Crime

Joe Lancaster | 8.6.2025 1:30 PM

This week, the FBI reported its crime statistics for 2024. It was cause for celebration—unless you're a member of the Trump administration trying to claim credit.

"National violent crime decreased an estimated 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023 estimates," the bureau reported. Murder rates declined by 14.9 percent, aggravated assault by 3 percent, and robbery by 8.9 percent. Starting in 2013, the FBI adopted a new, more expansive method of classifying rape; in 2024, the number of offenses in the revised rape category declined by 5.2 percent.

"Overall violent crime…fell 4.4 percent in 2024 with the nation's violent crime rate reaching 359.1 per 100,000. That's the lowest national violent crime rate recorded since 1969," crime data analyst Jeff Asher wrote on Substack.

Earlier this year, preliminary data indicated a considerable drop in crime last year and that 2025 might continue that trend. On that measure, there is even more good news.

"The 2024 data adds confidence that 2025 will feature the lowest murder rate ever........

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