New York New York

New York City's homicide trajectory defies conventional expectations. After peaking in the early 1990s — a period marked by the serial killings of 10 young women in the Howard Beach area by Rafael Herreno — the city's murder rate declined dramatically through the 2000s and 2010s, driven in part by the NYPD's CompStat accountability system and broader social factors including declining crack cocaine use and an aging population. Yet the city has experienced episodic resurgences, particularly in the South Bronx and parts of Brooklyn, where youth violence has spiked in recent years. New York also hosts some of America's most infamous crime scenes: the so-called "Murder Home" at 1240 East 21st Street in Brooklyn, where 8 children died in a 1991 fire set by their mother, and the 2023 case of Zaraq Williams, whose toddler was found dead in a suitcase on a Harlem street. FBI UCR data powers The Murder Channel's New York homicide tracker, providing transparent, neighborhood-level visibility into the city's ongoing battle with lethal violence.

New York, New York has recorded 700 homicides over the tracked period, with 786 victims identified. New York recorded 108 homicides in 2026, 46% decreased from 201 in 2025. The city ranks #4 among 339 U.S. cities tracked by the FBI, with a clearance rate of 12% — meaning an arrest or suspect identification was made in 86 of those incidents.

Firearms — predominantly firearm - handguns — account for 44% of homicides with weapon data, followed by firearm - type unknown. The highest single month on record was March 2026, with 52 homicides.

New York's homicide rate is 811% above the average for tracked U.S. cities, based on FBI UCR data. 473 cases remain under investigation. The primary reporting agency was New York City Police Department, which filed 391 incident reports. See also our New York state homicide data page for broader context. The New York metropolitan area continues to be monitored as part of the national homicide tracking effort.