Definition

1. Noun:
   • A statistical measure of crime: The "crime rate" is the ratio of the number of reported crimes in a specific geographic area to the total population of that area, typically expressed as a figure per 1,000 or 100,000 inhabitants per year. It is a key metric for comparing the prevalence of crime across different regions or time periods.

Usage

• The term "crime rate" is used as a countable noun, often preceded by articles like "the," "a," or "an." It is commonly found in discussions about sociology, public policy, urban planning, and news reports.
• Example: "The government is implementing new policies to reduce the crime rate in the city."
• It can be modified by adjectives (e.g., "high crime rate," "rising crime rate") and is often the subject or object of verbs like "calculate," "report," "reduce," "increase," or "compare."

Examples

• Noun:
  • The annual report showed a significant decrease in the crime rate.
  • Neighborhoods with better street lighting often have a lower crime rate.
  • Comparing the crime rate of two different decades can reveal social trends.

Advanced Usage

• "to drive down the crime rate": To implement measures that cause the crime rate to fall.
  • Community policing initiatives helped drive down the crime rate.
• "a spike in the crime rate": A sudden, sharp increase in the crime rate.
  • The economic recession led to a spike in the crime rate.

Variants and Related Words

• Crime statistics (n): Numerical data about crime, which may include but is not limited to the crime rate.
  • The researcher analyzed the latest crime statistics.
• Offense rate (n): A similar term sometimes used interchangeably with "crime rate."
• Per capita crime (n): A phrase describing crime relative to population size, similar in meaning to "crime rate."

Synonyms

• Offense rate: The frequency of criminal offenses within a population.
• Criminal incidence: The occurrence or rate of occurrence of crime.

Related Phrases

• Rate of crime: A phrase identical in meaning to "crime rate."
  • The rate of crime is a concern for local residents.
• Level of crime: A more general term for the amount of crime, which may not be expressed as a precise statistical ratio.
  • The level of crime in the area is unacceptable.

Noun

1. the ratio of crimes in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 population per year