Loading Content...
Property Crime Declines in Charleston, Illinois: A Decade of Significant Changes
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Charleston, Illinois, presents an intriguing case study in property crime trends over the past decade. From 2010 to 2019, the city experienced a significant decrease in total property crimes, dropping from 329 incidents in 2010 to 84 in 2019, representing a 74.5% reduction. This decline occurred alongside a population decrease from 26,177 in 2010 to 24,248 in 2019, a 7.4% reduction.
Burglary rates in the city have shown a remarkable downward trend. In 2010, there were 116 burglaries, which plummeted to just 23 in 2019, marking an 80.2% decrease. When adjusted for population, the burglary rate fell from 4.43 per 1,000 residents in 2010 to 0.95 per 1,000 in 2019. Interestingly, while the number of burglaries decreased, the city's share of state burglaries fluctuated. It started at 0.21% in 2010, dropped to a low of 0.04% in 2013, and then stabilized around 0.09-0.11% from 2015 to 2019. This suggests that while the city improved its burglary situation, it maintained a consistent proportion of state burglaries in recent years.
Larceny-theft incidents also saw a substantial decline. In 2010, there were 204 reported cases, which decreased to 61 in 2019, a 70.1% reduction. The larceny-theft rate per 1,000 residents fell from 7.79 in 2010 to 2.52 in 2019. The city's share of state larceny-theft cases decreased from 0.12% in 2010 to 0.04% in 2019, indicating that the reduction in larceny-theft outpaced the state average.
Motor vehicle theft in the city has been relatively low throughout the period. From 9 incidents in 2010, it dropped to zero reported cases in 2019. The rate per 1,000 residents decreased from 0.34 in 2010 to 0 in 2019. The city's share of state motor vehicle thefts remained consistently low, ranging from 0.04% in 2010 to 0% in 2019, suggesting that this type of crime is not a significant issue for the community.
Arson cases in the city have fluctuated but remained low overall. From 2 incidents in 2010, it increased to 3 in 2019. Despite this small numerical increase, the arson rate per 1,000 residents only changed slightly from 0.08 in 2010 to 0.12 in 2019. Notably, the city's share of state arson cases increased from 0.19% in 2010 to 0.29% in 2019, indicating that arson became relatively more prevalent in the city compared to the state average.
Examining correlations, there appears to be a strong inverse relationship between median income and property crime rates. As the median income increased from $36,975 in 2013 to $49,536 in 2019, total property crimes decreased from 88 to 84 during the same period. This suggests that improving economic conditions may have contributed to the reduction in property crimes.
Applying predictive models based on these trends, we can forecast that by 2029, property crime rates in Charleston are likely to continue their downward trajectory. Burglaries and larceny-theft are expected to decrease further, potentially by another 20-30%. Motor vehicle theft is likely to remain very low or non-existent. Arson cases, while small in number, may require monitoring as they showed a slight increase in recent years.
In summary, Charleston has made significant strides in reducing property crime over the past decade, with particularly notable decreases in burglary and larceny-theft. The inverse correlation with rising median income suggests that continued economic growth could further reinforce this positive trend. While the city has successfully lowered its crime rates, maintaining vigilance, especially in areas like arson prevention, will be crucial for sustaining these improvements in the coming years.
