Despite feelings of crime increasing, data from cities across the US indicate murder rates fell at record pace this year

Major cities across the United States are expected to report significant drops in murder rates this past year to numbers not seen since before the pandemic, indicating violent crime is not as prevalent in the country as some believe.

According to data from cities and towns across the country, compiled by AH Datalytics, murder rates this year had one of the fastest rates of decline on record at approximately 12.8 per cent.

“Americans tend to think that crime is rising, but the evidence we have right now points to sizable declines this year (even if there are always outliers),” Jeff Asher, the co-founder of AH Datalytics said in a Substack post.

Cities often thought of as dangerous – Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Baltimore, St Louis, San Francisco and more saw a sharp reduction in murder rates.