Crime, policing and criminal justice were key issues for voters in the 2024 US election, with talk of America's "out of control" violence dominating much of this year's political discourse. In reality, however, the numbers show that the country's violent crime rates have fallen steadily in recent decades.

Using figures from the FBI and the World Bank, Visual Capitalist charted the number of violent crimes per 100,000 people from 1986 to 2023. In America, the four offenses categorized as violent crimes are homicide (murder and non-negligent manslaughter), rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Violent crime in the US peaked in 1991, under George HW Bush, when 721 violent offenses were recorded per 100,000 people.

Bill Clinton's presidency saw the biggest drop in violent crime since 1986, with the rate falling from 692 in 1993 to 473 in 2000.

The country's violent crime rate fell to a historic low during the pandemic, then spiked in 2022 before declining slightly the following year.

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Via Visual Capitalist.