Location
Room 232, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Presentation Type
Oral presentation
Entry Number
88
Start Date
4-16-2026 1:30 PM
End Date
4-16-2026 1:45 PM
School
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
Criminology
Abstract
Poverty, unemployment, and crime rates are three factors intertwined that have heavy effects on one another. Across many Virginia cities and counties, impoverished neighborhoods exist with their citizens facing a rising crime level and a lack of employment within their households. As these three variables exist and heavily affect society, it is pertinent to understand the relationship and the effects they have on one another. This study explores the relationship between impoverished areas, the crime rate, and the unemployment rate in all cities and counties across the state of Virginia. The data used in this analysis was collected from the Virginia State Police annual crime report, the United States Census Bureau to assess poverty rates, and the United States Bureau of Labor. Univariate analyses were run on all three data sets to assess the mean and data range of each set of rates. A Pearson's correlation was ran to assess the strength and direction of correlation between the three variables. The analysis revealed that there was a relationship between the crime rate in impoverished areas that are faced with unemployment, as one rate increases, the others follow. In other words, there is a positive relationship between crime rate in impoverished areas and unemployment. As these factors heavily influence the economy and society as a whole, it is very important to understand the relationship between poverty rates, unemployment, and crime rates.
Primary Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Kenneth Wagner
Primary Faculty Mentor(s) Department
Criminology
Additional Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Elizabeth Sharrett Professor Allen Tenbuschen
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The Correlation between Crime, Poverty, and Unemployment Rates in Cities and Counties in Virginia
Room 232, Schewel Hall
Poverty, unemployment, and crime rates are three factors intertwined that have heavy effects on one another. Across many Virginia cities and counties, impoverished neighborhoods exist with their citizens facing a rising crime level and a lack of employment within their households. As these three variables exist and heavily affect society, it is pertinent to understand the relationship and the effects they have on one another. This study explores the relationship between impoverished areas, the crime rate, and the unemployment rate in all cities and counties across the state of Virginia. The data used in this analysis was collected from the Virginia State Police annual crime report, the United States Census Bureau to assess poverty rates, and the United States Bureau of Labor. Univariate analyses were run on all three data sets to assess the mean and data range of each set of rates. A Pearson's correlation was ran to assess the strength and direction of correlation between the three variables. The analysis revealed that there was a relationship between the crime rate in impoverished areas that are faced with unemployment, as one rate increases, the others follow. In other words, there is a positive relationship between crime rate in impoverished areas and unemployment. As these factors heavily influence the economy and society as a whole, it is very important to understand the relationship between poverty rates, unemployment, and crime rates.