According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the violent crime rate increased by 126 percent between 1960 and 1970, and by 64 percent between 1970 and 1980. However, the crime rate decrease in the early 1980s was largely driven by demographics; the number of juveniles (17 years of age and under) and youths (18 to 24 years of age) in peak crime-prone ages decreased markedly. The Atlantic³ reports that by the decade’s end, the homicide rate plunged 42 percent nationwide. Violent crime decreased by one-third.
It is important to note that crime rates have varied over time, with a sharp rise after 1900 and reaching a broad bulging peak between the 1970s and early 1990s. After 1992, crime rates began to fall year by year and have since declined significantly.