Murders are down nationwide. Researchers point to a key reason

The number of homicides is falling dramatically nationwide.

In 2024, murders fell by at least 14% across the U.S., according to analyses by the data firm AH Datalytics and the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. Official data from the FBI goes only through 2023 but shows similar drops. Early analyses from AH Datalytics suggest the drop will be even bigger in 2025.

In Detroit, for instance, city officials say the number of homicides is at its lowest since 1965, and Police Chief Todd Bettison says that has led to a huge difference for his officers.

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Researchers who study crime caution that no one thing causes violence to rise or fall, but Asher and other crime analysts have zeroed in on what they say is a primary driver of the rise and subsequent decline: the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5448852/murders-down-nationwide-covid

Interesting article. It also mentions how community violence intervention played a role further down in the article.