According to the F.B.I.‘s lat­est crime report released on September 15, the South is the only region in the coun­try that expe­ri­enced a rise in its mur­der rate in 2007. The FBI report­ed that the mur­der rate in the coun­try declined to 5.6 mur­ders per 100,000 peo­ple in 2007 from 5.7 in 2006, and the rate declined in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West. In the South, how­ev­er, the mur­der rate increased from 6.8 in 2006 to 7.0 in 2007, the high­est rate among the four regions. The South con­sis­tent­ly has had the high­est mur­der rate among the four regions. 

The South also leads the coun­try in exe­cu­tions: 100% of the exe­cu­tions car­ried out in 2008 have been in the South and 86% of those car­ried out in 2007 were in this region. By con­trast, the Northeast has the low­est mur­der rate in the coun­try and the fewest num­ber of exe­cu­tions. The Northeast also expe­ri­enced the sharpest decline in its mur­der rate among the four regions, while car­ry­ing out no exe­cu­tions in 2006-08. The com­plete F.B.I. report can be found here.

(U.S. Department of Justice, F.B.I., Crime in the U.S., 2007,” September 2008). See also Studies and Deterrence.

REGION
South 
20077.0
20066.8
EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
921
West 
20075.3
20065.6
EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
67
Midwest 
20074.9
20065.0
EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
127
Northeast 
20074.1
20064.5
EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
4
NATIONAL RATE
20075.6
20065.7
EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
MURDER RATES PER 100,000 PEOPLE
REGION
2007 2006 EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976
(
As of 9/​01/​08)
South  7.0 6.8 921
West  5.3 5.6 67
Midwest  4.9 5.0 127
Northeast  4.1 4.5 4
NATIONAL RATE
5.6 5.7 MURDER RATES PER 100,000 PEOPLE
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