A growing share of respondents to the Metro Atlanta Speaks survey rate crime as the biggest problem for the region; yet, the survey also reveals that respondents consider crime a greater issue at the regional level than within their local communities

Let’s take a look at this compared to actual trends:

Respondents in a 13-county region surveyed through Metro Atlanta Speaks rated crime as the #2 problem (after transportation) in the 2016 survey, as it was in 2015. However, there was a six percentage point increase (from 17% in 2015 to 23% in 2016) in the share of residents that felt that crime was the biggest problem in the region.

Looking at the trends by county, between 2015 and 2016, all counties except for Fayette had an increase in the share of residents rating crime the biggest problem.

But, while the share of residents rating crime the #1 problem increased from 17% to 23%, 2015-2016, across the region, the share of residents rating safety in their own communities “good” or “excellent” increased from 60% to 65%.  At the jurisdiction level for 2016, in thirteen of fourteen jurisdictions, more than half of residents rated their local safety “good” or “excellent”. In three jurisdictions (Cherokee, Fayette, and Paulding), over three-fourths of residents did so.

Although people may perceive that crime is rising, both violent and nonviolent crimes in the 10-County metro Atlanta region peaked in 2009, when looking at the time period of 2009 to 2015.

Violent crimes (assault, murder, rape, robbery) in the 10-county region:

2009: 20,400

2015: 19,334

Nonviolent crimes (burglary, larceny, vehicle theft) in the 10-county region:

2009: 164,080

2015: 145,956

From the Metro Atlanta Speaks survey results, Coweta County had the greatest percentage of residents considering crime the biggest problem (31 percent), as well as the biggest increase in this share from 2015 (up 12 percentage points).

However, when we look at how Coweta County ranks in terms of crime rates throughout our 20-county region, they rank 15th for violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2.1) and 16th for nonviolent crimes per 1,000 residents (17.3). The total number of crimes in Coweta County has decreased to 2,694 in 2015 from its 2011 peak (when considering this range of 2009-2015) of 3,173.

The interactive charts below trends in crime composition as well as crime rates by county for 2015.

For more county-level data, visit the 20-County Data Dashboard.