THE ROBBERY INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE ANALYZED INCLUDE THE AGE, SEX, AND RACE OF OFFENDER AND VICTIM; TYPE OF WEAPON INVOLVED; AND SETTING AND TIME OF OFFENSE. DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR A 1970 50-PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLE OF ROBBERIES REPORTED TO POLICE IN A LARGE NORTHEAST SUBURBAN COUNTY. AFTER DESCRIBING THE VARIATIONS AMONG THE SOCIAL AREAS IN WHICH THE REPORTED ROBBERIES TOOK PLACE AND THE VARIATIONS IN SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ROBBERIES, THESE TWO DIMENSIONS (I.E., AREA CHARACTERISTICS AND INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS) ARE EXAMINED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE DATA SHOW THAT DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ROBBERIES ARE MANIFEST IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE USE OF BODILY FORCE IN ROBBERIES TENDS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH STREET ROBBERIES THAT OCCUR IN LOWER-CLASS AREAS THAT HAVE HIGH INCIDENCE OF OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS, WHEREAS THE INVOLVEMENT OF KNIVES OR FIREARMS IS FOUND TO CHARACTERIZE ROBBERIES THAT OCCUR IN MIDDLE-CLASS OR MORE WELL-TO-DO AREAS. IT IS ALSO SHOWN THAT ROBBERIES INVOLVING FIREARMS TEND TO BE ROBBERIES OF COMMERCIAL SITES AND THAT SUCH COMMERICAL SITES TEND TO BE FOUND IN BUSINESS DISTRICT OR MIDDLE-CLASS OR MORE WELL-TO-DO AREAS. THE FINDNGS FROM THIS STUDY TEND TO SUPPORT THE CONTENTION THAT PATTERNS OF ROBBERY (AS WELL AS RATES VARY ACROSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCIAL AREAS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT) (SNI ABSTRACT)...PLO