Violent crime statistics describe several different measurements: offenses known to law enforcement, deaths recorded through public-health surveillance, and victimizations reported in household surveys. The figures below focus on the United States and identify the population, period, rate unit, and source for each measure.
Key Violent Crime Statistics
The most useful headline figures span police-recorded offenses, homicide mortality, and survey-based victimization:
- In 2024, the estimated U.S. rates were 5.0 murders, 37.5 rapes, 60.6 robberies, and 256.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants.
- In 2023, the estimated U.S. murder rate was 5.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 6.6 in 2022 and 6.5 in 2021.
- In the FBI’s 2005–2024 U.S. series, the estimated murder-rate low was 4.4 per 100,000 in 2014.
- In that same series, the estimated murder-rate high was 6.7 per 100,000 in 2020.
- In 2023, CDC NVDRS recorded 20,540 homicide deaths in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
- In 2023, the CDC NVDRS homicide rate was 6.7 deaths per 100,000 population in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
- In 2023, the male homicide rate was 10.8 per 100,000, compared with 2.7 for females.
- In 2023, adults ages 20–24 had the highest overall homicide rate at 14.1 per 100,000 in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
- In 2023, Black males had a homicide rate of 50.6 per 100,000, the highest among racial and ethnic groups reported by the CDC.
- From 2005 to 2024, the estimated U.S. robbery rate fell from 150.4 to 60.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- From 2005 to 2024, the estimated U.S. aggravated-assault rate fell from 300.7 to 256.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- In 2024, the estimated aggravated-assault rate was 256.1 per 100,000, below 266.6 in 2023 but above every annual estimate from 2010 through 2019.
- In 2024, the estimated rape rate was 37.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, 6.1% below 2023 and 6.7% below 2020.
- In 2023, NCVS estimated 22.5 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in the United States.
- In 2023, BJS estimated 387.8 violent offenses known to law enforcement per 100,000 persons, down from 407.3 in 2022.
- In 2023, BJS estimated 395.2 violent victimizations known to law enforcement per 100,000 persons.
- In 2023, firearms were involved in 58.6% of CDC NVDRS deaths in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
- Among 2023 homicides with known circumstances, 39.4% were precipitated by an argument or conflict.
Contents
- National violent crime rates and recent trends
- Murder and homicide statistics
- Robbery and aggravated assault trends
- Rape and sexual-assault statistics
- Violent victimization and police-record data
- Who experiences violent crime and how it occurs
National Violent Crime Rates and Recent Trends
The FBI’s UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024 reports estimated offenses known to law enforcement. Its 2024 rates were 5.0 murders, 37.5 rapes, 60.6 robberies, and 256.1 aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants; descriptively adding those published category rates gives 359.2 per 100,000, not a separately published FBI total. UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024
| FBI UCR category | 2024 estimated rate, U.S. | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Murder | 5.0 | Offenses per 100,000 inhabitants |
| Rape | 37.5 | Offenses per 100,000 inhabitants |
| Robbery | 60.6 | Offenses per 100,000 inhabitants |
| Aggravated assault | 256.1 | Offenses per 100,000 inhabitants |
| Descriptive sum | 359.2 | Sum of published category rates |
The combined figure is only a descriptive addition of the four published rates. UCR estimates concern offenses known to law enforcement, and rape uses a revised definition beginning in 2013.
The FBI estimated the U.S. murder rate at 6.5 per 100,000 in 2021, 6.6 in 2022, and 5.9 in 2023. The 2024 estimated murder rate of 5.0 was 25.4% below the 2020 peak of 6.7 per 100,000, based on the published rates and rounded calculation.
Murder and Homicide Statistics Across Recent Years
FBI UCR murder rates and CDC homicide-death rates are related but different measures. The FBI series estimates offenses known to law enforcement, while CDC NVDRS records deaths through linked surveillance data.
| Measure | Period | Result | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBI estimated murder-rate low | 2005–2024 series | 4.4 per 100,000 | United States |
| FBI estimated murder-rate high | 2005–2024 series | 6.7 per 100,000 | United States |
| FBI average estimated murder rate | 2020–2022 | 6.6 per 100,000 per year | United States |
| FBI estimated murder rate | 2019 | 5.1 per 100,000 | United States |
These figures are from the FBI’s estimated UCR series and should not be treated as CDC mortality rates. The 2020–2022 average is reported as an annual average of estimated rates. UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024
CDC NVDRS recorded 20,540 homicide deaths and a homicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 population in the 50 states and District of Columbia in 2023. Homicides represented 28.5% of the 72,093 deaths recorded by NVDRS in that geography; the denominator also includes suicides, legal-intervention deaths, unintentional firearm deaths, and deaths of undetermined intent.
