Violent crime falls in major US cities in first half 2026
An Axios analysis of the Major Cities Chiefs Association survey covering 66 large U.S. communities found violent crime categories down in the first half of 2026: homicides fell 17.2%, robberies 16.6%, rapes 6.2%, and aggravated assaults 5.7%, for a combined decline of about 8.3% and roughly 14,200 fewer reported violent crimes. Big homicide drops appeared in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Houston and Philadelphia, while some smaller jurisdictions showed large percentage swings and a few cities, including Honolulu and San Diego, had notable increases. A Council on Criminal Justice review found similar homicide declines, and the White House credited the trend to administration actions.
Violent crime declined about 8.3% across 66 large U.S. communities.
Context
Crime rose during the pandemic and then fell. The decline began under president Biden and kept falling under president Trump. Analysts recorded drops across many cities and some increases in a few places.
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