Broward county is the second most populated county in the state of Florida. The county has a population of 1,748,066 with its county seat, Fort Lauderdale, having a population of 165,521. It is the eighteenth most populated county in the United States. The crime rate in the county went up almost 3.5 percent last year with 4,546 reports for each 100,000 people. The majority of the increase was in property crimes. In Broward county residents reported 18,814 burglaries, an increase of eight percent over the previous year. All residents are urged to install home security systems to help protect their properties.