The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released its 2024 “Reported Crimes in the Nation” report, highlighting a significant decline in violent crime across the United States.
Most notably, the report shows a 14.9 percent decrease in murder and non-negligent manslaughter when compared to 2023.
The data, collected through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Programme, involved over 16,000 law enforcement agencies, including local, state, and tribal departments. These agencies represented approximately 95.6 percent of the U.S. population, making this year’s findings one of the most comprehensive to date.
Despite the persistence of violent crime, the FBI reported that such incidents are becoming less frequent. In 2024, a violent crime occurred every 25.9 seconds, while a murder happened every 31.1 minutes and a rape was reported every 4.1 minutes. Still, the agency noted a 4.5 percent national decrease in overall violent crime compared to the previous year.
“This year’s statistics reflect a continued national effort in curbing violent crime,” the FBI stated. “Most notably, murder, robbery, and rape all experienced measurable decreases, indicating the effectiveness of law enforcement strategies and cooperation among communities.”
Some of the notable highlight from the report pointed at a decline in the following crimes: Murder and non-negligent manslaughter declined by 14.9%, Rape (under revised 2013 definition) 5.2%, Aggravated assault 3.0%, and Robbery 8.9%.
In addition to violent crime data, the FBI also released its 2024 Hate Crime Statistics. A total of 16,419 agencies contributed to the report, covering 95.1 percent of the U.S. population. These agencies documented 11,679 criminal incidents and 13,683 related offenses driven by biases related to race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity.
Among agencies that submitted at least six consistent months of data in both 2023 and 2024, the FBI found a 1.5 percent decrease in hate crime incidents, dropping from 11,041 in 2023 to 10,873 in 2024.
The FBI also announced a significant methodological update in this year’s report. For the first time, violent crime estimates from 2013 through 2024 now rely solely on the revised 2013 definition of rape, which encompasses a broader range of sexual assault scenarios. The agency had previously used two datasets; one using the legacy definition and one with the revised version but has now fully transitioned to the updated model.
“This change reflects an evolving understanding of sexual violence and ensures a more inclusive count of victims,” the FBI stated.
The comprehensive “Reported Crimes in the Nation” report consists of five sections: Crime in the United States, National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), Hate Crime Statistics, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA), Assault tables and UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation.
The FBI reiterated its commitment to improving the quality and transparency of crime data, aiming to support smarter policy decisions and strengthen trust between law enforcement and communities nationwide.
