Data from 30 American cities showed an 18% decrease in the homicide rate in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to a new report from the Council on Criminal Justice, an independent nonprofit. 

The decrease means there will be approximately 215 fewer homicides this year, and should this trend continue, this year's annual homicide rate will be the lowest level in over a century, depending on what the end-of-year figures turn out to be, the Associated Press reported.

The report released Thursday was based on data from 30 American cities and tracked 13 crimes. The data showed drops in nine of those categories, including carjackings, residential burglary and aggravated assaults. 

Other categories saw an increase, including shoplifting, domestic violence incidents, sexual assaults and drug offenses, according to the report. 

Two-thirds of the cities sampled saw improvements in their homicide rates. Lincoln, Nebraska, saw a 100% drop in the first six months of this year, followed by Rochester, New York, with a 76% drop. 

Eight cities saw an increase, including Norfolk, Virginia, which saw a 64% increase in homicides, followed by San Francisco, which saw a 55% increase.