Violent crime in the United States fell 9.3% from 2024 to 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent-crime rate since the FBI began its estimates in 1936. The FBI’s newly released 2025 data also show an 18.1% decline in murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, while the national murder rate fell to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people—tying 1955 and 1956 for the lowest rate recorded by the bureau.
The decline was not limited to killings. Robbery fell 18.5%, rape declined 7.6%, and aggravated assault dropped 7.2%. Property crime also decreased, falling 12.4% nationally in 2025. The FBI said the figures are based on more than 13 million reported offenses from more than 17,000 participating law enforcement agencies covering 96.2% of the U.S. population.
| Crime category | Change, 2024–2025 |
|---|---|
| Violent crime | -9.3% |
| Murder & nonnegligent manslaughter | -18.1% |
| Robbery | -18.5% |
| Rape | -7.6% |
| Aggravated assault | -7.2% |
| Property crime | -12.4% |
Texas recorded an even larger decline in its violent-crime rate.
Texas followed the national trend but recorded a larger reduction in its violent-crime rate, which fell 13.19% in 2025 from the previous year, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The state’s property-crime rate also declined 13.31%. Within violent crime, the Texas report recorded an 18.46% decline in robbery, a 12.67% drop in murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, a 12.13% fall in aggravated assault, and an 11.48% decline in rape.
Texas’ decline has been building for several years. The state’s overall crime rate peaked at 2,830.14 offenses per 100,000 people in 2022. It then fell 3.3% in 2023, 8.2% in 2024, and about 13% in 2025. McAllen and Brownsville each reported roughly 21% declines in crime during 2025.
What the numbers do—and do not—show
The White House has used the latest figures to promote a broader claim about improved public safety. But the FBI’s wording is narrower: it identifies the 2024-to-2025 decline as the largest year-to-year decrease since its national estimates began, rather than proving that one administration or policy caused the decline.
The data also measure reported crime, not every offense that occurs. Texas DPS notes that its annual figures are based on reports submitted by law enforcement agencies, while the FBI’s UCR system similarly depends on agency reporting.
That distinction matters because the 2025 numbers clearly show crime moved sharply downward, but the statistics alone do not establish exactly why it happened. The national decline was already part of a broader downward trend, with the Council on Criminal Justice finding homicides in major U.S. cities fell about 21% in 2025 from 2024.
