Stats show crime is declining in big cities, despite public perception

President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to major cities to combat what he claims are areas plagued by crime. 

Trump has distorted facts about crime in Washington, D.C. when his administration took over the D.C. police department on Aug. 11 and flooded the city with federal agents and National Guard troops.  Now, Trump is hinting at taking similar action in Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

But data shows that most violent crime in these locales and other cities nationwide has dropped in recent years. According to the Associated Press, homicides through the first six months of 2025 were noticeably down compared to the same time last year. 

Data shows crime down in several U.S. cities 

By the numbers: The Associated Press cites statistics from AH Datalytics, which monitors crimes nationwide using law enforcement data for its Real-Time Crime Index.

Data shows that aggravated assaults — which include nonfatal shootings — through June declined in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Baltimore, and San Francisco and were unchanged in New York.

Reports of rape were up in New York and Chicago during the first half of the year, but down in the other cities, including a 51% drop in San Francisco.

RELATED: How bad is DC’s crime? A look at trends amid federal takeover

Crime data also finds that property crimes, like theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, were mostly down in those six cities in the first six months of 2025. Theft crimes rose from 2020 to 2024 in four of the six cities evaluated by the AP.

Additionally, the AP noted that Charlotte, North Carolina, had 105 homicides last year compared to 88 in 2023. The rate of vehicle thefts per 100,000 people more than doubled there from 2020 through 2024.

And Indianapolis had a homicide rate of 19 per every 100,000 residents in 2024 — more than four times higher than New York's.

According to DC police statistics, homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago. In 2024, the city had a 35% drop from 2023. 

On Aug. 11, 2025, DC police reported that a total of 1,586 violent crimes occurred compared to 2,138 this time last year. So far this year, there have been 99 homicides compared to 112 in 2024. According to the data, approximately 55 sex abuse crimes were reported this year compared to 110 in 2024.

Citing the crime index, the Associated Press reported that Baltimore has experienced a drop in crime, with homicides and rapes down 25% or more in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2024. Homicides were also down for three straight years through 2024 and were 35% lower when compared to 2018. 

President Donald Trump has referred to Baltimore, which is 40 miles away from D.C., as a "hellhole" during a Cabinet meeting and has said he may send troops to the city. "I’m not walking in Baltimore right now," he said.

But Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has defended safety strategies in the state, writing on X, "Deploying the National Guard for municipal policing purposes is not sustainable, scalable, constitutional, or respectful."