Violent, property crime victimization rates fell in 2025, federal data shows

A new federal report released the week before Tuesday’s midterm elections found that Americans experienced declines in several categories of violent and property crime victimization in 2025, including aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.

The preliminary survey findings from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics offers a fresh look at crime trends as the country emerges from another election cycle, providing new data on Americans’ experiences with crime, including incidents never reported to police.

The rate of violent crime, excluding simple assault, declined 25% between 2024 and 2025, while the rate of property crime victimization fell 19%, according to the agency’s National Crime Victimization Survey.

Unlike crime statistics based solely on offenses reported to law enforcement, the National Crime Victimization Survey captures both reported and unreported crimes. The nationally representative survey interviews people aged 12 or older about their experiences with violent crime, excluding homicide, and household property crime. It also collects information about the frequency, characteristics and consequences of those incidents.

The preliminary survey results are consistent with other national crime data, including the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, which tracks crimes reported to law enforcement and has documented several years of declining crime rates nationwide. Preliminary FBI data suggests those declines have continued into 2026.

Independent analyses, including crime trends reports from the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice, have identified similar patterns, with declines reported in some of the nation’s largest cities. However, crime trends vary across communities, with some experiencing different patterns.

“To see that those things really align, it gives me much more confidence that I’ve had over these past several years that what we’re seeing is a real decline in crimes beyond homicides,” said Thaddeus Johnson, a senior fellow at the council. Johnson also is an associate professor in criminology and criminal justice at Georgia State University.

Violent crime declines

Americans aged 12 or older experienced an estimated 7.5 million violent victimizations in 2025, a rate of 25.7 victimizations per 1,000 people, according to the report.

The rate of violent crime excluding simple assault fell from 9.9 victimizations per 1,000 people in 2024 to 7.4 per 1,000 in 2025, a 25% decline. 

Aggravated assault rates dropped from 4.5 victimizations per 1,000 people in 2024 to 3.1 per 1,000 in 2025 –– a 31% decrease. The rate of simple assault victimization decreased slightly from 18.8 per 1,000 people in 2024 to 18.3 in 2025.

The robbery victimization rate declined 27% from 2024 to 2025, while the rate of rape and sexual assault victimization fell 11%.

Property crime also falls

U.S. households experienced an estimated 14.9 million property victimizations in 2025, according to the report.

The rate of property victimization declined 19%, from 138.0 victimizations per 1,000 households in 2024 to 111.2 per 1,000 in 2025.

Motor vehicle theft recorded one of the largest decreases, with its victimization rate falling 30% over the year.

The rate of burglary or trespassing declined 25%, while other types of household theft fell 19% and vandalism decreased by nearly 11%.

Survey redesign and limitations

The Bureau of Justice Statistics fully transitioned to a redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey in January 2025, changing how the agency collects information about Americans’ experiences with crime.

The agency redesigned the survey to improve how it identifies and measures crime victimization. The updated questionnaire uses shorter, more specific questions intended to help respondents recall incidents they may have experienced, including crimes that were never reported to police.

The redesign also expands questions about sexual assault, victims’ experiences with law enforcement and the consequences of crime. The agency cautioned that estimates from the redesigned survey cannot be directly compared with those produced using the previous version.

The preliminary 2025 estimates may change when the agency publishes its final report, which is expected to be released next year.

Stateline reporter Amanda Watford can be reached at [email protected].