Homicide rates have dropped by 21% from 2024 to 2025 in 35 U.S. cities, meaning about 922 fewer homicides occurred last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.

The report, released on the 22nd (local time), found that 11 out of 13 crime types tracked, including carjacking, robbery, and aggravated assault, saw decreases last year. Drug-related offenses saw a slight increase compared to last year, and sexual assault remained unchanged between 2024 and 2025.

Experts said that crime rates, including homicides, have similarly declined in other cities and states outside the surveyed areas. However, they added that it is too early to pinpoint the factors driving these changes, as elected officials at all levels, regardless of party affiliation, are claiming credit.

Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council, a bipartisan think tank for criminal justice policy and research, stated that this year marks a historic decrease in violent crime following a historic surge during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that some cities have recorded their lowest numbers in decades, and the overall homicide rate has fallen to its lowest level in decades.

"Crime has dropped with astonishing speed. We should celebrate this while also working to analyze and understand why. There is no single reason for crime rates to go up or down," Gelb said.

The Council collects data from police departments and other law enforcement agencies. While some categories in the report included data from up to 35 cities, fewer cities were included for specific crimes due to differences in definitions or tracking gaps. The report indicated that property crimes also declined, with vehicle theft down 27% and shoplifting down 10%.

According to the Council's report, homicide rates decreased in 31 of the 35 cities, with notable drops of more than 40% in Denver, Omaha, Nebraska, and Washington. The only city to record a double-digit increase was Little Rock, Arkansas, which saw a 16% rise compared to 2024.

"We like to believe that local factors really matter for crime and that it's fundamentally a neighborhood problem and we should look for solutions at the neighborhood level," Gelb said. "But we're now seeing how broad national social, cultural, and economic factors can have an enormous impact on what happens at the local level."

Republicans, who had previously expressed skepticism about the statistics showing a decline in violent crime in many cities in 2024, are now quick to claim credit for this year's reduction, citing their tough-on-crime policies, such as deploying the National Guard in cities like New Orleans and the capital, Washington D.C., and intensifying immigration enforcement operations.

However, the Council's annual report revealed that cities that did not receive federal troops or agents have also seen historically similar declines in violent and other crimes.

Democratic mayors are emphasizing that their policies contributed to the 2025 decline.

Jens Ludwig, a professor of public policy and director of the University of Chicago's Crime Lab, stressed that multiple factors could be at play in the reduction of crime, including increased law enforcement budgets or increased education budgets to improve graduation rates, according to the Associated Press.

Ludwig stated that while the precise reasons for sharp fluctuations in crime rates are often unknown, this decline could be partly attributed to a normalization process following years of surging crime during the pandemic.

"The volatility of violent crime rates in the U.S. is much greater year-to-year than poverty or unemployment rates," he added. "If we are to assign credit for this decline, either side should wait before declaring victory."

By NNP Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Contributor to this newspaper NNP info@newsandpost.com