The United States is on track to record its third straight year of declining homicides, with 2024 seeing the most significant drop yet.
Preliminary data from law enforcement agencies across the country indicates a nearly 16% decrease in homicides nationwide, alongside a 3.3% reduction in overall violent crime, according to crime analyst Jeff Asher.
This decline is a dramatic shift from the spike in homicides that occurred in 2020, when murders surged by 30%—the largest single-year increase in over a century. Now, the nation is experiencing a return to pre-pandemic levels of violence, with experts estimating 5,000 fewer murder victims in 2024 compared to the peak years of 2020 and 2021.
Several major cities have reported substantial decreases in homicide rates this year:
- Philadelphia: Homicides fell by 40% in 2024, a significant improvement from the city’s record high of 562 murders in 2021.
- New Orleans: The city saw a 38% drop in homicides, reflecting a broader trend of reduced violent crime.
- Washington, D.C.: Murders declined by 29% after years of troubling increases.
- Memphis, Tennessee: Homicides fell by 23%.
- Baltimore: The city reported a 24% decrease in murders.
- Kansas City, Missouri: Homicides dropped by 20%.
- Los Angeles: The city reported a 15% decrease in murders.
In New York City, homicides fell by 7.3% compared to 2023, with 357 murders recorded as of mid-December. This represents a 15% decline over two years and a significant improvement from 2020 when homicides spiked 45% to 442.
Chicago, a city historically plagued by high homicide rates, recorded a 7% decline as of Dec. 15, with 603 murders compared to 2023. Over the past three years, Chicago has seen a 29% reduction in homicides after experiencing a 55% surge in 2020.
The downward trend isn’t limited to large metropolitan areas. Research shows a 15% drop in homicides in 63 cities with populations over 250,000 and a 19% reduction in 246 smaller cities.
