Violent Crime Statistics 2024

Comprehensive overview of violent crime in the United States using the latest FBI data.

Key Insights

  • →1.22 million violent crimes were reported in 2024 — but the real number may be nearly double, as roughly 42% of violent crime goes unreported.
  • →Aggravated assault accounts for 71% of all violent crime — far more than robbery (17%), rape (10%), or murder (1.4%).
  • →The violent crime rate has fallen in 34 of the last 45 years, with the sharpest drops in the 1990s and 2020s.
  • →Summer months see 15-20% more violent crime than winter — temperature is one of the strongest predictors of assault.
1,221,345
Violent Crimes
359.1
Rate per 100K
16,935
Murders
870,931
Assaults
-53%
Since 1991 Peak

2024 Violent Crime Breakdown

The FBI classifies four offenses as violent crime: murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. In 2024, there were 1,221,345 violent crimes — a rate of 359.1 per 100,000 residents.

16,935
Murder
5.0 / 100K
870,931
Agg. Assault
256.1 / 100K
205,952
Robbery
60.6 / 100K
127,527
Rape
37.5 / 100K

The Great Crime Decline

Violent crime peaked at a rate of 758.2 per 100,000 in 1991 and has since fallen by 53%. This decline — sometimes called the "Great American Crime Decline" — is one of the most significant social trends of the past three decades, yet its causes are still debated.

Proposed explanations include:

  • Lead removal — Phasing out leaded gasoline (1970s-1990s) reduced childhood lead exposure, which is linked to impulsivity and aggression
  • Mass incarceration — The prison population quintupled from 1980-2010, though this likely explains only 10-25% of the decline
  • Policing innovations — CompStat, hot-spot policing, and data-driven strategies
  • Demographic shifts — An aging population with fewer people in the peak crime-committing years (16-24)
  • Technology — Better surveillance, alarm systems, and communication
  • Economic factors — Lower unemployment and rising incomes in the late 1990s and 2010s

Violent Crime Arrests by Race & Ethnicity

RaceViolent Crime%MurderRobberyAgg. Assault
White191,67152.7%3,59522,215155,230
Black157,39343.2%5,34132,729114,646
Native American6,5131.8%1376325,474
Asian7,1772.0%1158365,855
Pacific Islander1,1760.3%27212891
Total363,930100%9,21556,624282,096
25.5%
Hispanic/Latino
74.5%
Not Hispanic/Latino

Arrest data reflects policing patterns, not the true distribution of criminal behavior. Poverty, policing intensity, and systemic factors affect arrest rates across racial groups. See full arrest demographics | racial disparities analysis | who commits crime

Most Dangerous Cities (100K+)

#CityViolent RateMurder RatePopulation
1MemphisTennessee2501.340.6613,207
2OaklandCalifornia1925.318.6435,042
3DetroitMichigan1781.331.2651,171
4Little RockArkansas1672.017.6204,247
5BaltimoreMaryland1606.234.8566,632
6ClevelandOhio1561.130.1362,762
7Kansas CityMissouri1547.127.6511,535
8MilwaukeeWisconsin1430.923.9560,416
9PuebloColorado1424.117.1110,805
10St. LouisMissouri1367.154.1277,294
11New OrleansLouisiana1361.153.0364,197
12LansingMichigan1345.19.8111,965
13PeoriaIllinois1344.912.8109,677
14DaytonOhio1339.229.7134,857
15BirminghamAlabama1246.658.9195,418
16ShreveportLouisiana1228.526.8175,092
17EvansvilleIndiana1206.210.5114,660
18AlbuquerqueNew Mexico1181.818.4558,745
19SpringfieldMissouri1178.15.9170,527
20MinneapolisMinnesota1160.217.9423,282

Safest Large Cities (100K+)

#CityViolent RatePopulation
1SavannahGeorgia20.3241,780
2CarmelIndiana66.0103,107
3CaryNorth Carolina71.0181,793
4FishersIndiana72.9105,680
5Ramapo TownNew York75.4110,136
6Sugar LandTexas78.0107,757
7NapervilleIllinois83.7150,521
8IrvineCalifornia84.0316,764
9Virginia BeachVirginia92.3455,155
10PearlandTexas95.9128,322

Explore More

Murder Rate Analysis →Assault Statistics →Robbery Statistics →Why Crime Declined →Gun Violence Data →Domestic Violence →
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Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2024.