Crime fell in New Jersey in every category between 2008 and 2009, according to statistics in a report issued today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The number of violent crimes last year dropped by 4.3% to a rate of 311.5 for every 100,000 residents. Included in that was a 15.2% drop in murders, from 376 a year earlier to 319, the fewest since 2000. Rapes were down by 7.2% and robberies by 8.4%, while the number of aggravated assault was down just barely, by 0.2%.
There was an even larger decline in property crimes in 2009, down 9.1%. Only Arizona, Nevada, Oregon recorded larger drops. Drilling down further, the New Jersey numbers reflected a 23.2% decline in motor vehicle theft, a 7.8% decline in burglaries and a 7.4% drop in larceny/theft.
Municipal-level crime numbers are available, as well -- for your comparison purposes, here are links for 2009 and 2008 data for New Jersey cites and towns. Numbers for Lakewood and Montgomery were not listed, however, because the FBI says it "determined that the agency's data were underreported."
The FBI's numbers are close though often slightly different from those reported by the New Jersey State Police in the Uniform Crime Report. The UCR for 2009 hasn't yet been released by the state.
Nationally, violent crime fell in 2009 by 5.3% and property crime by 4.6%.