Why crime feels worse than the numbers
Last checked
If crime feels like it’s getting worse, you’re in large company. Through most of the last 30 years, while reported crime fell, most Americans told pollsters it was rising. That matters when a move depends on how a place feels from a distance.
What people say, and what the data says
Gallup has asked the same question for decades: is there more crime in the U.S. than a year ago? Pew Research counted the answers in 2024. In 23 of 27 surveys since 1993, at least 60% said yes, during years when crime mostly fell.
The gap is narrowing. In October 2025, 49% said crime was up nationally, down from 64% a year earlier, the lowest reading since at least 2018. FBI figures showed violent crime down in both 2024 and 2025.
Your own area feels different
People have always been less worried about crime near home. In 2025, 30% said crime was up in their local area, against 49% for the country. Only 12% called crime where they live a serious problem, against 49% for the nation. Crime elsewhere reaches people secondhand, through news and social media.
Where the feeling comes from
Research points to what we watch and read. A 2003 study found that people who watched more local TV news were more afraid of crime, whatever the actual crime rate where they lived. A 2023 study looked at people who said they used neighborhood alert apps. They thought local crime was higher than it was, after accounting for actual rates. Both studies show links, not proof of cause, but they point the same way.
Alerts and posts report events one at a time. A rate puts them against a whole population and a whole year.
How to check, instead of guessing
- Look at rates over several years, not this week’s alerts.
- Compare violent and property crime separately.
- Read the source’s notes on what it counts and what it misses.
Our guides to reading a crime rate and crime trends go further. A crime rate counts events. It says nothing about the people who live there.
See the rates for yourself
The crime rate layer shows reported crime per 1,000 residents for each area.