Checking in with police homicide data in big US cities at start of summer 2025

In this post a couple months ago, I rounded up a lot of encouraging police data on homicide rates through the first quarter of 2025. As summer officially gets started, it seemed a good time to update some of these numbers:

New York City police reporting YTD homicides down 28% so far in 2025 

Los Angeles police reporting YTD homicides down 23% so far in 2025 

Chicago police reporting YTD homicides down 28% so far in 2025

Philadelphia police reporting YTD homicides down 17% so far in 2025

Dallas police reporting YTD homicides down 38% so far in 2025

Jacksonville police reporting YTD homicides down 6% so far in 2025

St. Louis police reporting YTD homicides down 23% so far in 2025

New Orleans police reporting YTD homicides down 32% so far in 2025

Baltimore police reporting YTD homicides down 23% so far in 2025

Denver police reporting YTD homicides down 47% so far in 2025

Washington DC police reporting YTD homicides down 4% so far in 2025

Some of these numbers are not quite as spectacular as they were back in April, but I am quite suprised and quite pleased by the continuing historical declines in homicides in so many cities now nearly half way through 2025.  Of course, as I have cautioned before, these data may not prove to be representative of what could be going on elsewhere in the US or what could develop and change throughout the rest of 2025.  Still, as I have also said before, it is hard not to be quite encouraged by these data, especially since they come on the heels of already notable homicide declines over the last few years.  Let's all hope that rising temperatures in the months ahead to not lead to rising homicide rates