Matt Delaney | August 6, 2025

(The Washington Times) — The number of U.S. murders, shootings, robberies and rapes declined consistently for a second straight year, according to the FBI’s annual report on nationwide crime trends, although the most recent federal data on victimization shows that violence and disorder in cities remain well above 2019 levels.

The bureau’s Crime in the Nation report for 2024, published Tuesday, showed declines in all listed categories, including hate crimes and property crime, particularly motor vehicle thefts that spiked during the COVID-19 emergency.

The report said crime in each population group — urban, suburban and rural — also showed sizable drops.

The FBI’s annual report said violent crime fell 4.5% overall last year. Murder and manslaughter showed a precipitous 14.5% decline, the lowest rate in nine years. Rapes dropped 5.2%, assaults were down 3%, and robberies fell nearly 9%.

Property crime declined 8% in 2024, burglaries were down 8.6%, and thefts dropped 5.5%.

Most noticeably, motor vehicle thefts declined 18.6%. It marked a sharp reversal of the nationwide surge in car thefts initiated by the “Kia Boyz” challenge from the early 2020s. The social media fad showed people how to hot-wire older model Hyundais and Kias with just a screwdriver and a USB cord.

Officials said it was “difficult if not impossible” to pinpoint why crime had fallen dramatically from the generational spike in 2020 and 2021, especially in major cities.

The FBI said the rate of each type of violent crime was down in urban areas with at least 1 million residents. Among all population levels, America’s largest cities had the most pronounced decline in the murder rate, with a 19.1% drop.

President Trump, who is pushing for a federal takeover of the District of Columbia, said on social media Tuesday that crime in the nation’s capital is “totally out of control.” He blamed lax prosecution of teen gang members who he said are “randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens.”

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” Mr. Trump said.

FBI Assistant Director Timothy Ferguson said the agency plans to release national crime data monthly to “produce an even more timely and accurate picture of crimes in the United States.”

“Relevant data helps police fight violent crime by aiding in resource allocation, and it helps families learn more about their communities,” Mr. Ferguson said during a media call.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics survey on victimization for 2024 may offer a dimmer outlook on urban crime. It is expected to be published next month.

The National Crime Victimization Survey goes directly to crime victims rather than relying on police reports. Last year, it showed that violent crime jumped 40% from 2019 to 2023. Property crimes rose 26%.

The results of the Bureau of Justice Statistics survey are typically released in September. They will provide a more complete picture of public safety in the nation.

Crime data experts, such as AH Datalytics’ Jeff Asher, are optimistic that the FBI’s data represents a tangible shift toward safer streets.

He wrote on his Substack blog that the FBI report adds confidence to the idea that this year will match 2014 for the lowest murder rate ever recorded. If the U.S. improves even slightly during the final five months of the year, he said, it will be “more likely than not” that 2025 will end with the lowest homicide rate in the nation’s history.

Hate crimes fell 1.5% in 2024 after a 2% increase in 2023. The FBI said the number of known hate crime offenders last year eclipsed the 2023 figure.

The FBI said 64 police officers died in “felonious killings” on the job last year. From 2021 to 2024, a total of 258 officers died under similar violent circumstances.

The agency noted a 10-year high in officers assaulted on the job, with 85,730 officers attacked.

Officials said on the media call that they will conduct an “in-depth behavioral analysis study” to gain an understanding of the increase in assaults on officers.

The data further shows a decrease in arrests last year.

The FBI noted a 4.2% drop in violent crime arrests for juveniles and a 5.3% decline for adults. Although juvenile property crime arrests fell 5.3%, adult arrests rose 3.9%.

Federal law enforcement said 16,675 agencies submitted data for the Uniform Crime Reporting program, a 2.1% increase from 2023 in the police departments offering statistics for the annual report.

That includes inaugural data submissions from the Los Angeles Police Department, the nation’s second-largest police force, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the largest sheriff’s office in the country. Los Angeles is the nation’s second most populous city and metropolitan area.

The participating agencies cover almost 96% of the U.S. population.