FBI Crime Data API: key, endpoints and limits
The FBI Crime Data Explorer (CDE) API is free but needs an api.data.gov key, passed as an X-Api-Key header or api_key parameter, and its endpoints live under https://api.usa.gov/crime/fbi/cde/. It returns aggregate monthly offense rates and clearances by agency, state and nation, not individual incidents or street locations, so incident-level data near a point has to come from city portals or Crime Data API.
Last updated: 2026-11-07. Every call below was run on 2026-11-07 with DEMO_KEY; the FBI can change its API at any time.
Key facts
- Base URL: https://api.usa.gov/crime/fbi/cde/
- Key: free, from api.data.gov/signup; a 40-character string (developer manual).
- Default limit: 1,000 requests per hour per key; DEMO_KEY 30 per hour and 50 per day per IP.
- Data: aggregate monthly rates and clearances; official site cde.ucr.cjis.gov.
1. Get a key
Sign up at api.data.gov/signup. The same key works across APIs from participating agencies and should be kept private. To explore first, use DEMO_KEY, which has much lower limits.
2. Make a call
List agencies in a state. The key can go in a header:
curl -H "X-Api-Key: $KEY" "https://api.usa.gov/crime/fbi/cde/agency/byStateAbbr/RI"
Or in the query string, here for monthly violent-crime figures (offense code V) for one agency, using an ORI code from the agency list:
curl "https://api.usa.gov/crime/fbi/cde/summarized/agency/CA0140100/V?from=01-2022&to=12-2022&type=counts&API_KEY=$KEY"
Without a key the API answers 403 with API_KEY_MISSING.
3. What comes back
| Endpoint | Returns |
|---|---|
/agency/byStateAbbr/{state} | Agencies grouped by county: ori, agency_name, agency_type_name, the agency's latitude and longitude, is_nibrs and nibrs_start_date |
/summarized/agency/{ori}/{offense} | Monthly rates and clearances for the agency, its state and the United States |
These are the two endpoints we ran. The full endpoint list is in the interactive documentation on the CDE site, a browser application.
4. Limits and errors
api.data.gov applies its rate limits per key across all its APIs. Exceeding them returns HTTP 429 and blocks the key until the hourly window passes. For higher limits, api.data.gov says to contact the API owner at the agency. Check the X-RateLimit-Remaining response header to track usage.
5. What the FBI API cannot give you
There is no incident time, address or offense text, so it cannot answer what happened near a place last week. Agency coordinates are the agency's own, not crime locations. Agencies differ in when they began NIBRS reporting, which the is_nibrs and nibrs_start_date fields show, so check coverage before comparing agencies.
For incidents near a point, Crime Data API normalizes police-reported incidents from 11 US cities:
curl "https://crimedata.dev/v1/incidents?lat=37.788&lon=-122.4075&radius_m=500&limit=20" -H "x-api-key: $CRIME_API_KEY"
Elsewhere in the US, our /v1/score endpoint returns city-wide FBI rates only (method). See the side-by-side comparison, or the other free options. Crime Data API is not a consumer reporting agency. Do not use it for tenant, employment, credit or insurance screening or any eligibility decision. Reported incidents are not convictions or a prediction of personal risk. Data is revised by the source and can be incomplete; keep the source attribution and check each city's licence for your use.
FAQ
Do I need an API key for the FBI crime data API?
Yes. A request without a key returned HTTP 403 with the code API_KEY_MISSING when we tested on 2026-11-07. Keys are free from api.data.gov. Pass it in the X-Api-Key header or the api_key query parameter.
Where is the FBI Crime Data Explorer API documentation?
The interactive documentation is on the CDE site at cde.ucr.cjis.gov, in its API documentation page. It is a browser application, so a plain page fetch shows only a loading screen; open it in a browser.
What are the FBI crime data API rate limits?
The api.data.gov defaults are 1,000 requests per hour per key, with HTTP 429 when exceeded and a block that lifts after an hour. DEMO_KEY is limited to 30 requests per hour and 50 per day per IP. Individual services may set different limits.
Does the FBI API give incident-level or street-level data?
No. The endpoints we checked return monthly aggregate rates and clearances for an agency, its state and the US, plus an agency list with each agency's own coordinates. For incidents near an address use city open-data portals or Crime Data API.
Related
Crime data API overview and pricing · Free crime data APIs compared · FBI API alternative · SpotCrime alternative · CrimeoMeter alternative · Crime map API · Crime API reference
Crime Data API is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the FBI, GSA or api.data.gov, or UK police forces or data.police.uk. Names are used solely to identify the services described.