Indicator: Exposure to neighborhood crime
Definition
The rate of violent and property crimes in a city or county.
RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)
Rate of violent felonies and property felonies by city or county (number of incidents per 100,000 residents)
Type(s) of Data Needed
Administrative dataWhy it matters
Neighborhood rates of violent crime are negatively associated with rates of upward economic mobility. At the individual level, exposure to neighborhood crime leads to lower academic performance and higher levels of stress and trauma. In addition, adolescents exposed to violence in their communities are more likely to engage in externalizing behaviors, including engaging in violent crimes themselves. Black and Latino individuals are more likely to be exposed to neighborhood violence than other racial and ethnic groups.
What to know about measurement
Law enforcement agencies across the country submit data on both violent crimes and property crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program via the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Data are released publicly on a quarterly basis through the FBI UCR Crime Data Explorer (CDE). UCR data are available at the city and county level for most jurisdictions in the United States. It is worth noting that many crimes are underreported to police; thus, these data may not capture all instances of violence experienced in a neighborhood. In particular, domestic violence and sexual violence are among the most underreported violent crimes.
E-W Case Studies
Source frameworks
This indicator appeared in four source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our proposed definition and measure align with the Urban Institute’s Boosting Upward Mobility framework.
References
The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.