(This article has been updated with additional information.)

In 2023, violent crime in the United States has decreased for the second straight year, including drops in murder, rape, and assault, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday.

The FBI’s statistics indicate an overall violent crime reduction of 3% compared to the previous year. Specifically, murders and non-negligent manslaughter experienced a notable decline of over 11% across the country, while rapes fell by about 9.4%. Additionally, aggravated assaults dropped by an estimated 2.8% and robberies decreased by 0.3%.

This trend follows a significant 5.6% increase in violent crime during the pandemic, which marked the largest yearly spike in murder rates on record. After dipping by 1% in 2021 and another 1.7% in 2022, the 2023 decline in crime aligns with FBI’s national crime estimates.

Crime rates have generally been on a downward trend since the 1990s. The continued decline in 2023 is not entirely surprising, given earlier preliminary data, but understanding the exact reasons behind the changes remains complex. Jeff Asher, a crime data analyst with backgrounds in the CIA and Department of Defense, emphasized the difficulty of explaining these shifts.

“If you ask ten criminologists, you could receive ten different responses,” Asher stated to YSL News. “Explaining it using crime data, especially when you’re right in the middle of the trend, is quite complicated.”

Crime rates have increasingly become a focal point in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The recent report on violent crime trends contradicts claims made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has persistently criticized Democratic contender Kamala Harris over her crime and safety record, alleging—without evidence—that illegal border-crossing migrants are driving a rise in violent crime.

Trump has stated that, if reelected, he would enforce the death penalty for human traffickers and drug traffickers and expressed skepticism regarding federal statistics, including the FBI’s report that suggests a decline in violent crime.

Data from law enforcement agencies in the largest U.S. cities—those with populations of at least 1 million—indicate a 7% reduction in violent crime, while smaller communities with populations ranging from 250,000 to 499,999 reported a minimal increase of 0.3%.

Despite the overall reduction, specific crimes such as motor vehicle theft and hate crimes increased in 2023, according to the FBI. Reported hate crimes rose by 2% to 11,862, up from 11,634 in the previous year.

Hate crimes have been escalating in the U.S. for several years, but national hate crime statistics are often unreliable since it is not mandatory for all over 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the country to report such incidents. In 2023, 16,009 agencies submitted relevant data to the FBI.

Preliminary studies published this summer by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Council on Criminal Justice reveal that crime continues to decline in 2024. Asher noted that his data from around 300 cities, captured in the Real-Time Crime Index, indicates a more significant drop in murders this year.

Contributions from: Reuters; Zac Anderson, YSL News