Chicago Sees 30% Drop in Homicides in 2025, Fewest Number of Murders Since 1965
Chicago closed out 2025 with the lowest number of homicides since 1965, and for the first time in decades, four years in a row of declining gun violence. This is thanks, in part, to the combined efforts of city leaders, law enforcement officials, and Community Violence Intervention (CVI) professionals who are dedicated to making Chicago one of the safest big cities in the country.
According to crime data from the Chicago Police Department, there were 416 murders across the city in 2025, which is a nearly 30% drop from 587 murders in 2024. There has been a steady decline in crime since it peaked during the pandemic in 2021.
Areas supported by Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), which is convened by Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), also saw significant declines in fatal and non-fatal gun victimizations, with 26 out of the 28 neighborhoods served experiencing reductions compared to last year. Additionally, 20 out of 28 of these communities had larger reductions than the city-wide average.
CP4P communities that experienced the largest reductions in gun violence by victim counts, from 2025 compared to 2024, included Little Village, West Englewood, Auburn Gresham, South Shore, North Lawndale, and Austin.
The numbers show a story of progress in Chicago, however, stakeholders acknowledge that one life lost is one too many and that the work must continue. In a joint statement from MPI, CP4P, and Chicago CRED:
“The credit for this historic outcome starts in the community with the individuals at highest risk who are choosing to put down their guns and live more safely. It extends to the extraordinary network of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations we have built over the last decade, our public and private sector partners, including City, County and State governments, philanthropy, business, law enforcement, faith-based and community groups, the healthcare sector, and social service agencies. The benefits, in terms of the number of lives saved, the amount of trauma reduced, and costs to the criminal justice system avoided, are incalculable. We especially thank Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois taxpayers for supporting CVI.
With that being said, there’s still much work to be done. We remain far short of our collective goal of becoming the safest big city in America as Chicago continues to experience thousands of shootings each year. Getting there requires sustained commitment to proven approaches: embedding CVI into Chicago’s long-term public safety strategy, advancing police reforms and community-based policing practices to rebuild trust and improve police effectiveness, jobs and investment in communities plagued by gun violence, and strengthening the safety net so that fewer young people are at-risk.”
In a recent report from Crain’s Chicago Business, experts listed several factors behind the drop in crime numbers, including improved law enforcement operations, deeper investments in CVI work, and a more clearly defined “professional understanding” between the Chicago Police Department and CVI groups.
As MPI and CP4P approach nearly a decade of service, the coalition remains dedicated to saving lives and healing communities. Whether through street outreach, behavioral health, youth interventions, legal aid, or other wraparound services, the work of CVI is expanding across Chicago and ensuring that all residents are protected and safe.