -1.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | -4.1 | -1.4 | -5.2 | -3.3 | -3.2 | -20.8 | |
| West | 2007 | 70,096,950 | 463.7 | 5.3 | 30.9 | 150.4 | 277.1 | 3,342.3 | 689.9 | 2,094.9 | 557.4 |
| 2008 | 70,854,948 | 445.4 | 4.8 | 30.2 | 146.4 | 264.0 | 3,200.7 | 679.3 | 2,063.0 | 458.3 | |
| % Chg. | 1.1 | -3.9 | -7.8 | -2.2 | -2.6 | -4.8 | -4.2 | -1.5 | -1.5 | -17.8 | |
| U.S. | 2007 | 301,621,157 | 466.9 | 5.6 | 30.0 | 147.6 | 283.8 | 3,263.5 | 722.5 | 2,177.8 | 363.3 |
| 2008 | 304,059,724 | 454.5 | 5.4 | 29.3 | 145.3 | 274.6 | 3,212.5 | 730.8 | 2,167.0 | 314.7 | |
| % Chg. | 0.8 | -2.7 | -4.7 | -2.4 | -1.5 | -3.2 | -1.6 | 1.2 | -0.5 | -13.4 |
*Rates are based on number of crimes per 100,000 people.
car theft, colorado, crime data, fbi, murder
