CRIME DATA
Raw incident numbers are of limited comparative value, given the varying sizes of hospitals across the United States. To provide context, the 2021 Healthcare Crime Survey collected bed counts for each hospital. This allowed for the calculation of crime rates (per 100 beds) and the comparison of crime rates over time.
Bed counts were selected based on experience from prior Crime Surveys in which other size and population indicators were collected that were found to be more challenging to obtain.
The first graph below shows the 2020 crime rates per 100 beds for each crime (n = 269). The subsequent graphs in this section display the crime rate trends from 2012 to 2020, with the exception of 2017, when no Crime Survey was published. For analytical purposes – and consistent with FBI Uniform Crime Report practice – murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault were aggregated into one group called “violent crime.” (Aggravated assaults accounted for the vast majority of incidents in this category.)
