U.S. homicide rate falls toward century‑low as violence declines nationwide

A report by the independent Council on Criminal Justice, covering 30 American cities, found an 18 % drop in homicide rates in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. The decline puts the United States on track for the lowest annual homicide rate in more than a century. Violence lethality fell 23 % and nine of 13 tracked crime categories—including carjackings, burglaries and assaults—also declined, although shoplifting and some domestic‑violence incidents rose modestly. The trend was observed across cities led by both Democratic and Republican officials, with the Council noting that “murder and other crime rates are falling across the map” despite differing local policies.

While the overall picture is one of reduction, a minority of cities bucked the trend. Norfolk, Virginia, recorded a 64 % increase in homicides and San Francisco a 55 % rise. Other local reports echoed the national pattern: Córdoba province in Argentina saw a 31.9 % homicide drop in the first half of 2026; Brazil’s Amazonas state reported a 32.5 % fall in intentional violent deaths in 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, reached a 15‑year low in violent crime with a 5.2 % reduction; San Antonio, Texas, posted an 8 % homicide decline; and Rochester, New York, experienced a 76 % plunge in its homicide rate. These data collectively suggest a broader, multi‑national downward trend in homicide and related violent crime.