After a two-decade decline in violent crime, the United States experienced a rise in both violent and property crimes last year, according to federal law enforcement statistics.

The Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey revealed that violent crimes went up 17% and property crimes 11% in 2011. This after the rate of violent criminal acts plunged 72% from 1993 to 2010.

The jump in violent crime was driven by a 22% increase in simple assaults, defined as those not involving bodily harm or weapons. Property crimes went up because of a 14% increase in household burglaries. Meanwhile, the largest decrease in the crime rate came in the category of rape and sexual assault, which dropped 9% between 2010 and 2011.

The survey concluded that only 49% of violent crimes and 37% of property crimes were reported to law enforcement.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

To Learn More:

Criminal Victimization, 2011 (by Jennifer L. Truman and Michael Planty, Bureau of Justice Statistics) (pdf)

Rise In Simple Assaults Drives U.S. Crime Rate Up (by Ted Gest, Crime Report)

Can FBI Crime Statistics Really be Trusted? (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

10 Possible Explanations for the Drop in the U.S. Crime Rate (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)