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Violent Crime Trends in Peru, Illinois: A Decade of Fluctuations in a Small Urban Area
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Peru, located in Illinois, has experienced fluctuations in violent crime rates over the past decade, set against a backdrop of relatively stable population figures. From 2010 to 2022, the total number of violent crimes varied, with a notable increase from 10 incidents in 2010 to 20 in 2020, followed by a decrease to 8 incidents in 2022. This represents a 20% decrease in violent crime over the 12-year period. During this time, the population remained relatively constant, growing slightly from 10,701 in 2010 to 10,227 in 2022, an increase of just 0.52%.
Examining murder trends, Peru has maintained a remarkably low rate, with zero reported murders throughout the entire period from 2010 to 2022. This consistent absence of murders translates to a murder rate of 0 per 1,000 people and a 0% contribution to the state's murder statistics. This stability in the absence of murders speaks positively to the city's safety record in terms of the most severe form of violent crime.
Rape incidents in the city have shown some fluctuation over the years. In 2010, there were 4 reported cases, which decreased to 2 in 2011. After a period of no data or zero cases, rape incidents peaked at 7 in 2019 before declining to 3 in 2022. The rape rate per 1,000 people increased from 0.37 in 2010 to 0.29 in 2022. The city's contribution to the state's rape statistics has varied, peaking at 0.23% in 2010 and standing at 0.09% in 2022. This suggests that while rape remains a concern, its prevalence relative to the state has decreased over time.
Robbery trends in Peru have been relatively low and sporadic. The city experienced no robberies in several years, including 2010, 2011, 2014, 2020, and 2022. The highest number of robberies occurred in 2017 with 5 incidents. The robbery rate per 1,000 people has thus fluctuated, reaching a maximum of 0.50 per 1,000 in 2017 and dropping to 0 in 2022. The city's contribution to state robbery statistics has been minimal, peaking at 0.03% in 2017 and falling to 0% in 2022.
Aggravated assault has been the most prevalent form of violent crime in the city. The number of incidents rose from 6 in 2010 to a peak of 15 in 2020, before decreasing to 5 in 2022. The rate per 1,000 people increased from 0.56 in 2010 to 1.48 in 2020, then fell to 0.49 in 2022. The city's contribution to state aggravated assault statistics has varied, reaching a high of 0.07% in 2013 and standing at 0.04% in 2022. This trend suggests that while aggravated assault remains a concern, recent years have seen improvements.
Examining correlations, there appears to be a moderate relationship between population density and violent crime rates. As population density decreased from 1,068 per square mile in 2010 to 1,021 in 2022, violent crime rates showed some fluctuation but generally increased until 2020 before declining. The racial distribution has remained relatively stable, with the white population consistently representing the majority at around 88-92% of the total population. The Hispanic population has shown a slight increase from 5% in 2013 to 7% in 2022, but this does not appear to strongly correlate with violent crime trends.
Applying predictive models to forecast violent crime trends for the next five years (up to 2029), based on the recent downward trend from 2020 to 2022, we might expect the overall violent crime rate to continue decreasing slightly or stabilize. However, given the historical fluctuations, it's possible that rates could experience minor increases in some years within this period.
In summary, Peru has maintained a relatively low violent crime rate, with no murders reported over the studied period. While rape and aggravated assault have shown some fluctuations, recent years have seen a general decrease in violent crime incidents. The city's contribution to state crime statistics remains low across all categories. These trends, coupled with the stable population and demographic composition, suggest that Peru has been managing its public safety effectively, though continued vigilance and community-based crime prevention strategies will be important to maintain and improve upon these positive trends in the coming years.
