Latest FBI Crime Report: See Trends In New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — Violent crimes decreased slightly in New Jersey in 2019 and the state remains well below the national average, according to data released by the FBI in its 2019 uniform crime report (see the town-by-town numbers, ranked top-to-bottom, below).

The FBI estimated crime statistics across the Garden State based on reports from all the 577 law enforcement agencies statewide.

The data shows a slight drop from 2018's record low for violent crimes in New Jersey. The rate was 208.6 per 100,000 people in 2018, and inched down to 206.9 in 2019. The national rate was 379.4.

Among the violent crimes, homicides dropped slightly in the state to 2.9 per 100,000. The national rate plummeted from 6.1 to 5.2

Meanwhile, New Jersey aggravated assaults rose from 117.7 to 122.2 per 100,000 while the national rate remained steady. It was the first time aggravated assaults rose in the state since 2014.

Rapes ticked up at both the national and state level, from 16 to 17.2 in New Jersey and 44 to 42.6 nationally.

Nationwide, the FBI reported a decrease in both violent and property crime from year to year. Violent crime went from a rate of 383.4 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 379.4 a year later, a decrease of about 0.5 percent. It's the third straight year violent crime decreased nationally, the FBI said.

Property crime numbers with the same control went from 2,209.8 to 2,109.9. There's been a downward trend nationwide in this category since 2009, with a decrease of 4.1 percent from 2018 to 2019. New Jersey has followed this trend down every year since 2011, dropping to 1335.7 in 2019.

The nationwide downward crime trends continued into 2020, according to an overview of numbers from the first half of the year the FBI released a few weeks ago. But two subcategories in particular, murder and arson, have seen a significant increase in the six months that include the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases reported to the FBI by the 16,554 agencies that submitted last year's data increased by 14.8 percent from the first half of 2019 to the same period in 2020. Arson increased by an even greater rate — 19.2 percent, the FBI said.

The FBI has issued a caution about the crime data coming in at the local levels.

Lists comparing cities and counties "do not provide insight into the numerous variables that shape crime in a given state, county, city, town, tribal area or region," the FBI said in a statement

"These rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that can create misleading perceptions that adversely affect communities and their residents," the statement continued. "Only through careful study and analyses into the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction can data users create valid assessments of crime."

Here are the town-by-town violent crime numbers in New Jersey per 10,000 people:

