Overview of Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities, and Injuries in Greater Phoenix and Maricopa County
The majority of Arizona’s population, over 62%, resides in the greater Phoenix area and Maricopa County. Therefore, it’s not surprising that these regions also register the highest proportion of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the state.
In 2021, according to ADOT, out of Arizona’s total of 121,345 accidents, 86,687 occurred in Maricopa County, accounting for 71.4% of all traffic incidents in the state that year. Fatal accidents in Maricopa County amounted to 546, leading to 594 deaths, out of the state’s overall 1,180 fatalities. This means Maricopa County was responsible for just over half (50.3%) of all traffic-related fatalities in Arizona.
In terms of injuries, the statistics are also significant. Maricopa County witnessed 24,283 injury accidents, which resulted in harm to 35,488 individuals. In contrast, the entire state of Arizona registered 51,633 traffic-related injuries in 2021. This signifies that 68.7% of all traffic collision injuries that year happened in Maricopa County.
Looking more closely at Phoenix, 2021’s car accident statistics indicate that 40,833 crashes occurred within the city. These included 278 fatal accidents causing the death of 294 individuals, and 10,879 injury accidents leading to injuries for 16,062 individuals. These figures reveal that Phoenix was responsible for approximately 34% of all Arizona accidents and 47% of all accidents in Maricopa County. Additionally, Phoenix accounted for nearly a quarter (25%) of all traffic fatalities in Arizona and 49% of those in Maricopa County for 2021. Lastly, of all individuals injured in traffic accidents in Arizona, 31% were injured in Phoenix, and these injuries represented 45.2% of all those sustained in Maricopa County traffic incidents that year.
Phoenix Crime Statistics
Phoenix, a bustling city, witnesses thousands of criminal incidents reported to law enforcement each year. What are the most prevalent crimes? In which areas are they reported most frequently? Are there any noticeable patterns in the crime reports?
As part of its OpenData initiative, Phoenix shares comprehensive crime report data, incorporating offenses such as homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, thefts, vehicle thefts, arsons, and drug-related crimes.
We’ve delved into this data to provide answers to these queries and offer a comprehensive overview of crime statistics in Phoenix.
When Are They Most Common?
Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 454,226 crimes were reported in Phoenix, averaging around 64,889 per year. Crime reports reached their peak in 2019, with 68,788 incidents. However, the numbers have been steadily declining each year since then, with a drop of almost ten percent by 2022, amounting to 62,064 incidents.
Phoenix Crime Reports by Year (2016 – 2022):
- 2016: 63,256
- 2017: 66,076
- 2018: 64,901
- 2019: 68,788
- 2020: 64,795
- 2021: 64,346
- 2022: 62,064
Phoenix Crime Reports Analysis by Day of the Year
We further investigated the daily count of reported crimes. As expected, January 1st, probably due to New Year’s Eve activities, often has one of the highest crime report numbers each year. Interestingly, 34 out of the top 50 single days with the most reported crimes were the first day of a month.
The day with the highest number of reported crimes? That was August 1st, 2019, when 282 crimes were reported to the Phoenix police. On the other hand, Christmas 2022 saw the fewest reported crimes, with just 99 incidents. Christmas day consistently recorded among the lowest crime rates, appearing four times in the list of ten days with the lowest crime rates over the span of six years.
Which Categories of Crimes are Most Frequently Reported in Phoenix?
In Phoenix, non-violent crimes are reported more frequently than violent ones. Over the six-year period under review, larceny and theft topped the list as the most prevalent reported crimes, with burglary and motor vehicle theft trailing closely behind.
Where are Crimes Most Commonly Reported?
Crimes can take place in any location. In Phoenix, the crime scene typically depends on the nature of the crime committed. Our dataset provides two forms of location data: the nature of the premises or location type and the zip code.
Premises and Location Type
The premises and location type provide a succinct description of the crime scene. This could be an apartment, a single-family home, a restaurant, a hotel, a convenience store, the roadside, etc.
For instance, robberies are most reported on streets or in parking lots. Theft, in contrast, is more likely to take place in a residence or retail establishment. The most frequent location for reporting stolen vehicles is an apartment complex.
