The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country

"Last summer, a protester in Seattle made an anti-police sign with an unusual message. Hey SPD, it read. Crime is down 20 percent, and you had nothing to do with it. The taunt was glib, but it hinted at a profound question about the nature of public safety in American cities. After a pandemic-era rise in murders commonly attributed to a lack of policing, Seattle recorded fewer homicides in 2025 than in 2019, despite a much-smaller police force."

"Preliminary 2025 numbers look even better. The crime analyst Jeff Asher has concluded that the national murder rate through October 2025 fell by almost 20 percent-and all other major crimes declined as well. The post-pandemic crime wave has receded, and then some. According to Asher's analysis, Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago, Newark, and a handful of other big cities recorded their lowest murder rates since the 1950s and '60s."

Violent crime in the U.S. has fallen sharply to its lowest level since 1969, driven by a large decline in homicides. FBI final data for 2024 showed a nearly 15 percent decrease in homicide, and preliminary 2025 figures through October indicate an almost 20 percent national murder-rate drop with declines in other major crimes. Several large cities recorded their lowest murder rates since the 1950s and 1960s. Seattle recorded fewer homicides in 2025 than in 2019 despite a much-smaller police force. Large police departments employed about 6 percent fewer officers entering 2025, making the policing–crime link hazier.

Read at The Atlantic