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Violent Crime Trends in Burlington, NJ: A City's Struggle with Aggravated Assaults
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Burlington, located in New Jersey, has experienced fluctuations in violent crime rates over the years while maintaining a relatively stable population. From 2010 to 2015, the total number of violent crimes increased by 15.9%, from 44 to 51 incidents. During this same period, the population slightly decreased by 0.86%, from 9,951 to 9,866 residents.
The murder rate in the city has remained low, with only two reported cases between 2010 and 2015. In 2010 and 2013, there was one murder each year, representing 0.36% and 0.4% of the state's total murders, respectively. The murder rate per 1,000 people was 0.1 in both years. Given the infrequency of murders, it's challenging to establish a clear trend, but the city has maintained a relatively low murder rate compared to the state average.
Rape incidents have shown some variation. In 2010, there were 3 reported cases (0.57% of state total), increasing to 6 cases in 2011 (1.22% of state total). However, by 2012, this number decreased to 2 cases (0.37% of state total). The rape rate per 1,000 people fluctuated from 0.3 in 2010 to 0.6 in 2011, then down to 0.2 in 2012. Data for 2013-2015 was not available, making it difficult to determine a long-term trend.
Robbery has shown a general downward trend. In 2010, there were 27 robberies (0.32% of state total), which increased to 33 in 2013 (0.41% of state total), but then decreased to 23 by 2015 (0.49% of state total). The robbery rate per 1,000 people went from 2.7 in 2010 to 3.3 in 2013, then down to 2.3 in 2015. Despite the overall decrease in numbers, the city's share of state robberies increased, suggesting a potentially faster decline in other areas of the state.
Aggravated assault cases have shown an upward trend. In 2010, there were 13 cases (0.15% of state total), which increased to 28 cases by 2015 (0.51% of state total). The rate per 1,000 people rose from 1.3 in 2010 to 2.8 in 2015. This significant increase in both numbers and percentage of state total suggests that aggravated assault has become a growing concern in the city.
There appears to be a correlation between the racial demographics and violent crime trends. As the percentage of white residents decreased from 50% in 2015 to 44% in 2022, and the percentage of Hispanic residents increased from 6% to 15% during the same period, there was an initial increase in violent crimes followed by a decrease. However, it's important to note that correlation does not imply causation, and many other factors could be influencing these trends.
Applying predictive models based on the available data, it's projected that by 2029, the city may see a slight increase in overall violent crime rates, primarily driven by the upward trend in aggravated assaults. Robberies are expected to continue their declining trend, while murder rates are likely to remain low but unpredictable due to their infrequency.
In summary, Burlington has experienced mixed trends in violent crime from 2010 to 2015. While murders remained low and robberies decreased, there was a concerning increase in aggravated assaults. The city's changing demographic composition may be influencing these trends, but further analysis would be needed to establish any causal relationships. Moving forward, local law enforcement may need to focus on strategies to address the rising aggravated assault rates while maintaining the positive trends in other violent crime categories.
