US homicide rate falls to lowest level in 75 years, FBI data shows
FBI data shows US homicides fell 18.1% in 2025, hitting the lowest rate since 1956, while overall violent crime dropped 9.3%.
New FBI data released Friday shows the US homicide rate fell to its lowest level in 75 years during 2025, with the national murder rate dropping 18.1% from the previous year. Overall violent crime also declined by 9.3% last year, according to the report.
The homicide rate now stands at 4.1 per 100,000 people, a figure tied with 1955 and 1956 as the lowest since record-keeping began in 1900. Property crime fell 12.4% during the same period, with motor vehicle theft dropping nearly 23% to its lowest level in more than two decades — a category that had spiked in 2022 and 2023.
Experts caution that pinpointing a single cause for the decline is difficult. Crime rates have been falling nationally since 2022, and analysts point to a combination of factors rather than any one policy or program.
"The homicide drop is historic and crystal clear. But right now, what's driving it is about as clear as a glass of milk," said Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice. "Rates are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies, economic conditions, and political leadership. The consistency across the map should make us cautious about handing credit to any one leader, party, policy, or program before the evidence catches up."
President Donald Trump announced the figures during a visit to a New York police academy, crediting his administration's approach to law enforcement. "We ended the war on police, and we declared a very strong war on crime," he said.
The FBI's report is based on voluntary data submissions from more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies, covering over 87% of agencies in its program and serving nearly 329 million Americans.
In an unusual step, the FBI also noted that crime has continued to fall during the first half of 2026. Independent tracking of several dozen cities suggests homicides could decline another 18% this year compared with the same period in 2025.
Crime had surged during the coronavirus pandemic, with homicides jumping nearly 30% in 2020 — the largest single-year increase since the FBI began keeping records. Violent crime returned to near pre-pandemic levels around 2022.