Homicides reached a historic low in the US last year

Data collected from 67 of the nation's biggest police departments shows declines across every major violent-crime category last year, according to a new report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Why it matters: If similar declines show up in broader national data still to come, the US homicide rate in 2025 could be the lowest recorded since at least 1900, according to the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ).

By the numbers: Rates also declined across all four major categories of violent crime over the past year:

• Robberies fell by roughly 20%.
• Aggravated assaults dropped nearly 10%.
• Gun assaults and robberies tumbled 22%.

Drug crimes were the only category to increase, though they remained below 2019 levels.

The data reinforces other studies that found significant drops last year. A recent CCJ report found a 21% drop in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, based on data from 35 US cities.

Driving the trend: Experts say a complex web of factors is responsible for America’s plummeting homicide rate since a recent surge during Covid.

• These include changes in policing strategies, incarceration rates, expanded mental health treatment, and young people spending increasingly more time at home and less out in public.
• Improvements in life-saving medical care have also reduced homicide rates over time.

Looking ahead…While official FBI data has yet to be released, early estimates suggest the national homicide rate could land near 4.0 per 100,000 people, its lowest level in over a decade.