San Antonio homicides rise for first time in years

How it works: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies shows how much violent crime fell across major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.

• The quarterly reports collected by the Major Cities Chiefs Association have been a good measure of trends that are reflected in the annual FBI crime data released in the fall.

Zoom in: In San Antonio, homicides rose from 18 in the first quarter of 2025 to 21 in Q1 this year, or a nearly 17% difference.

Yes, but: The city continued to see declines in other major categories of violent crime.

• The number of reported rapes fell 24%, robberies dropped 20% and aggravated assaults fell 15%.

The big picture: Nationally, violent crime fell sharply across the largest U.S. cities in early 2026, led by declines in robberies (20%), homicides (18%), rapes (7%) and aggravated assaults (5%).

• The nationwide decline began after a pandemic-era crime spike.

Context: Violent crime categories, including homicides, decreased in San Antonio in 2025 and 2024.

• The city largely followed a national trend of homicides climbing during the COVID-19 pandemic only to fall sharply in the following years.

What we're watching: National police leaders caution that crime trends can shift quickly heading into the summer months, when violence historically rises.