1. Salem 155.2531

2. Asbury Park 115.9552

3. Trenton 112.2734

4. Penns Grove 107.4589

5. Bridgeton 91.6526

6. Atlantic City 85.9203

7. Brooklawn 84.2549

8. Paterson 84.1467

9. Elizabeth 71.9207

10. Lindenwold 71.5241

11. Orange City 62.1768

12. Newark 61.8999

13. Wildwood 58.4795

14. Wildwood Crest 55.7194

15. Passaic 52.9876

16. South Hackensack Township 52.7383

17. Jersey City 52.2686

18. Irvington 51.8192

19. Burlington City 51.6351

20. Egg Harbor City 51.4076

21. Millville 47.2246

22. New Brunswick 46.7899

23. Beverly 44.4265

24. East Orange 42.8349

25. Woodlynne 41.3650

26. Seaside Heights 41.3508

27. Avalon 40.4531

28. Plainfield 37.9627

29. Haledon 37.4532

30. Linden 37.3310

31. West Wildwood 36.1664

32. Long Branch 35.9120

33. Vineland 35.2489

34. Netcong 34.9096

35. Westampton Township 34.6180

36. Neptune Township 34.4840

37. Long Beach Township 32.6797

38. Willingboro Township 31.9549

39. Pleasantville 31.8815

40. Pennsauken Township 31.2623

41. Belvidere 31.2012

42. Magnolia 30.6098

43. Roselle 30.5894

44. Maple Shade Township 29.2667

45. Hillside Township 29.0592

46. Pine Hill 28.7936

47. Woodbury 28.6650

48. Perth Amboy 28.3696

49. Mount Holly Township 28.2191

50. Union City 28.1921

51. Eatontown 27.8346

52. Pemberton Township 26.7003

53. Clementon 26.4281

54. Harrison 25.5796

55. Stone Harbor 24.8756

56. Englewood 24.7533

57. Chesilhurst 24.7525

58. West New York 24.0851

59. Paulsboro 24.0220

60. Guttenberg 23.9171

61. Neptune City 23.7838

62. Hi-Nella 23.3918

63. Hackensack 23.1435

64. Haddon Township 22.7759

65. Pemberton Borough 22.7101

66. Dover 22.4065

67. Bayonne 22.2967

68. Carney's Point Township 22.1816

69. South River 21.9505

70. North Plainfield 21.8869

71. Somerdale 21.8500

72. Westville 21.8023

73. Flemington 21.7865

74. Keansburg 21.7077

75. Morristown 21.4066

76. Belleville 21.3517

77. Franklin 21.2811

78. Phillipsburg 21.0852

79. Oceanport 20.9096

80. Lawnside 20.8768

81. Elsinboro Township 20.6825

82. Union Beach 20.3855

83. Seaside Park 19.5059

84. Dunellen 19.3263

85. Secaucus 19.3241

86. West Orange 19.2888

87. Lower Township 19.2263

88. Hamilton Township, Atlantic County 19.0907

89. Fairview 18.9009

90. Freehold Borough 18.7505

91. Middle Township 18.6557

92. South Toms River 18.5185

93. Lakehurst 18.5117

94. Edgewater Park Township 18.5099

95. Lumberton Township 18.0891

96. Riverside Township 17.9349

97. Gloucester City 17.9083

98. Hammonton 17.8533

99. Newton 17.6857

100. Winslow Township 17.4525

101. Galloway Township 17.3121

102. Keyport 17.0648

103. Jamesburg 16.8606

104. Surf City 16.7645

105. Paramus 16.6289

106. Ewing Township 16.5116

107. Garfield 15.9935

108. North Wildwood 15.9447

109. Hazlet Township 15.7049

110. Bound Brook 15.5991

111. Wharton 15.5836

112. Englishtown 15.4879

113. Glassboro 15.4367

114. Washington Township, Gloucester County 15.2782

115. Ventnor City 15.0512

116. Montclair 15.0162

117. Clinton 14.9309

118. Clayton 14.9271

119. Sea Bright 14.7929

120. Hoboken 14.7275

121. North Bergen Township 14.6468

122. North Brunswick Township 14.6262

123. Pennsville Township 14.5808

124. Shrewsbury 14.5560

125. Weehawken Township 14.5551

126. Stratford 14.4383

127. Bradley Beach 14.4300

128. Belmar 14.3833

129. Lodi 14.2927

130. Lakewood Township 14.0413

131. Hamilton Township, Mercer County 14.0186

132. Totowa 13.9483

133. Lawrence Township, Mercer County 13.8825

134. Mount Laurel Township 13.8656

135. Teaneck Township 13.8159

136. Little Falls Township 13.7807

137. Burlington Township 13.7680

138. Carteret 13.5335

139. Florence Township 13.4996

140. Boonton 13.4854

141. Berlin 13.3156

142. Deptford Township 13.2196

143. Kearny 13.0706

144. Newfield 13.0124

145. Carlstadt 12.9660

146. Oaklyn 12.7033

147. Byram Township 12.6984

148. South Plainfield 12.4409

149. Elmwood Park 12.4353

150. Washington 12.3973

151. Egg Harbor Township 12.2425

152. Kenilworth 12.1684

153. North Arlington 12.0942

154. Manasquan 11.9884

155. Longport 11.7096

156. Cape May 11.6686

157. Stafford Township 11.5904

158. Collingswood 11.5523

159. Bellmawr 11.5105

160. Hightstown 11.3982

161. Waterford Township 11.2528

162. Palmyra 11.2139

163. Clifton 11.1737

164. Woodbridge Township 11.0861

