Is crime out of control?  Not in Oregon, at least according to just released 2011 FBI statistics.  Depending on which measurement is looked at Oregon’s cities are some of the safest in the country, which is, of course, a good thing.  Low crime makes a location desirable, and desirability (demand) props up real estate prices.

So, what are the numbers for Eugene Springfield?  Violent crimes and murders in particular are very low. Cities which are typically thought of as higher crime, like Detroit, MI, have murder rates over 40 times that of Eugene Springfield.  Non violent crimes are higher in Eugene Springfield, but still less than average compared to the rest of the nation.  Apparently bike theft is pretty bad because we’re such a target-rich environment.  So, Eugene Springfield is very safe if you’re a person, and not so much if you’re a bike.

The FBI statistics cover Metropolitan Statistical Areas, which are generally over 50,000 people, and don’t look at smaller towns per se.  So, they’re not the whole picture but I think a good overview of crime rates.  Our rankings compared to about 370 other MSA’s are below.

Crime Rates for Eugene Springfield