This paper examines the relationship between inequality and crime using data from urban counties in the United States. The study finds that inequality has a significant impact on violent crime but not on property crime. Specifically, inequality is associated with a strong and robust increase in violent crime, with an elasticity above 0.5, while it has little effect on property crime. By contrast, poverty and police activity have a significant effect on property crime but have minimal impact on violent crime. The economic theory of crime explains property crime well, while strain and social disorganization theories better explain violent crime. The paper uses data from 1991 metropolitan counties to analyze the link between crime and inequality, controlling for various factors such as unemployment, poverty rates, percentage of non-white population, and police expenditure per capita. The results are robust across different specifications and measures of inequality, including income and educational inequality. The findings suggest that high inequality leads to greater pressure and incentives for disadvantaged individuals to commit violent crimes, even when controlling for other factors.This paper examines the relationship between inequality and crime using data from urban counties in the United States. The study finds that inequality has a significant impact on violent crime but not on property crime. Specifically, inequality is associated with a strong and robust increase in violent crime, with an elasticity above 0.5, while it has little effect on property crime. By contrast, poverty and police activity have a significant effect on property crime but have minimal impact on violent crime. The economic theory of crime explains property crime well, while strain and social disorganization theories better explain violent crime. The paper uses data from 1991 metropolitan counties to analyze the link between crime and inequality, controlling for various factors such as unemployment, poverty rates, percentage of non-white population, and police expenditure per capita. The results are robust across different specifications and measures of inequality, including income and educational inequality. The findings suggest that high inequality leads to greater pressure and incentives for disadvantaged individuals to commit violent crimes, even when controlling for other factors.