Decline in Violent Crime Rates in Washington D.C. in 2024 and 2025, Following a Rise in 2023
In contrast to President Donald Trump's assertions, the reality of violent crime in Washington, DC has shown a significant decline since 2023. This is according to a recent analysis of crime data by expert Jeff Asher and other crime statistics.
Jeff Asher, a well-known crime data expert, wrote on Monday that carjackings are still reported more frequently now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he noted a consistent drop for more than 18 months, with the number of reported carjackings falling again in 2025. The city saw 188 carjackings reported through Saturday, down from nearly 300 through the same point in 2024.
The decline in violent crime is not just limited to carjackings. The number of homicides in Washington in 2024, 187, was better than its number in 2020, the last year of Trump's first presidency, when Washington had 198 homicides. The number of homicides has fallen sharply since 2023, with a 32% decrease in 2024 and an additional 12% decrease in 2025.
The city's improvement in crime rates is not a recent phenomenon. Washington had better numbers in every year of Trump's first presidency and the entire eight-year Obama administration before that. Other cities that have historically had high numbers of homicides, including Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Detroit, have also seen substantial declines in 2024, 2025, or both.
However, Washington did suffer a sharp increase in violence in 2023, which included its highest number of homicides since the late 1990s and a near-doubling of reported carjackings compared to the previous year. This spike in violence has since been followed by a sharp decline.
The decline in violent crime in Washington, DC has been unmistakable and large, according to Adam Gelb, president and chief executive officer of the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice. He stated that there has been a substantial drop in violence since the summer of 2023.
Despite these facts, Trump justified his temporary federal takeover of policing in the nation's capital with an assertion that crime is out of control in the District of Columbia and that there is rising violence in the capital. However, there is no evidence supporting this claim. Official crime data shows that violent crime in DC has actually declined since 2023.
It's important to note that while individual violent incidents still occur, and some crimes may not be fully captured in official statistics, the overall trend measured by law enforcement data clearly indicates a significant reduction in violent crime rather than an increase. Hence, President Trump's claim of rising violence in DC is contradicted by the available crime statistics from 2023 onward.
[1] Source: Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC [2] Source: The Washington Post [3] Source: Jeff Asher Consulting LLC [4] Source: National Institute of Justice
- Despite President Donald Trump's controversial claims about rising violence in Washington, DC, recent data analyses by experts such as Jeff Asher and extensive crime statistics from sources like The Washington Post, the Metropolitan Police Department, and Jeff Asher Consulting LLC, indicate a significant decline in violent crime, including carjackings and homicides, since 2023.
- In the realm of politics and general-news discourse, it's interesting to note that while Trump cited concerns about crime and violence in Washington, crime-and-justice data suggests otherwise, with a consistent drop in reported carjackings, homicides, and overall violent crime since 2023.