The CDC report also cited approximately 23,000 U.S. homicide deaths in 2023 from National Vital Statistics System mortality data. That approximate NVSS-based count is distinct from the NVDRS count. Surveillance for Violent Deaths — National Violent Death Reporting System, 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2023
Robbery and Aggravated Assault Trends
Robbery declined substantially across the FBI’s estimated 2005–2024 series, while aggravated assault moved differently over shorter periods.
| Year or comparison | Robbery rate | Aggravated-assault rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 150.4 | 300.7 |
| 2010 | 119.2 | 253.1 |
| 2019 | 79.7 | 246.5 |
| 2020 | — | 273.8 |
| 2021 | 56.1 | — |
| 2022 | 67.2 | 273.0 |
| 2023 | — | 266.6 |
| 2024 | 60.6 | 256.1 |
All values are estimated U.S. offenses per 100,000 inhabitants from the FBI UCR series. The 2024 robbery rate was among the lowest in the FBI’s 2005–2024 series, while the 2024 aggravated-assault rate was below 2023 but higher than every annual estimate from 2010 through 2019. UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024
The 2024 aggravated-assault rate therefore cannot be summarized only as a long-run decline: it was lower than 2005’s 300.7, yet remained above each annual estimate in the 2010–2019 interval.
Rape and Sexual-Assault Statistics
The FBI estimated the U.S. rape rate at 44.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010 and 37.4 in 2013, when the revised UCR rape definition began. The definition change limits direct comparison across the full 2005–2024 span.
| Year | Estimated rape rate per 100,000 inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 44.5 |
| 2013 | 37.4 |
| 2014 | 37.0 |
| 2015 | 39.9 |
| 2016 | 37.5 |
| 2017 | 42.8 |
| 2018 | 43.4 |
| 2019 | 40.2 |
| 2020 | 42.8 |
| 2021 | 39.9 |
| 2024 | 37.5 |
The 2024 estimate was 6.1% below 2023 and 6.7% below 2020, according to the FBI’s reported percentage changes. Because the revised definition applies from 2013, earlier and later values should be read with that comparability limitation. UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024
Violent Victimization Statistics and Police Records
The National Crime Victimization Survey measures victimizations experienced by people age 12 or older, including incidents reported and not reported to police. In contrast, NIBRS-based estimates and FBI UCR figures describe offenses recorded or estimated from law-enforcement data.
NCVS estimated 22.5 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in the United States in 2023. For males, violent victimization excluding simple assault fell from 9.5 per 1,000 in 2022 to 6.9 per 1,000 in 2023. Criminal Victimization, 2023
The reporting gap is visible in the NCVS measures: 42% of robbery victimizations were reported to police in 2023, compared with 64% in 2022. For comparison, 72% of motor-vehicle thefts were reported in 2023 versus 81% in 2022; that is a property-crime reporting statistic, not a violent-crime rate.
BJS estimated the 2023 rate of violent offenses known to law enforcement at 387.8 per 100,000 persons, down from 407.3 in 2022. BJS also estimated 395.2 violent victimizations known to law enforcement per 100,000 persons in 2023 and said that estimate was not statistically different from 2022. Crime Known to Law Enforcement, 2023
These measures should not be merged: NCVS includes crimes not reported to police and excludes people under age 12, while NIBRS estimates cover offenses recorded by law enforcement.
Who Experiences Violent Crime: Demographics and Circumstances
CDC NVDRS collected 70,133 fatal incidents involving 72,093 deaths in the 50 states and District of Columbia in 2023. The deaths accounted for 91.6% of the U.S. homicide, legal-intervention, suicide, unintentional-firearm, and undetermined-intent death universe covered by the report; this is not coverage of all violent crime.
| 2023 NVDRS measure | Result | Population or denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Male homicide rate | 10.8 per 100,000 | Males |
| Female homicide rate | 2.7 per 100,000 | Females |
| Highest overall age-specific homicide rate | 14.1 per 100,000 | Adults ages 20–24 |
| Highest reported racial/sex rate | 50.6 per 100,000 | Black males |
| Firearms involved | 58.6% | All specified NVDRS deaths |
| House or apartment injury location | 62.3% | All specified NVDRS deaths |
The male and female rates, age-specific rate, and Black-male rate are CDC NVDRS observations for the 50 states and District of Columbia. Firearm involvement and injury location use the broader NVDRS death denominator, not homicide alone. Surveillance for Violent Deaths — National Violent Death Reporting System, 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2023
Circumstance statistics are often conditional on known information. Circumstances were identified in 73.7% of homicides in the 2023 NVDRS data; among homicides with known circumstances, 39.4% involved an argument or conflict and 16.5% were related to intimate partner violence.
Among homicides with known circumstances, 21.7% occurred in conjunction with another crime, and that crime was in progress in 60.2% of those cases. Within the precipitating-crime subset, 43.7% involved assault or another homicide, 28.5% involved robbery, 11.5% involved the drug trade, 10.8% involved burglary, and 5.8% involved motor-vehicle theft.
When the victim-suspect relationship was known, current or former intimate partners accounted for 53.4% of suspects for female homicide victims and 6.9% for male victims. IPV-related homicides accounted for approximately 46.5% of female homicides and 8.2% of male homicides when all contributing IPV circumstances were included.
These circumstance percentages can overlap, and several are conditional on known circumstances, a known relationship, or a precipitating-crime subset. They describe the CDC’s 2023 surveillance population and should not be interpreted as shares of every violent crime in the United States.