Murders across the United States declined to their lowest point in about seventy years. This is an extreme shift from the sharp increase in murders beginning in 2020. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports the overall U.S. murder rate for 2025 was 4.1 per 100,000 people. Early 2026 data also shows murder rates continue to decrease.
In Baltimore, Maryland, this trend is even more clearly demonstrated. In 2025, there were 133 murders there – it’s lowest number since 1977. During the first six months of 2026, murders decreased by 23 percent.
Baltimore has implemented two approaches to reduce violence; 1) law enforcement efforts directed toward specific individuals and groups through a targeted approach using the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, and 2) community-based prevention programs known as Safe Streets.
These programs use targeted interventions to concentrate funding on individuals who are most likely to become perpetrators or victims of violent crime and seek to prevent violent crimes from occurring by intervening in potentially lethal conflicts prior to them escalating into lethal events.
So, the most likely explanation for the drop in homicides may ultimately involve several of several forces working together rather than one nationwide solution.
America’s homicide decline is occurring across cities with very different governments, police departments and crime-prevention strategies. Understanding exactly why could be enormously important: if researchers can determine what is driving the decline, cities may have a better chance of making historically low homicide rates last.
Suggestion: Perhaps advances in DNA and forensic technology, combined with the proliferation of surveillance cameras, doorbell cameras, license-plate readers and smartphones, have also contributed to the decline in murders. With fewer places to commit a violent crime without leaving behind physical or digital evidence, the increased likelihood of being identified and caught could be acting as a stronger deterrent.
