🚨 American cities report sharp decline in violent crime

• Murders in Baltimore have decreased to their lowest level in half a century, with just 31 murders per 100,000 residents in the past year.
• Over 400 American cities report a 34 percent decrease in murders since the peak in September 2021.
• Several cities that previously struggled with high murder rates show large decreases. St. Louis, New Orleans, Cleveland and Philadelphia have all registered significant declines in their murder rates over recent years.

Dramatic decrease in violent crime

Baltimore, one of the American cities hit hardest by violent crime over the past decade, is now experiencing its lowest murder level in 50 years. Over the past 12 months, 31 murders per 100,000 residents were registered, which is still high compared to the national average of 5.7 per 100,000 residents in 2023.

Even when adjusting for population decline, Baltimore shows positive development. The city has fewer residents than before, but the murder rate per capita has decreased significantly compared to previous decades, according to Bloomberg.

National trend of decreasing violence

The development in Baltimore reflects a broader national trend. According to the Real-Time Crime Index, 421 American law enforcement agencies report a 34 percent decrease in murders from the peak in September 2021 and five percent since February 2020, before the covid-19 pandemic began.

Several cities that previously struggled with high murder rates show large decreases. St. Louis, New Orleans, Cleveland and Philadelphia have all registered significant declines in their murder rates over recent years.

Comprehensive efforts against violence

Baltimore's program includes seizures of illegal guns, Safe Streets conflict mediation and investments in pools, recreation centers, summer camps and summer jobs programs. The mayor says the success in other cities depends on mayors communicating with each other, getting advice from the same experts and following similar strategies.

All these cities have also benefited from the large aid package to local governments provided through the American Rescue Plan passed in early 2021.

Young Black population most affected

In Baltimore, young Black men make up approximately 12 percent of the population but two-thirds of murder victims. During the first years of the murder wave after Freddie Gray's death from 2015-2017, they comprised about 80 percent of victims. In 2024, this group continued to be disproportionately affected by violence.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that murders increased in almost all American cities in 2020. Weekly data shows an increase in March and April when the covid-19 pandemic disrupted normal life, followed by an explosion after George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020.

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