In the midst of the Covid pandemic and simultaneous social unrest in the US, there was a significant increase in violent crime across the country last year. Murders in 2020 experienced the highest growth rate since records began in 1960, accompanied by an increase in other crimes like shootings and car thefts. However, recent data provides a more positive outlook. The number of murders in US cities decreased by more than 12%, which marks the largest national decline on record. The spike in violence appears to have been a temporary blip, as the murder rate is now lower than it was in previous decades. In fact, the violent crime rate in 2023 is estimated to be near its lowest level in over 50 years.
