There were approximately 1.2 million violent crimes in the U.S. in 2018, down 3.3% from the year before, according to data recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The South saw the greatest decline in violent crime per capita, with a 4.8% drop from 424 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2017 to 403 offenses per 100,000 people in 2018. The drop was driven by West Virginia, whose violent crime rate per capita dropped nearly 20%.

Violent crime includes robbery offenses, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated assault and rape.

All regions saw a decline in violent crime per capita, ranging from the South's nearly 5% drop to the West's 0.6% decline.

Iowa and New Hampshire saw the largest drops behind West Virginia, falling by 13% and 11.5%, respectively. The FBI notes that Iowa's crime data was limited.

Maine boasted the lowest violent crime rate in 2018, with 112 offenses per 100,000 people. The Pine Tree State ranks No. 1 in U.S. News' 2019 Best States ranking for public safety, based on property crime and violent crime rates reported by the FBI.

All types of violent crime decreased from 2017 to 2018 except for rape, with offenses increasing by 2% per capita. There were nearly 43 rapes per 100,000 people in 2018, compared to 42 rapes per capita in 2017.

The Northeast reported the steeped increase in rapes per capita, up by 3.6% from 30 rapes per capita in 2017 to 31 rapes per capita in 2018.