Yes.
From January through June 2025, Phoenix’s homicide rate was twice as high as New York City’s, according to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank.
Phoenix, with about 1.7 million residents, averaged 0.55 homicides per 100,000 people during that period. New York City, with more than 8.5 million residents, averaged 0.27.
Nationally, homicide rates for the first half of 2025 were 17% lower than during the first half of 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice report. Phoenix and New York experienced declines of 11% and 16%, respectively.
Homicide rates in both cities peaked in 2020, reflecting a nationwide surge that experts linked to pandemic-related stressors.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2025 Update, Council on Criminal Justice
- Phoenix and New York City Homicide rates, Council on Criminal Justice
- Population Growth Reported Across Cities and Towns in All U.S. Regions, U.S. Census
- Why did U.S. homicides spike in 2020 and then decline rapidly in 2023 and 2024?, Brookings
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
