San Antonio homicides down as violent crime falls nationwide
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Homicides and other violent crimes declined during the first six months of the year in San Antonio, according to new data from an organization of law enforcement executives.
Why it matters: Reports from major law enforcement agencies and new FBI numbers released this week show violent crime could be heading to modern record lows nationwide.
- The rest of America is catching up to declines in crime seen in San Antonio even during spikes elsewhere, the data shows.
The big picture: The U.S. had a violent crime rate of 359.1 per 100,000 residents last year, the FBI said.
- It's the lowest violent crime rate the nation has had since 2014, when it was 372.4 per 100,000 residents, an Axios analysis found.
- Meanwhile, the nation's property crime rate dropped to a 20-year low of 1760.1 per 100,000 residents last year, according to an Axios analysis of FBI numbers.
Zoom in: San Antonio saw a decline in homicides of 12.7% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period of 2024, according to stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA).
- Robbery decreased nearly 20% and aggravated assaults fell 6%.
- However, rape increased 23% in San Antonio — the largest jump among Texas cities in the report.
What they're saying: "As the pandemic receded, criminal justice experts fully expected crime to decline," Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, tells Axios.
- Rahman said the crime drops occurred, even while police staffing levels have declined in the past five years by around 5% nationwide.
- "What's driving these unprecedented gains in community safety is the government investment in community infrastructure from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act."
Yes, but: The 2024 year-end data follows the Justice Department's April cancellation of $820 million in grants that had supported over 550 organizations focused on crime prevention research and services.