165. Point Pleasant Beach 11.0717

166. Woodland Park 11.0611

167. Brick Township 10.9800

168. Mount Ephraim 10.9481

169. Merchantville 10.8489

170. Red Bank 10.8189

171. Somers Point 10.7590

172. Laurel Springs 10.7527

173. Rahway 10.6411

174. Berkeley Township 10.5420

175. Voorhees Township 10.3096

176. National Park 10.2249

177. Holmdel Township 10.2114

178. Highland Park 10.1515

179. Margate City 10.1488

180. Audubon Park 10.0301

181. West Cape May 9.9701

182. Gloucester Township 9.9213

183. Nutley Township 9.8647

184. Freehold Township 9.8380

185. Cinnaminson Township 9.7105

186. Absecon 9.4832

187. Mansfield Township, Burlington County 9.3897

188. Washington Township, Warren County 9.3882

189. Buena 9.2678

190. Franklin Township, Gloucester County 9.2228

191. Bordentown Township 9.1529

192. Somerville 9.0179

193. Moorestown Township 8.8639

194. Caldwell 8.8128

195. Blairstown Township 8.7673

196. Franklin Township, Somerset County 8.7649

197. Clark Township 8.7380

198. Maplewood Township 8.6967

199. Wall Township 8.5777

200. Prospect Park 8.5749

201. Lacey Township 8.5479

202. Logan Township 8.5412

203. Runnemede 8.4725

204. Edison Township 8.3764

205. Little Egg Harbor Township 8.3690

206. Cherry Hill Township 8.3432

207. Little Ferry 8.3380

208. Hanover Township 8.3062

209. Piscataway Township 8.2771

210. Medford Township 8.1221

211. Point Pleasant 8.0283

212. Aberdeen Township 8.0214

213. Harding Township 7.8844

214. Wallington 7.7801

215. South Orange Village 7.7658

216. Elmer 7.6923

217. Toms River Township 7.6730

218. Palisades Park 7.6639

219. West Deptford Township 7.6548

220. Medford Lakes 7.6492

221. Metuchen 7.6267

222. Sayreville 7.6266

223. North Caldwell 7.5245

224. Raritan 7.5009

225. Cranbury Township 7.4757

226. Union Township 7.3209

227. Pompton Lakes 7.3039

228. Rochelle Park Township 7.1454

229. Monroe Township, Gloucester County 7.0491

230. Atlantic Highlands 6.9638

231. Readington Township 6.9598

232. Cliffside Park 6.8926

233. Fort Lee 6.5682

234. Washington Township, Morris County 6.5588

235. Rutherford 6.5136

236. Evesham Township 6.4446

237. Ocean Township, Monmouth County 6.3819

238. Bloomfield 6.3609

239. Saddle River 6.2775

240. Monmouth Beach 6.2073

241. Maywood 6.2067

242. Bloomingdale 6.1812

243. Springfield Township, Burlington County 6.1501

244. Lower Alloways Creek Township 6.0132

245. Old Bridge Township 5.9398

246. Lake Como 5.9347

247. Howell Township 5.9339

248. Manville 5.8795

249. East Windsor Township 5.8516

250. Plumsted Township 5.8514

251. Closter 5.8398

252. Audubon 5.8133

253. Scotch Plains Township 5.7417

254. Lyndhurst Township 5.7165

255. Mine Hill Township 5.7127

256. Hopatcong 5.6774

257. Sea Girt 5.6689

258. Avon-by-the-Sea 5.6625

259. East Brunswick Township 5.6418

260. Wayne Township 5.6307

261. Ocean City 5.4735

262. Bergenfield 5.4681

263. Ridgefield Park 5.3917

264. Alpine 5.3879

265. Ridgefield 5.3381

266. Berlin Township 5.3088

267. Bordentown City 5.2826

268. Glen Ridge 5.2812

269. Ridgewood 5.1604

270. Barnegat Township 5.1284

271. Eastampton Township 5.0522

272. Rockaway Township 5.0474

273. West Milford Township 4.9454

274. Ocean Gate 4.9383

275. Northfield 4.9002

276. Delran Township 4.8564

277. Mount Olive Township 4.8234

278. Cedar Grove Township 4.7969

279. Lopatcong Township 4.7904

280. Jefferson Township 4.7900

281. Riverdale 4.7004

282. Boonton Township 4.6740

283. Pequannock Township 4.6527

284. Pine Beach 4.6019

285. Pitman 4.5929

286. Tinton Falls 4.5699

287. Manalapan Township 4.5383

288. Wenonah 4.5372

289. Barrington 4.5317

290. Gibbsboro 4.5208

291. Franklin Lakes 4.5009

292. Delanco Township 4.4813

293. Haddonfield 4.4401

294. Beachwood 4.4346

295. Parsippany-Troy Hills Township 4.4310

296. Alpha 4.4209

297. Middlesex Borough 4.3927

298. Ocean Township, Ocean County 4.3792

299. Jackson Township 4.3569

300. Mountainside 4.3554

301. Brielle 4.2708

302. Highlands 4.2203

303. Monroe Township, Middlesex County 4.1904

304. Greenwich Township, Gloucester County 4.1867

305. Oxford Township 4.1271

306. Ringwood 4.1102

307. Mansfield Township, Warren County 4.0833

308. Demarest 4.0717

309. East Rutherford 4.0688

310. Colts Neck Township 4.0626

