Murders dropped 21% last year across 35 major U.S. cities — the largest one-year decline on record and potentially the lowest homicide rate since 1900 — according to data reviewed by Axios.
The sharp decrease marks a dramatic turnaround from the violent crime surge seen during the COVID era.
Data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) show that 11 of 13 tracked crime categories were lower in 2025 than in 2024. Nine offenses fell by at least 10%.
Aggravated assaults declined 9%, while gun assaults fell 22% and robberies dropped 23%. Drug-related crimes were the lone category to rise, increasing 7%.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly highlighted the crime drop as evidence of his law-and-order agenda, which has included deploying National Guard troops to predominantly Democrat-run cities and tying his immigration crackdown to public safety concerns.
However, critics note that violent crime had already fallen to a two-decade low during President Joe Biden’s final year in office, raising questions about how much of the decline can be directly attributed to Trump’s policies.
“Whether it be deporting criminal illegal aliens, supporting law enforcement officers, or finally being tough on criminals, the Trump Administration has employed a whole-of-government approach to drive down crime and make communities safer,” a White House spokesperson told Axios.
Crime experts caution that multiple factors may be driving the trend.
“It's extremely difficult to disentangle and pinpoint what's actually driving the drop,” CCJ President and CEO Adam Gelb said in a statement.
Gelb pointed to major shifts in criminal justice policies, improvements in crime-fighting technology, and broader economic and cultural changes as possible contributors.
Of the 35 cities reporting homicide data, 31 recorded declines. Murders fell 41% in Denver and dropped 40% in both Washington, D.C., and Omaha, Nebraska. Little Rock, Arkansas, saw the largest increase, with homicides rising 16%.
The report did not include data from Jackson, Mississippi, or Birmingham, Alabama — the two cities with the highest murder rates per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to FBI figures.
Based on current trends, the national murder rate is expected to land near 4.0 per 100,000 people once the FBI releases finalized 2025 data later this year.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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