Tampa among few major cities with rising homicides in 2026
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Tampa saw an uptick in homicides during the first half of the year that was among the highest in the country for major cities, according to preliminary data reviewed by Axios.
Why it matters: Deadly crime in Tampa is bucking a national trend among the largest cities in the country, which are mostly recording dips in homicides.
State of play: 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.
- Data showed declines in homicides (-17.2%), robberies (-16.6%), rapes (-6.2%.) and aggravated assaults (-5.7%) among the police departments analyzed.
Zoom in: While homicides rose from eight to 11 in Tampa, per MCCA, the city did record lower numbers of reported rape (-24%), robbery (-21%) and aggravated assault (-7%).
- The Tampa Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on the survey.
Context: Tampa's rise in homicides isn't the largest in the state — Orlando, which saw six homicides in the first half of 2025, had 10 in the first half of this year.
- Miami, meanwhile, was among the major cities with the biggest drops in homicides, down 50% compared to the first half of 2025.
The big picture: Nationwide, violent crime kept falling across many of the nation's largest cities through June, with homicides down 17.2% from the first half of 2025.
- The decline now spans two presidencies — it began falling under President Biden after the pandemic-era surge, and has kept dropping under President Trump.
By the numbers: Axios' analysis of the MCCA survey found drops in violent crime in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
- Homicides fell 17.2%.
- Robberies dropped 16.6%.
- Rapes declined 6.2%.
- Aggravated assaults fell 5.7%.
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.