America's Homicide Rate Just Fell Faster Than Ever Recorded
The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country
The FBI's final 2024 data shows America's violent-crime rate hit its lowest level since 1969, driven by a nearly 15 percent drop in homicides—the steepest annual decline on record. Even cities with understaffed police departments, like Seattle, recorded fewer homicides than in 2019 despite a much smaller force. The trend raises a profound question: if less policing didn't cause the pandemic-era murder spike, what is driving the decline?
If less policing made crime go up following the George Floyd protests—and most people thought it did—then what has made it go down?