Murders Fell 20 Percent in 2025, FBI Preliminary Data Show

The FBI has released preliminary figures showing murders fell roughly 20 percent nationwide in 2025, marking the largest single-year decrease ever recorded in bureau data. The figures, typically released at the end of summer, were furnished in May 2026 as the first preview of annual crime tallies before the end of the following spring.

First-quarter 2026 numbers drawn from 67 major law enforcement agencies showed homicides fell 17.7 percent compared with the same period in 2025, while robberies dropped 20.4 percent, reported rapes declined 7.2 percent and aggravated assaults fell 4.8 percent.

Declines appeared in every region of the country, according to the bureau. The preliminary data also recorded a 31 percent rise in fentanyl seizures, the rescue of more than 6,000 child victims and a 290 percent increase in gang disruptions.

A separate report by the Council on Criminal Justice, which analyzed data from 40 large cities, found the U.S. homicide rate in 2025 fell 21 percent from 2024 and stood 44 percent below the 2021 pandemic peak. Officials stated that the country is on track to record the lowest murder rate in modern American history, by double-digit percentages.

In October 2025 authorities announced that Operation Summer Heat resulted in more than 8,700 arrests and a 20 percent drop in violent crime in targeted cities. The early release of the data provides an initial look at crime trends following several years of elevated homicide rates during the pandemic period.

Further detailed reporting from additional agencies is expected in the coming months.