U.S. – Mexico Crime Rate Comparison
U.S. – Mexico Crime Rate Comparison
You would think right off the bat that surely crime in the United States is far lower on average than it would be in Mexico. At least that’s what more Americans would be inclined to initially believe. As it turns out it depends on what category of crime you are looking at
The numbers fluctuate from year to year but on average they remain within a certain ballpark. If you were to look at total crimes committed in the United States per l00,000 inhabitants the number would be about 4000 per year.
That is to say that abut 4000 Americans out of every 100,000 are victims of some kind of crime each year in the U.S. In Mexico it is about 1500 per 100,000 which are much lower.
If you look at rape statistics you would find that 14 out of 100,000 Mexicans are victims of rape each year. In the U.S. it is about 33 per 100,000. There is also far more theft in the U.S. than in Mexico.
About 120 Mexicans per 100,000 are victims of some kind of theft each year. In the U.S. it is over 2400 per 100,000. Auto theft is also more prevalent in the U.S. 430 per 100,000 vehicles are stolen each year. In Mexico it is about 140 per 100,000.
It is important to remember that maintaining statistics on crimes committed is a little bit of shaky business. Some crimes such as rape and robbery are sometimes not reported to authorities and due to this fact the figures are imperfect. Despite that the stats do give a reliable idea about where things stand in a general way if even if they are not exact.
In view of headlines abut crime and violence along the border, and the State Department’s travel warning concerning travel to Mexico, many people are wondering about the safety of visiting or living in Mexico.
Crime, violence and protests can put a damper on your feelings about being safe in Mexico but one does not have to cancel or alter their travel plans just because the headlines are nasty. Mexico is a big country and it’s incredibly diverse, so violence along the US border won’t have any effect on your plans to travel or move to, for example, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, any more than an earthquake in California would affect people in Chicago.
Most of the violence that has taken place recently is due to conflicts between drug cartels and the Mexican authorities. As a visitor or immigrant, you are in little danger of having trouble as long as you follow the same common sense safety precautions you would follow any where in the world you traveled and don’t get involved with drugs.
As I have mentioned before in my blogs we have lived in Ajijic, Lake Chapala since1994 and we raised our children here from ages 10 and 12. We have never felt unsafe and continue to feel very lucky to be living in paradise. We also appreciate the warmth and welcoming nature of the Mexican people.
Research your destination and choose a place that feels right for you. There are plenty of places in Mexico where you can have a tranquil, relaxing vacation or life and Ajijic, Lake Chapala is certainly one of those safe places.