NEW YORK — A new article from Jeff-alytics discusses how the murder rate has decreased in the United States, noting that while public discussion often focuses on violent crime, the recent decline in homicides is something worth celebrating.
The article first analyzes murders in New York in April of this year compared to last year, showing a drop from 102 murders in 2025 to 76 murders in 2026.
The article continues by comparing murders committed in different cities across the United States. Graphs provided in the article show that many U.S. cities experienced their highest murder rates during the 1990s and have seen decreases since then, except for Philadelphia, which peaked in 2021 with 170 murders, and Baltimore, which peaked in 2022 with 116 murders.
The article then highlights murder rates in major cities and explains how significantly they have decreased. According to the graphs, Detroit and Los Angeles experienced the most significant decreases in murder rates.
The article states, “Nationally, there were about 8,000 fewer murders last year than each year from 2020-2022 and about 10,000 fewer murders than there were in the early 1990s.”
Another article from the Council on Criminal Justice reported that the murder rate has dropped 16% over the last three years. The article also supports Jeff-alytics’ findings that the homicide rate in 2025 has been the lowest since the 1900s.
The Council on Criminal Justice provides several possible explanations for the decrease in murder rates in the United States, including efforts by communities to reduce violence following the surge in violence during the pandemic. However, other scholars argue that they do not know exactly why homicides are decreasing. The article also suggests that more stable routines among the public could be contributing to the trend.
The article continues with theories about whether the murder rate will continue to decrease. Some scholars argue that federal jurisdiction and issues involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, could affect the rate. For the most part, however, many scholars cited in the article say there are no consistent factors to rely on when determining whether murder rates will continue to decline.
Lastly, the article concludes with the statement: “In the near term, we are likely to hang on to recent gains in many cities, in part because city leadership has been vocal about these reductions and is under significant pressure to sustain them. Over time, however, the impact of reductions in violence prevention and intervention funding is likely to catch up, particularly if civil unrest continues to increase.”
These factors leave scholars uncertain about what will happen with murder rates in the United States moving forward.
The article from Jeff-alytics ends by noting that the decline in murder rates across the United States should be appreciated. However, it also acknowledges that ongoing issues and tragedies continue to occur throughout the country. Still, the article characterizes the trend as a small win and ends on a positive note, stating that “sometimes it’s worth appreciating how much better things are now than they were 50, 30 and even 5 years ago when considering where we are today.”
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