311. Chesterfield Township 4.0139

312. North Hanover Township 4.0128

313. Haddon Heights 3.9920

314. Holland Township 3.9362

315. West Windsor Township 3.9249

316. Hopewell Township 3.9207

317. Plainsboro Township 3.9171

318. Oakland 3.8485

319. East Newark 3.7580

320. South Brunswick Township 3.6926

321. Independence Township 3.6900

322. West Amwell Township 3.6670

323. Morris Township 3.6232

324. Denville Township 3.6166

325. Raritan Township 3.6004

326. North Haledon 3.5804

327. Long Hill Township 3.5294

328. Tewksbury Township 3.4692

329. Little Silver 3.4524

330. Roseland 3.4329

331. Woodcliff Lake 3.4171

332. Dumont 3.3996

333. Wanaque 3.3979

334. Mullica Township 3.3916

335. Woodbury Heights 3.3910

336. Morris Plains 3.3698

337. Middletown Township 3.3659

338. Leonia 3.3011

339. Lebanon Township 3.2998

340. Hillsborough Township 3.2653

341. South Harrison Township 3.2031

342. Hackettstown 3.1810

343. Princeton 3.1636

344. Randolph Township 3.1385

345. Edgewater 3.1199

346. Stanhope 3.0479

347. Mahwah Township 3.0399

348. Millburn Township 2.9873

349. Linwood 2.9864

350. Tuckerton 2.9674

351. Berkeley Heights Township 2.9429

352. Wyckoff Township 2.9360

353. Haworth 2.9240

354. High Bridge 2.9180

355. Woodstown 2.9070

356. Milltown 2.8490

357. Manchester Township 2.7670

358. Midland Park 2.7601

359. Branchburg Township 2.7490

360. East Hanover Township 2.7298

361. Lambertville 2.6441

362. Bernardsville 2.6076

363. Fanwood 2.5913

364. Hasbrouck Heights 2.4898

365. Bedminster Township 2.4866

366. Oradell 2.4447

367. Upper Saddle River 2.4257

368. Spotswood 2.4166

369. Bogota 2.3801

370. Garwood 2.2931

371. Cresskill 2.2828

372. Marlboro Township 2.2585

373. South Amboy 2.2416

374. Spring Lake Heights 2.2036

375. South Bound Brook 2.1882

376. Sparta Township 2.1584

377. Montgomery Township 2.1400

378. Fair Lawn 2.1171

379. Mantua Township 2.0299

380. Ramsey 2.0029

381. Livingston Township 2.0001

382. Lincoln Park 1.9681

383. Waldwick 1.9531

384. Hillsdale 1.9264

385. Montville Township 1.8861

386. Englewood Cliffs 1.8629

387. West Caldwell Township 1.8450

388. Greenwich Township, Warren County 1.8359

389. Mendham Township 1.7544

390. River Edge 1.7391

391. Fair Haven 1.7289

392. Norwood 1.7194

393. Springfield Township, Union County 1.6987

394. Watchung 1.6518

395. Cranford Township 1.6494

396. Rockaway 1.5810

397. Bridgewater Township 1.5692

398. Clinton Township 1.5624

399. Woolwich Township 1.5296

400. Roselle Park 1.4674

401. Green Brook Township 1.4142

402. Vernon Township 1.3691

403. Robbinsville Township 1.3666

404. Summit 1.3649

405. Westfield 1.3473

406. Roxbury Township 1.3184

407. Butler 1.3135

408. Emerson 1.3089

409. Hardyston Township 1.2887

410. New Hanover Township 1.2311

411. Montvale 1.1551

412. Brigantine 1.1515

413. Park Ridge 1.1414

414. Washington Township, Bergen County 1.0847

415. Wood-Ridge 1.0720

416. Kinnelon 1.0016

417. Florham Park 0.8679

418. Harrison Township 0.7619

419. Verona 0.7488

420. Saddle Brook Township 0.7196

421. Tenafly 0.6856

422. New Milford 0.6058

423. Madison 0.6049

Here are towns that reported no violent crime:

• Allendale

• Allenhurst

• Allentown

• Andover Township

• Barnegat Light

• Bay Head

• Beach Haven

• Bernards Township

• Califon

• Cape May Point

• Chatham

• Chatham Township

• Chester

• Chester Township

• Deal

• Delaware Township

• East Greenwich Township

• Elk Township

• Essex Fells

• Fairfield Township, Essex County

• Far Hills

• Fieldsboro

• Franklin Township, Hunterdon County

• Frenchtown

• Glen Rock

• Hamburg

• Harrington Park

• Harvey Cedars

• Hawthorne

• Helmetta

• Ho-Ho-Kus

• Hopewell Borough

• Interlaken

• Island Heights

• Lavallette

• Loch Arbour

• Mantoloking

• Matawan

• Mendham

• Moonachie

• Mountain Lakes

• Mount Arlington

• New Providence

• Northvale

• Ogdensburg

• Old Tappan

• Peapack-Gladstone

• Pennington

• Pine Valley

• Pohatcong Township

• Riverton

• River Vale Township

• Rockleigh

• Rumson

• Sea Isle City

• Ship Bottom

• Spring Lake

• Swedesboro

• Tavistock

• Teterboro

• Warren Township

• West Long Branch

• Westwood

• Winfield Township

This article originally appeared on the Mendham-Chester Patch