The reported rate of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in 2025 was the lowest since reliable national data began to be collected in 1960. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The murder rate in 2025 was the lowest in modern American history.
Preliminary data shows the murder rate fell nearly 20% from 2024, likely making it the lowest rate since reliable national data began to be collected in 1960.
Why was the murder rate so low?
I'm a professor of sociology and criminology who studies crime trends. In my book, Crime Wave, I explore how homicide rates have closely followed three trends over the past decade: alcohol consumption, drug abuse and firearm purchases. Now that the drug and alcohol crises are waning and gun purchases are falling, so too is the murder rate.
