Violent crime fell 6% in major U.S. cities in the first half of 2024, survey finds

Boston recorded a stunning 78% decline in homicides in the first half of 2024 compared with the first half of 2023, representing the largest plunge in murder rates among 69 U.S. cities, according to an Axios analysis of data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an independent organization of police executives.

That sharp drop in homicides in Boston is part of an ongoing trend that includes a decline in violent crimes across major U.S. cities, where overall murder rates plummeted 17% and overall violent crime rates fell 6% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.

“This updated data comes in the wake of last year’s historic drop in homicides nationwide and one of the lowest levels of violent crime in 50 years,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Under the umbrella of “violent crime,” which includes aggravated assault, robbery, rape and homicide, Columbus, Ohio, recorded the largest drop among the 69 cities at 42%, according to Axios. Columbus was followed by Omaha, Neb., which had a 30% decline, and Miami and Washington, D.C., which both saw 29% reductions in violent crime during the first half of 2024.

Overall, 54 of the 69 cities included in the survey—or 78%—recorded reductions in violent crime in the first half of the year. New York City was not included in the report, however, as it did not submit its data to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, according to Axios.

In the wake of the violent crime reductions, President Biden pointed to his American Rescue Plan, which pumped $15 billion into cities for public safety and violence prevention. He also pledged to continue pushing Congress to fund an additional 100,000 police officers, along with crime prevention and community violence intervention programs.

“Americans are safer today than when Vice President Harris and I took office,” Biden stated. “We can’t stop now.”

As for Boston’s sizeable reduction in homicides, the city has credited its focus on reducing violence in “opportunity zones,” or specific areas with historically high rates of violence, where it has employed both the presence of city departments and police departments in the effort.

“Building trust is the single most important piece of our overall strategy for public safety in Boston year-round,” Michael Cox, commissioner of the Boston Police Department, said in a statement in May announcing the city’s “Plan to End Violence” initiative. “It’s what community policing is based on and it is what addressing and solving criminal activity is built on.”