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The FBI's latest report reveals that violent crime in the United States dropped significantly in 2025, reaching the lowest rate ever recorded since the agency began tracking national crime trends in 1936. The data, released on Friday (August 18), shows a 9.3% decrease in violent crime, with the murder rate falling 18.1% to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people, tying the lowest rate recorded.
Axios reports that robbery, rape, and aggravated assault also saw declines, while property crimes dropped by 12.4%. Motor vehicle theft decreased by 22.7%, burglary by 15.8%, and larceny-theft by 9.8%. The FBI's findings, based on crime reports from law enforcement agencies, indicate that these trends have continued into 2026.
The Stateline analysis highlights that the decline in crime was broad, affecting communities of all sizes, from large cities to rural areas. The data shows that no single policy or administration can be credited for the decrease, as the trend began before President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Researchers suggest that the decline may be due to various factors, including the normalization of social activity post-pandemic, changes in policing strategies, and demographic shifts. Despite the decline, some crime rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, such as aggravated assault, which was higher in 2025 than in years from 2013 to 2015.
According to Our World in Data, the overall trend in both violent and property crimes has been downward over the last 30 years, with Americans in the 1990s being twice as likely to be victims of crime compared to today. The FBI's preliminary data for 2026 indicates continued declines, with violent crime down 10.6% and murder rates dropping 23% in the first half of the year.