After spiking in the early 1990s, the rate of violent crime (rapes, robberies, assaults and murders) in the U.S. has fallen by half, to levels not seen since 1970. The new FBI crime numbers reported on Monday show that there were only 366 violent offenses last year for every 100,000 U.S. residents — less than half the rate in 1991. The property crime rate also fell last year, to levels not seen since 1967.

There are many theories for why this has happened, but the results are there for anyone to see. Compared to just 25 years ago, today’s America is a strikingly safe place to live.