NCJ Number
152874
Journal
Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 149-161
Date Published
1994
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This analysis of homicide rates in the United States found that the crude homicide rate was highest in the South and that variations in regional homicide rates for blacks were less clear than for whites.
Abstract
The study hypothesized that categorizing regional and State populations according to central city, suburban, and nonmetropolitan areas would show that black homicide rates would be highest in the South. The study also hypothesized that, when the percentage of the population of Hispanic origin was controlled, white homicide rates would be highest in the South. Homicide data were obtained from Supplementary Homicide Reports. Findings revealed that the crude homicide rate was highest in the South, the white homicide rate was higher in the West than in the South, and the homicide rate for blacks in the South was the lowest of any region. With respect to white homicide rates, victimization risk was significantly higher in the South and in the West than in the Northeast or North Central regions. The highest homicide rates for blacks were found in the West, followed closely by North Central States, but high homicide rates were concentrated less among blacks than among whites. State homicide rates were influenced by population distribution across central city, suburban, and nonmetropolitan areas. Regional patterns in homicide rates for blacks were less clear than for whites. When total homicides were disaggregated by race, the West had the highest homicide rates for both whites and blacks. 22 references and 3 tables