DOJ Survey Shows Violent Crime Victimization Plummeted 25% in 2025
A preliminary DOJ survey reveals a 25 percent drop in violent crime victimization for 2025, marking the largest decline since 1973 according to officials.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — The rate of violent crime victimization experienced a dramatic decline of approximately 25% in 2025 compared to the preceding year, according to preliminary data published on Monday.
Officials at the Justice Department highlighted this substantial decrease as the largest single-year drop recorded since 1973.
Compiled by the Census Bureau and issued through the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the Justice Department, the National Crime Victimization Survey estimated there were 669,000 fewer violent crimes last year, leaving out simple assaults, relative to 2024.
Victimization involving aggravated assault plummeted by an estimated 31%, translating to approximately 390,000 fewer occurrences throughout 2025.
The statistical findings are derived from a sample of interviews conducted across U.S. households involving individuals aged 12 and older.
Participants answered inquiries regarding the frequency, specific traits, and impacts of criminal victimization.
The 2025 survey encompassed a total of 101,980 household interviews, with the Bureau of Justice Statistics noting an completion rate of 53% among eligible households.
Additional preliminary metrics from the research indicated that robbery decreased by 27% in 2025, while property crime victimization fell by 19%.
Furthermore, burglary and trespassing dropped by 25%, and motor vehicle thefts saw a 29% reduction.
These preliminary figures reinforce conclusions drawn from earlier FBI Uniform Crime Report data released this year, which indicated that violent crime rates plunged sharply in 2025 alongside a 20-year low in the nation’s murder rate.
That comprehensive report, aggregating data from the vast majority of law enforcement agencies nationwide, similarly documented steep year-over-year drops across several offenses.
Specifically, aggravated assaults dropped by 7.2%, rapes decreased by 7.6%, and robberies fell by about 18.5%.
President Trump and political allies have leveraged the falling violent crime rates during campaign rallies nationwide ahead of the midterms to bolster Republican efforts to maintain majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Breaking from established protocol, the White House released the findings of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report prior to a campaign stop in Long Island, New York.
That particular event featured appearances by Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
