This report summarizes criminal victimization levels and rates in 1997. It also includes other findings about the characteristics of victims, and it examines trends in victimization rates from 1993 to 1997. Data for this series are collected and published annually; the last report, for 1996, was published in November 1997.

• The NCVS property and violent crime rates are the lowest recorded since the survey's inception in 1973 (after rates were adjusted following the 1992 NCVS redesign).
• The downward trend in violent victimization begun in 1994-95 continued in 1997.
• In 1997, violent crime rates were 21% lower than they had been in 1993. Property crime rates were 22% below 1993 property crime rates.
• The recent decreasing violent and property crime trends were experienced by most segments of the populations. However, in 1997, the violent victimization rates for persons age 50 and older were no lower than they had been in 1993.
• The violent and property crime rates each declined by 7% in 1996-97.