Since the late 80s, the United States has shown significant reductions in violent crimes and murders. The numbers continued to decline even as the U.S. population gained 100 million new members.
In 1960, the violent crime rate was about 160 incidents per 100,0000 people. By the end of the ‘60s, the number would more than double to 328 incidents per 100,0000 people. By the end of the ‘80s, there were almost 700 incidents per 100,000 people. The number peaked in 1991 when the U.S. reported over 750 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
But after 1991, the number started going down. In 1992, it decreased by only one percentage point, but by the end of the decade, the number had dropped to 523 violent crimes per 100,000 people. By 2009, we were below 500, at 431. In 2014, we hit a 40-year low at 372 violent crimes per 100,000 people. In 2019, we were at 379.