WEST VIRGINIA "IN THE MIDDLE" VIOLENT CRIME RATE - Violent Crimes Decreasing For Two Decades

(08/11/2016)

West Virginia among 50 states currently ranks at 26th. The violent crime rate is 302.0 per 100,000 (22nd lowest). Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate is 4.0 per 100,000 (25th highest) Poor socioeconomic conditions often correlate with higher incidence of crime. With the lowest labor force participation rate in the country, West Virginia's economy is one of the nation's worst. However, the state is not especially violent, reporting lower than average violent and property crime rates. Perhaps as a result, there are only 243 people employed in law enforcement for every 100,000 West Virginia residents, less than the national share of 282 law enforcement employees per 100,000 people. Despite a torrent of horrific, high-profile events, including the rampage at a gay nightclub and deadly ambushes of police officers in two cities, crime stats clearly show that the "vast majority" of Americans are, in fact, far safer than two decades ago. Politicians often misrepresent the actual statistics. In 2014, the most recent year for which full data is available, one third as many people reported being a victim of a violent crime as did in 1994, according to a Justice Department crime survey. Less than half as many were murdered. However, there are a number of major cities, that have seen a significant bump in violent crime.

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