Trends are positive so far this year — but assaults are an exception, and crime remains higher than prepandemic.
New York City reached the midpoint of 2026 with one of its strongest first-half declines in major crime in two decades. But not all the news is good news.
Murders and shootings led the way, both falling to their lowest midyear levels in decades. The city recorded 119 murders through late June, 9.8% below the previous midyear low set in 2017. Shooting incidents fell to 318, 3.3% below the previous low, set just last year.
Major crime fell 5.9% compared with the same period last year, the third-largest midyear decline on a percentage basis since 2006, behind only 2009 and 2007. The drop was especially pronounced for several high-profile offenses: murders fell 25.6%, the largest first-half decline since 2006; burglaries fell 16.3%, the second-largest decline over that period; and robberies fell 11.7%, the third-largest decline since 2006.
Of the seven categories of crime considered “major” (murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny of motor vehicle), every one fell except rape and felony assault. The rape increase may not reflect a true rise. New York broadened its legal definition of rape in 2024 to include more offenses, which can push reported counts up on its own, but felony assault rose 0.3% since last year.
The longer view is less rosy. Compared with 2019, before the pandemic, major crime is still up about 25%. Every category except murders and shootings remains above prepandemic levels. While most crime categories are slowly bending back toward prepandemic levels, felony assault is a stark exception. It has now risen for six straight years and sits 47.7% above its 2019 level. Misdemeanor assault, a lower-level assault category, also increased, rising 1.8% from 22,146 to 22,535 complaints, according to Compstat 2.0.
The gap shows up plainly in daily crime rates. Before the pandemic, the city averaged about 55 felony assaults a day. In 2026, it is averaging more than 80. Grand larceny remains the most common major crime by far, with nearly 120 occurring per day. By contrast, murders and shootings are relatively rare and concentrated: the city now averages 1.8 shootings and 0.7 murders a day. The declines in murder and shootings matter, but they are small in absolute terms. The city recorded 11 fewer shootings and 41 fewer murders than at this point last year, against thousands of felony assaults and more than 20,000 grand larcenies. And another feature affects the impact of these crimes on the lives of New Yorkers: murders and shootings are highly concentrated by geography, while assaults and larcenies are geographically dispersed citywide.
The decline in major crime was not evenly distributed across the city. The Bronx (also the borough with the highest crime) saw the largest decrease, with major crime down 11.6%, nearly twice the citywide decline of 5.8%. Manhattan also outpaced the citywide trend, while Brooklyn saw a slightly smaller decline. Queens and Staten Island were essentially unchanged from last year.
At the precinct level, a few areas stand out. The 83rd Precinct, in Bushwick, has had the largest percentage increase in major crime, rising 31.6%, or 224 additional incidents, from 2025. The 113th Precinct, in South Jamaica, has also seen a notable increase, up 22.4%, or 124 additional incidents. By contrast, the 70th Precinct, in Flatbush, has had the largest percentage decline, with major crime falling 28.6%, or 206 fewer incidents. In absolute terms, the 43rd Precinct, in Soundview has seen the largest decrease, with 368 fewer major crimes.
Crime in the transit system held roughly steady. Major crime on subways and buses was essentially flat, with 1,085 reported incidents in 2026 against 1,093 in 2025. The mix shifted, though. As is usually the case underground, most major crimes were robberies, felony assaults or grand larcenies. Robbery rose 9.6%t and felony assault rose 4.4%, while grand larceny fell 7.2%.
The rarest events moved in small numbers: Murders on transit rose from two to four, and reported rapes fell from six to three from 2025 to 2026.
This is a preliminary summary, published with data available at publication. The up-to-date data released by the Police Department (in its CompStat reports) is limited: It reports the counts of major crimes, as well as the counts of some misdemeanors and shootings. The more detailed data (NYPD's year-to-date complaint file on NYC Open Data with information on the date, location, offense and basic victim and suspect information) is what permits trend analysis by neighborhood and demographics. But this information is released on a lag and is not available today. Our full midyear report will follow once that is made public.
This analysis covers Jan. 1 through June 28 for each year. Figures for 2026 and 2025 come from NYPD CompStat and are preliminary and subject to revision. Historical comparisons use the NYPD complaint files, current and historic, via NYC Open Data. Crimes are counted by report date. New York broadened its legal definition of rape in 2024, so reported increases may not reflect a true rise.
