NJ/NY Metro Area Saw Nation's Second-Largest Violent Crime Drop, Report Finds

The New York, New Jersey and Long Island area saw the second largest decrease in violent crime among major metro areas from 2000 to 2007, according to an analysis released by the Urban Institute.

Using Uniform Crime Reports from around the county, the insitute said the region saw a 36.7-percent decrease in its violent crime rate among the nation's top ten largest metro areas.  The area includes more than 18 million people.

The El Paso, Texas metro area saw the nation's largest drop in violent crime.

The Urban Institute's analysis of federal crime data found violence increased in smaller metro areas while the nation's largest population centers had falling crime rates.

In New Jersey, overall crime dropped 9 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, according to 2009 Uniform Crime Report data released by the State Police. Murders dropped 15 percent and the state's violent crime rate hit its lowest point in nearly a decade.

Although crime in major population centers dropped, however, fear of crime remained high, according to a 2009 Gallup poll.  The poll found that 74 percent of Americans believed there was more crime in the United States than the year before.