Phoenix violent crime falls from early 2025 levels

In Phoenix:

• Homicides: 30 → 25
• Rapes: 248 → 219
• Robberies: 616 → 586
• Aggravated assaults 2,046 → 2,035

Meanwhile, Mesa saw increases in all categories except rape, with murders increasing from three to four.

• Tucson experienced drops in murders, robberies and aggravated assaults but saw an increase in rapes.

Zoom out: Homicides dropped nearly 18% among the 67 cities surveyed.

• Robberies fell 20%.
• Rapes declined 7%.
• Aggravated assaults decreased 5%.

Yes, but: The recovery remains uneven.

• Some cities still reported increases in certain violent crime categories, such as a 100% spike in homicides in San Diego, even as overall violence fell.
• Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Virginia Beach, Va., were among the cities that posted overall increases in violent crime totals during the quarter, according to Axios' analysis of the MCCA data.
• Police leaders also caution that crime trends can shift quickly heading into the summer months, when violence historically rises.

The bottom line: America's largest cities are continuing to get safer in 2026, even as crime remains one of the country's most politically potent issues.