ABSTRACT

An ecological model of interurban crime draws on numerous examples to illustrate the computed relationships. The model is unique in that it emphasizes geographic context and is based on more cities (726) than any previous study. Five measures of serious crime and 25 socioeconomic variables, chosen on the basis of their theoretical relationship to crime, are correlated using canonical analysis. Variables representing black population characteristics, residential stability, economic status, and age of the population are prominent among clusters of predictors that relate significantly to the crime parameters. The results confirm and extend prior findings at the interurban level.