By ZACH HARMUTH
All of Williamson County’s municipalities experienced a relatively low number of violent crimes in 2015, with incidences in Brentwood and Nolensville among the least in the state, according to the F.B.I.’s annual national, state and local crime data report.
Brentwood and Nolensville were respectively the fourth and eighth least violent cities in the state, of the 93 with at least a population of 5,000. Brentwood averaged 0.45 violent offenses per 1,000 residents; Nolensville 1.07.
Spring Hill was 13th least violent, averaging 1.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
Fairview, with 2.04 per 1,000, was 17th; and Franklin, with 2.07 per 1,000, was 18th.
Tennessee, according to the (most recently available) 2012 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, experienced the highest occurrence in the country of violent crime per 1,000 residents at 6.43. The national average that year was 3.86 per 1,000 residents.
In contrast, the metropolitan population area of Nashville- in which the FBI includes Murfreesboro, Franklin and parts of Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson Counties- it had 6.12 violent crimes per 1,000 people: 5.5 murders, 48.1 rapes, 128.8 robberies, 430.2 aggravated and assaults.
Murfreesboro averaged 5.42 violent crimes per 1,000 people, 48th out of 93 cities with at least 5,000 residents. Columbia averaged 5.9 per 1,000, for 53rd.
Nashville averaged 11.01 per 1,000 residents for 84th.
Violence simply is measured by the total number of violent crimes reported to local law enforcement, and includes murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults.
In absolute terms, Brentwood (pop. 41,984) had 17 violent crimes: no murders, 1 rape, 4 robberies and 12 aggravated assaults.
Nolensville (pop. 6,562) had 7 violent crimes: no murders, 1 rape, 2 robberies and 4 aggravated assaults.
Spring Hill (pop. 35,658) had 50 violent crimes: no murders, 8 rapes, 2 robberies and 40 aggravated assaults.
Fairview (pop. 8,331) had 17 violent crimes: no murders, 4 rapes, no robberies and 13 aggravated assaults.
Franklin (pop. 72,696) suffered 151 violent crimes: 1 murder, 24 reported rapes, 24 robberies and 124 aggravated assaults.
20 lowest violent crime rates:
| City | Pop. | Violent Crimes | Murder | Rape | Robbery | Agg. Assault | vc/1,000 | |
| 1 | Signal Mountain | 8,579 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Oak Ridge | 29,297 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.07 |
| 3 | Mount Carmel | 5,458 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.366 |
| 4 | Brentwood | 41,984 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 0.4 |
| 5 | Oakland | 7,495 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.67 |
| 6 | Collierville | 49,432 | 50 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 41 | 1.01 |
| 7 | Germantown | 39,361 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 30 | 1.01 |
| 8 | Nolensville | 6,562 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1.06 |
| 9 | Church Hill | 6,753 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1.18 |
| 10 | Loudon | 5,797 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1.21 |
| 11 | Collegedale | 11,353 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 1.23 |
| 12 | Jonesborough | 5,283 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1.33 |
| 13 | Spring Hill | 35,658 | 50 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 1.4 |
| 14 | Mount Juliet | 30,609 | 51 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 34 | 1.67 |
| 15 | Hendersonville | 56,106 | 101 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 85 | 1.8 |
| 16 | Martin | 11,285 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 2.04 |
| 17 | Fairview | 8,331 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2.04 |
| 18 | Franklin | 72,696 | 151 | 1 | 24 | 24 | 102 | 2.08 |
| 19 | Sparta | 5,114 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2.15 |
| 20 | Maryville | 28,541 | 62 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 51 | 2.17 |
Signal Mountain (pop. 8,579) boasted the least violent crime per resident in the state in 2015, with none reported, among cities with at least 5,000 people.
As for the worst: Only Lewisburg (18.9) and Covington (22.2) were worse than Memphis, which averaged 17.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
10 worst violent crime rates:
| City | Pop. | Violent Crimes | Murder | Rape | Robbery | Agg. Assault | vc/1,000 | |
| 1 | Covington | 9,008 | 201 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 179 | 22.31 |
| 2 | Lewisburg | 11,434 | 216 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 206 | 18.89 |
| 3 | Memphis | 657,936 | 11,449 | 135 | 530 | 3,131 | 7,653 | 17.4 |
| 4 | Dyersburg | 16,766 | 253 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 230 | 15.09 |
| 5 | Newport | 6,865 | 93 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 86 | 13.55 |
| 6 | Athens | 13,692 | 185 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 147 | 13.51 |
| 7 | Brownsville | 9,898 | 123 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 102 | 12.43 |
| 8 | Fayetteville | 7,173 | 87 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 70 | 12.13 |
| 9 | Ripley | 8,216 | 93 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 76 | 11.32 |
| 10 | Nashville Metropolitan | 658,029 | 7,245 | 72 | 507 | 1,847 | 4,819 | 11.01 |
In terms of absolute numbers Memphis, virtually tied for Nashville for the largest city in the state (both have ~658,000 residents), had the most violent crime. Its 11,449 reported incidents (135 murders, 530 rapes, 3,131 robberies and 7,653 aggravated assaults) far outpaced second-most Nashville, which totaled 7,245.
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