Violent Offenses Hit Lowest Level Since 1950s, Data Shows

The latest FBI crime statistics reveal that 2025 recorded the steepest drop in violent crime since the Uniform Crime Reporting system began in 1936. Violent offenses declined by 9.3% from the previous year and the violent‑crime rate fell 9.7%, delivering the widest annual swing on record.

Homicides decreased by 18.5%, pushing the homicide rate down to 4.1 per 100,000 people – a level identical to the 1955‑56 period and the lowest ever reported. The bureau projects 1,119,768 violent crimes nationwide, a rate of 327.6 per 100,000, compared with 362.9 in 2024.

Robbery incidents dropped 18.5% to 168,927, rape reports fell 7.6% to 123,332 and aggravated assaults fell 7.2% to 813,424. Among violent crimes, aggravated assault accounted for 72.6%, robbery 15.1%, rape 11% and homicide 1.3%.

Firearms were used in 72.3% of homicides, 29.1% of robberies and 30.6% of aggravated assaults. Property‑crime offenses also fell 12.4% to an estimated 5.24 million incidents, with motor‑vehicle thefts down 22.7%, burglaries down 15.8% and thefts down 9.8%. Relative to 2016, property crime is 33.6% lower.

Hate‑crime incidents declined 7% to 10,606 in 2025, from 11,404 in 2024. The dataset includes 10,881 hate‑crime incidents and 13,026 bias‑motivated offenses covering race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity and more.

Over 17,000 law‑enforcement agencies, representing 96.2% of the U.S. population, contributed data. The White House highlighted the role of President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel, noting that the FBI executed about 54,000 arrests, including more than 31,000 violent offenders and gang members. Early 2026 figures show a further 10.6% decrease in violent crime versus the same period in 2025, driven by 23% fewer homicides, 18.6% fewer rapes and 19.6% fewer robberies.