By Tatiana Bailey | Commentary, Denver Gazette
There’s been a lot of attention in the media regarding rising crime within Colorado Springs.
As someone who works closely with public data, I always try to avoid sensationalism and instead ask: What’s driving this, and how do we compare to the U.S. and other cities?
When you look at U.S. trends overall and specific comparison cities, there are, indeed, some alarming trends. Crime rates in the U.S. between 2018 and 2024 are virtually identical.
However, the state of Colorado and the city of Colorado Springs have both seen double-digit increases in the rate of violent crimes per 100,000 population.
Both our state and region’s violent crime rate have increased by roughly 30% while the U.S. rate is relatively steady increasing 2% and El Paso County is down by 8%.
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