Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
Official crime and mortality data (FBI/UCR, CDC, local police reports, DOJ) confirm the reported declines in murders and the other listed categories for 2025.
Multiple independent data sources indicate that 2025 saw an unprecedented, roughly 20% year‑over‑year decline in murders in the U.S., with crime analyst Jeff Asher noting this would be “by far the largest decline ever recorded,” surpassing the previous record ~15% drop in 2024; official FBI 2025 data are not yet published, but no historical series identified a larger single‑year fall than the back‑to‑back 2024–2025 declines.
For other violent crimes, the Major Cities Chiefs Association’s 2025 survey (Jan–Sep) and the Council on Criminal Justice’s mid‑2025 city sample both show sizable nationwide decreases versus 2024: homicides down roughly 19–20%, reported rapes/sexual assaults down about 6–10%, robberies down around 18–20%, and aggravated assaults down around 10%. Gun‑violence data from The Trace, based on Gun Violence Archive, show 14,655 shooting deaths in 2025 — the fewest in any year since 2015, and the lowest rate in over a decade. An annual report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund finds on‑duty officer deaths fell from 148 in 2024 to 111 in 2025 — a 25% drop, near historic lows.
Traffic safety estimates from NHTSA project an 8.2% decline in U.S. roadway fatalities in the first half of 2025 compared with the first half of 2024, the sharpest first‑half reduction since 2008. For overdoses, the CDC reported a nearly 24% year‑over‑year fall in drug‑overdose deaths in the 12 months ending September 2024 (87,000 vs. 114,000) and outside analysts and clinicians project additional double‑digit percentage declines in 2025, with Drug Topics summarizing conference data that opioid overdose deaths are expected to fall by about 34% in 2025. Taken together, credible national data and large multi‑city samples consistently show that 2025 experienced a record murder decline and broad, steep reductions across rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, shooting deaths, on‑duty officer deaths, traffic fatalities, and overdose deaths.
Verdict: True. While some 2025 figures remain provisional and the “largest on record” claim relies on expert analysis pending final FBI publication, the available high‑quality evidence overwhelmingly supports the statement’s substance and direction across all listed indicators.