Most violent crime on the decline in San Antonio

The big picture: A report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association shows violent crime dropped sharply among the nation's biggest cities in 2025 — confirming other studies on last year's declines.

• Data from the 67 biggest police departments shows that homicides overall fell 19%, robberies dropped about 20% and aggravated assaults were down nearly 10%.

Zoom in: In San Antonio, the data shows homicides fell nearly 16%, robberies decreased by more than 17% and aggravated assaults dropped about 9%.

Yes, but: There were nearly 5% more rapes reported in San Antonio last year compared with 2024.

State of play: Experts say a complex tangle of technological and social factors has curtailed homicides since the surge during COVID.

• Research credits "policing strategies and incarceration rates" and very long-term trends that include "mental health treatment and gun laws, the beautification of vacant lots and the phasing out of lead, which impairs brain development," the New York Times reported.
• "Improvements in life-saving medical care have also reduced the homicide rate."

The bottom line: The U.S. homicide rate in 2025 could be "the lowest observed since at least 1900," the independent Council on Criminal Justice said.