The spread of crime to smaller Ohio cities and the spatial distribution of crime in Lima, Ohio

Abstract

While a substantial body of research exists on crime in large cities, very little is known about the spread of crime to smaller cities or the morphology of crime within small cities. Research on this topic is relevant because currently, in the United States, small cities, those with less than 100,000 population, are experiencing the most rapid increases in crime, especially violent crime (Gordon, Green, Steelman, & Walker, 1992; FBI Uniform Crime Reports 1976–1993; and U.S. News, Jan. 17, 1994). Using data for selected Ohio cities and employing a case study of Lima, this paper addresses 1) the increase of crime in smaller cities in Ohio and the correlation between city size and crime, 2) the association measured by regression analysis between crime rates and socioeconomic factors found in previous research to be criminogenic in large cities, and 3) the location of violent and property crime in Lima, a small city of 45,459, and the relationship between high crime rates and socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods.