FBI reveals US crime rate dropped at fastest pace in nearly 90 years: 'Changes are working'
WASHINGTON, DC: The FBI reported the largest nationwide decline in violent crime since 1937 amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, as Director Kash Patel said the agency’s changes were working.
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter plummeted by more than 18% nationwide last year, while aggravated assault dropped by more over 7%, according to a preliminary report on national 2025 crime rates.
Kash Patel highlights FBI overhaul
“The 2025 crime data in this report shows the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937 – as well as huge decreases across the board in terms of aggravated assault, rape, and robbery,” Patel said in a statement released alongside the findings, as per the New York Post report on Tuesday, May 19.
“Over the last 14 months, we made major transformations at the FBI, and these results show those changes are working,” he added.
The report comes as Trump's administration continues to face intense political debate over immigration enforcement policies and federal law enforcement priorities.
While the FBI data did not directly attribute the decline to immigration policy, Patel publicly connected the numbers to changes implemented within the bureau during Trump’s presidency.
The findings were compiled through the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which gathered data from more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies representing about 96% of policing nationwide.
Violent crime still widespread
Despite the historic decline, the FBI report stressed that violent crime remains widespread across the country.
The bureau said there were roughly 1.1 million fewer violent crimes committed in 2025 compared to 2024, along with about 5.2 million fewer property crimes year over year.
Still, the data showed a violent crime occurred every 28 seconds nationwide.
According to the report, a murder took place every 37 minutes, while a r**e happened every four minutes. Property crimes occurred every six seconds, including a burglary every 47 seconds and a motor vehicle theft every 46 seconds.
Property crime overall dropped by about 12.4% between 2024 and 2025.
Law enforcement toll remains high
The FBI also highlighted the continued dangers faced by law enforcement officers despite the broader crime decline.
More than 400,000 violent crimes — about 47% — were cleared with arrests, while approximately 868,000 property crimes, or 17% were solved through arrests, according to the data.
The report said 53 police officers were killed in the line of duty last year, while more than 90,000 officers were assaulted. And more than 90,000 were assaulted in the line of duty. Another 28 died accidentally while on the job.
The FBI said its full 2025 crime report is expected to be released in the coming months.
