U.S. murder rate hits lowest level since 1900, report says
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Murders fell 21% last year in 35 large U.S. cities — the biggest one-year drop ever and likely the lowest rate since 1900, Axios-reviewed data shows.
Why it matters: The decline signals a complete reversal of the COVID-era crime wave.
By the numbers: 11 of 13 tracked crimes were lower in 2025 than in 2024, according to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice.
- Nine offenses declined by 10% or more.
- Aggravated assaults fell by 9%, and gun assaults and robbery tumbled by 22% and 23%, respectively.
- Drug crimes are up 7%, the lone category to increase.
The big picture: Trump touts himself as a law-and-order president who has tackled crime by sending National Guard troops into predominantly Democrat-run cities and justified his immigration crackdown by linking undocumented immigrants to rising crime.
- But violent crime was already falling to a two-decade low in Biden's final year, calling into question whether Trump's policies have made an impact.
- "Whether it be deporting criminal illegal aliens, supporting law enforcement officers, or finally being tough on criminals, the Trump Administration has employed a whole-of-government approach to drive down crime and make communities safer," a White House spokesperson tells Axios.
"It's extremely difficult to disentangle and pinpoint what's actually driving the drop," CCJ President and CEO Adam Gelb said in a statement.
- Gelb said that the big shifts in criminal justice policies, advances in crime-fighting technology, and changes to the economy and culture are happening at once, and could contribute to the decrease.
Zoom in: Of the 35 cities reporting homicide rates, 31 saw declines.
- Murders plummeted 41% in Denver and fell 40% in Washington, D.C., and Omaha, Nebraska.
- Little Rock, Arkansas, had the largest increase at 16%.
Of note: The report didn't collect data from Jackson, Mississippi or Birmingham, Alabama, which had the top two highest murder rates per 100,000 people in 2024, according to FBI data.
What we're watching: The national murder rate is likely to land near 4.0 per 100,000 people once the FBI releases finalized 2025 data later this year.
Go deeper: Homicide rates plunging in Trump's "hellhole" cities
