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6h ago

FBI: U.S. Violent Crime and Homicides Fall to Lowest Rates Since the 1950s

Preliminary mid‑year 2026 figures show declines continuing, with experts warning voluntary reporting, local variation and a sharp rise in assaults on officers make it hard to pin down causes

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NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: A police car is parked at a crime scene where three people were shot on June 10, 2015 in the Gowanus area of the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. In an effort to combat the rise in murders and shootings, hundreds of additional New York City Police Officers will begin walking city streets as part of an aggressive NYPD initiative called "Summer All Out." About 330 officers will be taken off of administrative duty to patrol the streets in some of the city's most violent neighborhoods. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
FILE - An FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Ore., Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Overview

  • The FBI’s final 2025 Uniform Crime Report, released Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, found violent crime fell about 9.3% and murder and nonnegligent manslaughter fell 18.1%, producing a national murder rate of 4.1 per 100,000 that ties 1955–56.
  • Property crimes also dropped steeply in 2025, with an overall decline of about 12.4% and motor vehicle theft down roughly 22–23% from 2024 levels.
  • President Donald Trump and senior Justice Department and FBI officials credited federal enforcement and policy actions for the numbers and used the report in public events and campaign messaging.
  • Criminologists and analysts said the decline likely reflects many causes — social, technological and enforcement changes — and cautioned that voluntary data submission, uneven local trends and other factors prevent simple causal claims.
  • The report drew on data from more than 17,000 agencies covering about 87% of program participants, and the FBI plus independent trackers reported preliminary mid‑year 2026 declines even as assaults on officers rose to a multi‑year high in 2025.