NEWARK — An examination of the FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics released last week show the state's largest city outpacing every other reporting municipality in New Jersey in both violent and nonviolent crimes in 2013.

While some apparently high numbers stand out – Newark had nearly 2,000 more violent crimes in 2013 than the next highest jurisdiction reported, Jersey City – the report cautions readers against comparing municipalities to one another.

“These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town…Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents,” the report says. “The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities…”

Still, Newark ranked number one on each of the 10 categories outlined in the report, in many instances more than doubling the rates reported in other communities.

Violent crimes – Newark (3,516), Jersey City (1,655), Paterson (1,555)

Murders – Newark (112), Trenton (37), Jersey City (20)

Robbery – Newark (2,433), Paterson (848), Jersey City (717)

Burglary – Newark (2,074), Paterson (1,368), Jersey City (1,052)

“Everybody compares the data,” Dennis Kenney, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said in a phone interview.

“I’d take (the statistics) with a grain of salt, but most people looking at them don’t.”

Kenney pointed out that “comparisons between cities can be very faulty and problematic” because they don’t take into account factors like municipalities’ populations, residents’ reporting tendencies, and agencies’ reporting procedures.

“In towns where you have better police department relations, you might have a population with more willingness to report crimes to the police,” Kenney pointed out. “So, ironically, that town ends up with a higher crime rate."

The Brick City has the highest population in the state, beating out Jersey City by about 30,000 people. And, only 479 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities reported crime data to the FBI for 2013. The agency issues a disclaimer that towns and cities that incorrectly submit data or send in incomplete statistics are not included in the report.

Notably, Camden, which had one of the highest crime rates reported in 2012, does not appear in this year's list. Calls to the FBI about why the data didn't appear were not answered.

Camden County Police said they were unsure why the city's data did not appear in the report. As they appear in the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Report, the statistics show 57 murders in Camden in 2013.

Earlier this year, Camden County officials released statistics that suggested that crime rates were decreasing in the city.

Newark reported the third-highest murder rate across the country, behind only Detroit and New Orleans. But, police leaders in the city said that is poised to fall next year.

“To date, our crime stats are down in almost every UCR category,” for 2014, Newark Police Director Eugene Venable said in a statement.

Kenney said the statistics should not be a major concern for law enforcement agencies across the state.

“In many ways, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he said. “People see the numbers and don’t think the police department in a place is that good, or think a neighborhood could be particularly dangerous. In reality, there could be a myriad of explanations and qualifiers that are important.”

Click on the map above to see the statistics your town or city reported. See a full list of the reporting N.J. towns here.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.