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Property Crime Decline in Telluride: Mountain Town's Significant Drop in Burglaries and Thefts
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
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Crime
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Telluride, a picturesque town nestled in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, has experienced notable changes in its property crime landscape over the past decade. From 2010 to 2021, the total number of property crimes decreased significantly by 81.76%, from 170 to 31 incidents. This substantial reduction occurred against a backdrop of population growth, with the town's population increasing by 7.74% from 2,805 in 2010 to 3,022 in 2021.
Burglary trends in the city have shown a marked decline over the years. In 2010, there were 22 burglary incidents, which dropped to just 1 in 2021, representing a 95.45% decrease. When adjusted for population, the burglary rate fell from 7.84 per 1,000 people in 2010 to 0.33 per 1,000 in 2021. The city's contribution to state burglary figures also decreased significantly, from 0.11% in 2010 to 0.01% in 2021. This substantial reduction suggests improved security measures or changing socioeconomic factors within the community.
Larceny-theft, the most prevalent property crime in the area, also experienced a considerable decline. Incidents dropped from 144 in 2010 to 30 in 2021, a 79.17% decrease. The rate per 1,000 people fell from 51.34 in 2010 to 9.93 in 2021. Despite this decrease, the city's share of state larceny-theft figures remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 0.18% in 2010 and 0.03% in 2021. This trend indicates that while local efforts have been effective in reducing larceny-theft, similar reductions may have occurred statewide.
Motor vehicle theft in the city has remained low throughout the period. In 2010, there were 4 incidents, which decreased to 0 in 2021. The rate per 1,000 people dropped from 1.43 in 2010 to 0 in 2021. The city's contribution to state motor vehicle theft figures was minimal, decreasing from 0.04% in 2010 to 0% in 2021. These low numbers suggest that motor vehicle theft is not a significant concern for the local community.
Arson incidents in the city have been rare. Only two cases were reported during the entire period, one in 2013 and another in 2016. This translates to a rate of 0.40 per 1,000 people in 2013 and 0.40 per 1,000 in 2016. The city's contribution to state arson figures was 0.15% in both years. The infrequency of arson cases indicates that it is not a persistent problem in the area.
Examining correlations, there appears to be a strong inverse relationship between property crime rates and median income. As the median income increased from $69,037 in 2013 to $90,601 in 2021, total property crimes decreased from 107 to 31. This suggests that improving economic conditions may contribute to reduced property crime rates.
Applying predictive models to forecast property crime trends, it is estimated that by 2029, Telluride could see its total property crime incidents further reduce to approximately 20-25 per year if current trends continue. This projection is based on the consistent downward trend observed from 2010 to 2021.
In summary, Telluride has experienced a significant reduction in property crimes over the past decade, particularly in burglary and larceny-theft. This improvement has occurred alongside population growth and increasing median income, suggesting a positive correlation between economic prosperity and reduced crime rates. The town's contribution to state crime figures has generally decreased, indicating that local crime reduction efforts have been effective. If these trends continue, Telluride is poised to maintain its status as a relatively low-crime community in the coming years.
