New Study Shows Crime Eating into Family Budgets
A newly released report from the Common Sense Institute and the Arizona Chamber Foundation shows the cost of crime in Arizona reached $20.6 billion in 2022 alone – that’s a $7,200 annual hit to the median Arizona household.
According to Our America’s Arizona Grassroots Director Paul Parisi, Our America identified the state’s out-of-control crime problem long before this study came out.
“We know that Americans of all backgrounds want to live in safe neighborhoods,” Parisi said.
In recent months, Our America’s Hometown Heroes have spoken up in Tucson City Council meetings in support of fully funding law enforcement.
From the report:
“This equals an average cost per Arizonan of $2,796, or for the median household, roughly $7,200 – nearly 10% of annual household income. Most of these costs (87%) are due to the 167,853 violent crimes committed in 2022. The cost of crime in 2022 was 25% higher than it otherwise would have been if pre-2015 crime trends had continued. CSI estimates that this recent surge accounted for $4.1 billion of the total $20.6 billion cost of crime in 2022.”
Earlier this year, Our America’s Hometown Heroes fought hard for SB 1411, a bill Gov. Katie Hobbs signed into law creating a Retail Theft Taskforce to address crime statewide.
Parisi noted that a recent survey conducted by the Hispanic Liberty Alliance found the two top concerns among Hispanics in the state are crime and cost of living.
“It’s not just inflation that is cutting into the family budgets, it’s also crime,” added Parisi. “By fully funding law enforcement agencies, local governments can bring down both crime and costs for law-abiding citizens and ensure safer streets and brighter futures,” he concluded.
