US violent crime rates see largest annual decline since 1936

The United States has recorded its largest year-to-year decline in violent crime since the FBI began national estimates in 1936. According to new FBI data, the national violent crime rate fell by 9.3 per cent between 2024 and 2025.

Specific reductions include an 18.1 per cent drop in murder and non-negligent manslaughter, an 18.5 per cent decrease in robbery, and a 7.6 per cent decline in rape. The estimated murder rate has fallen to 4.1 per 100,000 people, a level matching the mid-1950s.

Property crimes also saw significant decreases, led by a 22.7 per cent reduction in motor vehicle theft and a 15.8 per cent drop in burglary. FBI Director Kash Patel attributed these trends to increased cooperation between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

Senator Marsha Blackburn noted that homicides have reached their lowest rate in over a century, attributing the trend to the Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcement resources and initiatives such as the Memphis Safe Task Force.