From AI tools to alcohol drops: The unexpected forces driving America's crime decline

The U.S. violent-crime rate plunged 9.7% in 2025, the largest annual decline since FBI national estimates began 90 years ago. The murder rate fell 18.5% to 4.1 per 100,000 people, tying 1955 and 1956 for the lowest rate since estimates began. Researchers cite declining alcohol and drug use, AI policing, an aging population, and tougher prosecutions as factors.