Jenna Ageeb 10 September 2021 ENC3250

RAPE RATES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE

RISING
POPULATION DENSITY IS A KEY
FACTOR
Every year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) gathers data on different types of

crimes reported by law enforcement in the United States. The visuals in this report focus on the

rape rates in the U.S. First, it is important to note the revised definition of rape, as that is the

definition this document will be referring to. The revised definition is, “penetration, no matter how

slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of

another person, without the consent of the victim” (https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-

u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/topic-pages/rape). This report informs students that the rate of

rape has increased in recent years and is the highest in large, densely populated areas.

Rape (Revised) Crime

Rates in the U.S. Rising Rape Crime Rates
42 40.4
39.3
40
Rape Rate

38 37 As can be seen in Figure one, the

35.9
36 rate of rape crime increased every year
34
from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, the rate was in
32
2013 2014 2015 2016
the mid-thirties, whereas in 2016 the rate
Figure 1 Years
was over 40. Seeing the rate of such a

horrid violent crime rise each year is very alarming. The question is, what could be the cause of

these startling rates?

Rising Rape Rates in the U.S. Project M2

 Jenna Ageeb 10 September 2021 ENC3250

Population Density vs Known Rape (Revised) Offenses in

Different Population Densities
Rape Rate
12%

A large contributing factor to 31% 57%

these rising rates is the increase of large,

densely populated areas, known as Suburban Areas

Metrpolitan Counties
Metropolitans. An example of a
Figure 2 Nonmetropolitan Counties
Metropolis is New York City, with a

population of over 8 million people living just within that one

Figure 2 compares the
city. Picture NYC and the number of citizens always walking percentages of rape crime
offenses that take place in
the street, packed like a can of sardines. With such high
different population types.
volumes of people, a predator may find it easier to commit

and get away with rape crime in these areas. Figure 2 is a pie chart that displays the

percentages of known rape offenses in different types of population sizes: suburban areas,

metropolitan areas, and nonmetropolitan areas. Metropolitan and Suburban areas both have

the highest percentages of this crime on the record. Both areas also have larger, denser

populations than nonmetropolitan areas.

Known Rape (Revised) Known Rape (Revised)

Offenses in California, 2016 Offenses in Rhode Island, 2016
200,000 170,862 3,000 2,489
Rape offenses

Rape Offenses

150,000
2,000
100,000
1,000
50,000
2,104 35
0 0
California Rhode Island

Metropolitan Areas Nonmetropolitan Areas Metropolitan Areas Nonmetropolitan Areas

Figure 3
Rising Rape Rates in the U.S. Project M2
Jenna Ageeb 10 September 2021 ENC3250

To be more specific, Figure 3 shows the rape rates in two different states. On the left, the

bar graph exhibits the rates in California, one of the most largely populated states in the U.S. with

almost 40 million residents. Rhode Island, on the contrary, has a small population of about 1

million people. This shows that regardless of the overall population size in each of these states, it

is the type of area in each state that is most significant. As displayed in Figure 3, the metropolitan

areas in both California and Rhode Island have drastically larger rape offenses than the other

parts of each state.

To sum things up, rape is unfortunately a growing crime. The FBI collects data each year

that has shown that recently, as the years go on, the rates of rape also go up. This could be due

to the Metropolitan areas that continue to increase in population density and size. These areas

of high population concentration are subject to the highest number of rape offenses. Each of

the three visuals in this report focus on informing students of these facts. It is plausible that rape

occurs most often in crowded areas, but it is crucial that stricter laws and punishments are being

enforced to help protect victims of sexual assault.

Rising Rape Rates in the U.S. Project M2

Jenna Ageeb 10 September 2021 ENC3250

Work Cited

“Crime in the U.S. 2016.” FBI, FBI, 8 May 2017, https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-

the-u.s.-2016.

Rising Rape Rates in the U.S. Project M2