FBI data for 2025 show biggest drop in violent crime in 90 years

The U.S. violent crime rate plunged 9.7% last year — the largest annual drop since the FBI's national estimates began in 1936 — according to the bureau's data released Friday and reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: The FBI's 2025 report indicated that the post-pandemic declines in violent crime accelerated sharply last year in communities of all sizes across the U.S. (That drop appeared to continue during the first half of this year, a separate Axios analysis of big cities' violent crime data found last week.)

Among the declines cited by the FBI:

• Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter dropped 18.1%.
• Robbery fell 18.5%, rape 7.6% and aggravated assault 7.2%.
• Meanwhile, the U.S. murder rate decreased 18.5% to 4.1 per 100,000 residents, tying 1955 and 1956 for the lowest rate since FBI national estimates began.

Property crime declined 12.4%, led by drops in motor vehicle theft (22.7%), burglary (15.8%) and larceny-theft (9.8%).

Zoom in: The decline in crime was unusually broad, touching every population group in the FBI's violent-crime data — from the largest cities to small cities, suburbs and rural counties, an Axios analysis found.

• Cities with 500,000 to 999,999 people had the biggest decrease, 15.3%, including drops of 27.4% in murder, 22.8% in robbery and 12.6% in aggravated assault.

The report is the FBI's final one for 2025 crime, but the national figures remain statistical estimates. The FBI estimates missing data to produce nationally representative figures.

• 17,075 law enforcement agencies submitted 2025 data, covering more than 96% of the U.S. population. Every city agency serving at least 1 million residents submitted a full 12 months.

Between the lines: The breadth and timing of the overall decline in crime decline make it difficult to credit any single president, policing strategy or local policy.

• The decline in homicides began in 2022 under President Biden, continued through 2025 and has extended into the second year of President Trump's second term.
• Trump came into office casting America as being overrun by crime at time when the numbers already were falling dramatically.
• As that decline has continued Trump has taken credit for it, often linking it to his administration's National Guard and federal interventions in cities such as Washington, D.C., and Memphis, to declines in violent crime.