New Atlanta Police data shows overall crime fell in 2025, with homicides also declining citywide
Citywide totals moved lower, while specific categories continued to show uneven patterns
Newly released Atlanta Police Department year-end figures show overall crime declined in 2025, extending a downward trend described by city officials across multiple reporting periods. The department reported that overall crime fell 7% in 2025 and that homicides declined during the same year.
The data was presented publicly on January 20, 2026, as part of a department briefing that summarized 2025 results and outlined priorities for 2026. In addition to the reported decline in overall crime, the department said it achieved a 77.55% clearance rate, a measure that reflects the share of cases cleared by arrest or exceptional means. The department compared that figure to a national benchmark of 61.4% for the same metric it cited.
What the year-end briefing does—and does not—show
Year-end totals provide a broad view of direction, but they do not, on their own, explain the drivers behind the change. The department’s briefing emphasized continued enforcement and prevention efforts focused on gangs, illegal firearms, and drug activity, while also pointing to the role of community partnerships.
At the same time, publicly released weekly and year-to-date summaries in prior periods have shown that citywide improvement can occur alongside increases in some categories and in specific parts of the city. In early 2025, for example, an Atlanta Police Department weekly summary reported an overall year-to-date decrease in crime compared with the same period the prior year, while also showing increases in some violent-crime categories and notable variation across patrol zones.
How Atlanta’s numbers fit within a broader national decline
Atlanta’s latest year-end results arrive amid a broader national pattern of declining violent crime reported in federal statistics. The FBI’s national reporting for 2024 showed violent crime decreased compared with 2023, continuing a post-pandemic shift that has been documented across multiple years of federal reporting.
Nationally, clearance rates vary widely by offense type. The 61.4% benchmark cited in the Atlanta Police Department briefing aligns with a federal clearance rate associated with murder and non-negligent manslaughter, a category that typically has higher clearance rates than other violent or property crimes.
Key takeaways for residents and policymakers
Overall reported crime in Atlanta declined in 2025, and homicides also fell, based on year-end police figures released in January 2026.
Prior weekly summaries indicate the citywide trend can mask increases in specific offenses or localized spikes, underscoring the importance of reviewing category-level and neighborhood-level detail.
Clearance rates provide an additional performance measure, but comparisons require care because national benchmarks differ by offense type and reporting approach.
Crime trends are typically evaluated across multiple years and with category-level detail, since annual totals can shift due to changes in reporting, enforcement, and localized conditions.
Additional weekly and annual crime reports are published by the Atlanta Police Department and are expected to provide further detail on category-specific trends and geographic variation within the city.