Violent crime keeps falling in Miami, other big U.S. cities
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Violent crime kept falling across many of the nation's largest cities through June — including Miami, where homicides fell by 50% from the first half of 2025, according to preliminary data reviewed by Axios.
Why it matters: The decline now spans two presidencies — it began falling under President Biden after the pandemic-era surge, and has kept dropping under President Trump.
- Trump came into office casting America as being overrun by crime at a time when the numbers were already declining dramatically.
By the numbers: An Axios analysis of the Major Cities Chiefs Association's (MCCA) survey of 66 large U.S. communities found drops in violent crime in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
- Nationally, homicides fell 17.2%.
- Robberies dropped 16.6%.
- Rapes declined 6.2%.
- Aggravated assaults fell 5.7%.
- Taken together, the four categories were down about 8.3%, for roughly 14,200 fewer reported violent crimes, according to the Axios review.
Zoom in: In Miami, the homicide count fell from 16 in the first half of 2025 to eight in the same period this year.
- Rapes declined by about 22%, with 58 cases reported.
- Robberies fell about 22%, from 202 cases in 2025 to 158 in 2026.
- Aggravated assaults dropped from 771 cases to 657, an 8% decline.
Meanwhile, the homicide drops are especially striking in several cities that have struggled with high levels of violence.
- D.C. reported 46 homicides, down 43.9% from 82 in the first half of 2025.
- Homicides in Memphis fell 43.7%, from 119 killings to 67, and 38.3% in Houston, from 154 to 95.
- Philadelphia recorded 83 homicides, down 27.2% from 114.
Yes, but: Some cities had relatively small homicide totals that were significantly higher than in the first six months of 2025.
- Honolulu jumped 85.7%, from seven homicides to 13.
- San Diego jumped 81.3%, from 16 to 29 — continuing the increase Axios identified in the first quarter.
Zoom out: Another major crime tracker is seeing similar trends in declining violent crime.
- A Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) analysis found homicides down 18% among 30 reporting cities in the first half of 2026. The group says the decline began in the second half of 2022.
- The finding is notable because crime has fallen across cities with different political leadership, policing strategies, economic conditions and levels of federal involvement, CCJ said.