Violent Crime - The Poorer You Are, The More Vulnerable To Violent Crime

Violent Crime Victimization Rates by Household Income, 1993 and 2001

If, in 2001, your Mercedes was your favorite vehicle (of several), if you lived on the large estate your dearly-departed-husband of 30 years had left you, if that place was in the rural northeast somewhere, then you probably were not the victim of a violent crime. In fact, your likelihood of having been victimized was about as low as it gets.

Those with a "widowed" marital status have lower victimization rates than married couples who, in turn, have much lower rates than those who have never been married or those divorced or separated. Women are victimized less often than men. Victimization rates decrease with age, the younger you are, the more at risk.

In 2001, the northeast beat out the south in terms of violent victimization rates by region. The west had the highest rates followed by the midwest, south, and northeast. Rural areas beat out suburban areas and suburbs saw lower rates of crime than urban centers. Finally, those with high household incomes were victimized at a lesser rate than those with low household incomes.

The victimization rates presented in the graph are for the crimes of rape, robbery, and assault, both simple and aggravated. They come from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey. Rates are given for seven categories of annual household income and for two years, 1993 and 2001. The rates are the number of victimizations per 1,000 people age 12 or older in the income range listed. The pattern is clear. There is an inverse correlation between household income and likelihood of violent criminal victimization.

The overall rate of crime rises and falls over time for a variety of reasons. The relatively higher rates at which the poor are victimized (and offend) as compared to the more affluent changes very little. During the period shown in the graph, 1993 to 2001, the rate of victimization for the most affluent group dropped by 55% and for the poorest group by 45%. Consequently, the difference in their rates actually grew over this period despite the fact that rates fell for all income groups.

Percentage Rate difference between Victimization Rates for the Lowest Income Group and the Highest Income Group, 1993-2001

In 1993, those with an income of $7,500 or less were more than twice as likely to have been violently victimized than those with incomes of $75,000 or more — 105% more. The difference between these groups was least in 1998 and then rose again to end the period at 152% — more than two and a half times higher rates for poor than rich.

The same pattern is not seen for property crimes, which are suffered disproportionately by the more affluent. However, for property crimes as for violent crimes, rates dropped more over this period for those with higher incomes than for those with lower incomes. It would appear that the minimum levels of victimization is more persistent for the poor than for the wealthy.

The next panel will address differences in criminal activity by age group.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, "Criminal Victimization 2001, Changes 2000-2001 with Trends 1993-2001," September 2002, p. 15.