Homicide rates continue dropping in Denver
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Denver police officials hosting a press conference about a 2022 homicide. Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Preliminary data shows homicides in Denver and Aurora fell in the first three months of 2025, as overall violent crime continued its post-pandemic drop in the nation's largest cities.
The big picture: Homicides in Denver fell by 58% — significantly higher than the rate of the largest cities in the country, which dropped 21%, per stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA).
Why it matters: The numbers indicate that the COVID-era crime wave has largely faded — even as some officials, including President Trump, falsely claim immigrants are driving increased crime rates.
Between the lines: This year's drop continues a yearslong trend of declining homicide rates in Denver.
State of play: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and police chief Ron Thomas spoke about the dip in violent crime rates during a community event last month.
- "The data is heading in the right direction," Johnston said at the event, something he credited to "thoughtful" engagement and partnering with the community.
What they're saying: "What I'm most proud of is the fact that we've been able to make these significant strides in public safety without having to over-police communities," Thomas said.
Zoom in: Violent crime, especially homicides, spiked during the final year of Trump's first term and Joe Biden's first two years as president. Since then, rates have dropped dramatically, an Axios review of MCCA data shows.
- Nationwide, violent crime — robberies, rapes and aggravated assaults — decreased by an average of 14% in the first quarter of this year, reports from police departments in 68 cities indicate.
The intrigue: Aurora, which Trump singled out, falsely claiming it's overrun by Venezuelan gangs, saw a 36% decline in homicide in early 2025.
- That followed a 5% drop in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the MCCA.
Trump repeatedly claimed during the 2024 campaign that migrants from Latin America, Africa and the Middle East were driving big jumps in violent crimes.
Caveat: The data didn't include New York City, the nation's largest city, which didn't submit crime numbers.
- New York releases crime stats on its own website, where it reported a 34% drop in homicides in the first quarter of 2025.
Zoom out: Honolulu (82%), Minneapolis (54%), Dallas (44%) and Philadelphia (28%), joined Denver as major cities showing notable drops compared to the same period last year.