The homicide rate in 35 major US cities dropped 21% from 2023 to 2024, equaling about 922 fewer homicides, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
The report tracked 13 different crimes and found declines in 11 of them, including carjackings, shoplifting, aggravated assaults, and other violent and property crimes.
The big picture: Drug crimes saw a slight rise, while sexual assault numbers remained unchanged compared to the previous year.
- Experts say similar crime declines are happening in cities and states beyond the study, but the exact causes for the sharp decreases aren’t yet understood.
- The council’s president, Adam Gelb, described the drop as “historic” and cautioned that there’s never a single reason behind crime increases or decreases.
Go deeper: Some cities, like Denver, Omaha, and Washington, D.C., saw homicide rates fall by 40% or more; only Little Rock, Arkansas, saw a significant increase (up 16%).
- Vehicle thefts plummeted by 27% and reported shoplifting by 10% in the surveyed cities.
