The United States recorded its largest annual decline in violent crime since the FBI began compiling national estimates in 1936, according to new figures from the federal agency released on Friday.

As Axios reports, violent crime fell by 9.7% over the course of a year, confirming that the decline that began after the surge during the pandemic period not only continued but accelerated significantly.

The picture is particularly striking when it comes to homicides. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell by 18.1%, while the homicide rate declined by 18.5%, to 4.1 per 100,000 residents.

That matches the levels recorded in 1955 and 1956, making it the lowest level recorded since the FBI began its national estimates.

Sharp decline in robberies too

The decline was not limited to homicides. According to the FBI, robberies fell by 18.5%, rapes by 7.6% and aggravated assaults by 7.2%.

There was an even greater improvement in some categories of property crime. Overall, this category recorded a 12.4% decline, with motor vehicle thefts falling by 22.7%, burglaries by 15.8% and thefts by 9.8%.

Decline recorded across the country

One of the most significant findings in the report is that the decline in crime is not confined to specific major cities.

The reduction was recorded across all population categories examined by the FBI, from the largest urban centers to smaller cities, suburbs and rural counties.

The biggest decline was recorded in cities with populations of between 500,000 and 999,999, where violent crime fell by 15.3%. In those cities, homicides fell by 27.4%, robberies by 22.8% and aggravated assaults by 12.6%.

Data from agencies covering 96% of the population

The report represents the FBI’s final assessment of crime in the US in 2025, although the national figures remain statistical estimates, as the agency calculates missing data in order to produce a representative picture of the country as a whole.

A total of 17,075 law enforcement agencies submitted data for 2025, covering more than 96% of the US population. At the same time, all police departments in cities with at least one million residents submitted data for all 12 months of the year.

Donald Trump, who upon his return to the White House had presented crime as one of the country’s most important problems, has attributed part of the continuing decline to his administration’s policies and federal interventions in cities such as Washington and Memphis.