US on track for lowest homicide rate in over a century, report shows

The United States is on pace to record its lowest homicide rate in more than a century, according to a report released Thursday, as killings continue to fall across much of the country despite an intensely polarized debate over crime and public safety.

The midyear report from the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice found homicides declined 18% across 30 major U.S. cities during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, amounting to roughly 215 fewer killings. If the trend holds through the end of the year, researchers said the nation would post its lowest annual homicide rate in more than 100 years.