How has the U.S. murder rate changed since 1985?
It is near its lowest since at least 1985: about 4.3 murders per 100,000 people in 2025, down from a peak of about 10.3 in 1991. The rate jumped from 5.2 in 2019 to 6.8 in 2020, the biggest one-year rise in this record, then fell back by 2024. In 2021 the FBI stopped taking its old summary reports and accepted only its newer, more detailed system (NIBRS); many police departments hadn't switched yet, so agencies covering only about 77% of Americans reported, against 88 to 98% in other years, and 2021's number is less certain. Murder here means murder and nonnegligent manslaughter as police report it.
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Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
The data
| Year | Murders per 100,000 people |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 8.1 |
| 1986 | 8.7 |
| 1987 | 8.4 |
| 1988 | 8.5 |
| 1989 | 8.9 |
| 1990 | 9.7 |
| 1991 | 10.3 |
| 1992 | 9.7 |
| 1993 | 9.8 |
| 1994 | 9.2 |
| 1995 | 8.7 |
| 1996 | 7.8 |
| 1997 | 7.2 |
| 1998 | 6.6 |
| 1999 | 5.9 |
| 2000 | 5.8 |
| 2001 | 5.9 |
| 2002 | 5.9 |
| 2003 | 5.9 |
| 2004 | 5.7 |
| 2005 | 5.9 |
| 2006 | 5.9 |
| 2007 | 5.8 |
| 2008 | 5.5 |
| 2009 | 5.1 |
| 2010 | 4.8 |
| 2011 | 4.8 |
| 2012 | 4.8 |
| 2013 | 4.6 |
| 2014 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 5.4 |
| 2017 | 5.4 |
| 2018 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 5.2 |
| 2020 | 6.8 |
| 2021 | 6.9 |
| 2022 | 6.9 |
| 2023 | 6.1 |
| 2024 | 5.2 |
| 2025 | 4.3 |