“Violent crime fell sharply across the largest U.S. cities in early 2026, extending a nationwide decline that began after the pandemic-era crime spike.
Why it matters: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies show violent crime fell across major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.
- The declines show up across every major region, suggesting a systemic, nationwide trend.
- The quarterly reports collected by the Major Cities Chiefs Association have been a good measure of trends that are reflected in the annual FBI crime data released in the fall.
By the numbers: Homicides dropped 17.7%.
- Robberies fell 20.4%.
- Rapes declined 7.2%.
- Aggravated assaults decreased 4.8%.
Zoom in: Some of the nation’s biggest cities posted especially dramatic homicide declines in the first three months of 2026.
- Among those that saw sizable percentage drops in homicide were Washington, D.C. (64.7%), Philadelphia (54%), and Memphis (34.4%).
- New York City experienced a 31.7% drop in homicides during Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first months in office.
- Los Angeles (23%) and Houston (36.4%) also posted homicide declines during the same period.”
From Axios.
