After a steady decline since 1993, the violent crime rate in the United States increased a whopping 17% in 2011 according to a Department of Justice report.

The DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics also noted an 11% increase in property crimes, meaning that there were nearly 6 million violent victimizations and more than 11 million property victimizations reported in 2011.

The largest increases in violent victimizations occurred among whites, Hispanics, and young people. Victimization rates for blacks remained stable.

Suburban areas have been much harder hit than cities or rural areas, seeing a 20% rise in victimizations.

The DOJ admits that about 50% of violent victimizations go unreported, so the actual crime rate is much higher.

These numbers say nothing about who is committing the crimes, only about who the victims are.

The rise in violent crime may be associated with the poor economy, although the low violent crime rate in 2010 and the stable victimization rate among blacks may throw this into question. It is also possible, of course, that suburban areas are increasingly being targeted by criminals desperate in the weak economy since inner-city and black neighborhoods would be less lucrative areas in which to commit crimes.