A publication of the Justice Center	Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center

See also:       > Homicide         Abstract: This article presents statistics from 1975 to 1992 on murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Alaska overall, and compares Alaska rates with homicide rates nationwide. Alaska homicide rates were below the national average from 1988 to 1992.

      In recent months the media have again focused public attention on violent crime patterns. Because public perceptions of crime have economic and social consequences, statistical information concerning levels and rates is extremely important. Table 1 and Figure 1 reveal the pattern of homicides (classified as murder and non-negligent manslaughter in FBI Uniform Crime Reports) in Alaska from 1975 to 1992. Except where otherwise noted, figures were drawn from Crime in the United States, the annual publication of the FBI. Among conclusions supported by these data are the following points:

• The Alaska homicide rate has been below the national average since 1988. In 1991, the national average rate per hundred thousand for homicide was 9.8, and the Alaska rate was 7.4. In 1992, the national rate was 9.3, and the Alaska rate was 7.5.
• The 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 Alaska homicide rates have been the lowest of the period since 1975.
• The Anchorage 1991 and 1992 rates of 10.3 and 7.0 homicides per hundred thousand residents are lower than average rates (1991, 12.2; 1992, 12.5) for U.S. cities of similar size.