Homicide rate declines sharply in dozens of US cities, a new report shows [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 8:46 AM EST, January 22, 2026
Data collected from 35 American cities showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.
The report, released on Thursday, tracked 13 crimes and recorded drops last year in 11 of those categories including carjackings, shoplifting, aggravated assaults and others. Drug crimes saw a small increase over last year and sexual assaults stayed even between 2024 and 2025, the study found.
Experts said cities and states beyond those surveyed showed similar declines in homicides and other crimes. But they said it’s too early to tell what is prompting the change even as elected officials at all levels — both Democrats and Republicans — have been claiming credit.
Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the council — a nonpartisan think tank for criminal justice policy and research — said that after historic increases in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year brought historic decreases. The study found some cities recorded decades-low numbers, with the overall homicide rate dropping to its lowest in decades. “It’s a dramatic drop to an absolutely astonishing level. As we celebrate it we also need to unpack and try to understand it,” Gelb said. “There’s never one reason crime goes up or down.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/homicide-rate-decrease-cities-crime-b6fce2ee6c2169a6bb4aaf3e82bab032
Link to Council on Criminal Justice PRESS RELEASE - Homicide Falls Sharply in Major U.S. Cities Amid Continuing Decline in Overall Crime
Council on Criminal Justice REPORT - Crime Trends in U.S. Cities Year-End 2025 Update
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