By D.J. Summers | Common Sense Institute
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently revised its national crime data to reflect latecomer reports from police agencies. In doing so, it was revealed that the national violent crime rate rose in 2023 rather than fell. CSI is presenting the FBI’s Colorado’s crime data to firmly establish the Centennial State’s trends, which remain largely unchanged as a result of the update.
Crucially, crime is not just a social ill but an economic one. Previous CSI findings have highlighted the negative economic consequences of crime. In 2022, the tangible and intangible costs of Colorado’s crime totaled $4,623 per Coloradan.
Key Findings
- Even though Colorado’s violent crime rate came down in 2023 from a peak in 2022, it is still at an elevated rate equivalent to the average rate of violent crime during the mid-nineteen nineties (1994 and 1995)
- It again has the 8th-highest violent crime rate among U.S. states and the District of Columbia, the same ranking as in 2022.
- While Colorado’s property crime rate came down in 2023 from a peak in 2022, it is still a top ten state with the nation’s 4th-highest property crime rate.
- Colorado ranks 4th highest in the nation for auto theft, down from #1 in 2021.