Washington, D.C., faces one of the nation’s worst crime crises — with murder and robbery rates dwarfing those of entire states, according to FBI data.
While national crime statistics already capture only a fraction of offenses — just 40% of violent crimes and 30% of property crimes are reported — the situation in the nation’s capital is even worse, Crime Prevention Research Center President John Lott Jr. wrote for The Federalist.
Police officers and union leaders have long accused the Metropolitan Police Department of manipulating numbers, downgrading felonies to misdemeanors, and misclassifying violent incidents to make the city’s crime picture look less severe. In one case, a domestic violence assault that left a victim with a deep cut was reclassified as a “sick person to the hospital,” keeping it off the books as a serious crime, Lott wrote.
But even without accounting for alleged underreporting, the official data is grim, Lott wrote. In 2023, D.C.’s violent crime rate was 54% higher than New Mexico’s — the most dangerous state — and 220% above the national average. Compared with the nation’s 20 largest cities, Washington ranked near the top in nearly every category.
The murder rate stands out most. D.C.’s rate was 169% higher than Louisiana’s — historically the deadliest state — and an astounding 523% higher than the average state. Philadelphia, which had the second-highest murder rate among major U.S. cities, still fell 50% below Washington’s level.
Robbery paints an even darker picture, Lott wrote.
The capital’s robbery rate was nearly four times higher than Maryland’s — the worst among states — and almost 10 times higher than the U.S. average. Among the 25 largest cities, D.C. ranked first in robberies, and across 796 cities with populations above 50,000, it still placed third overall.
Other violent crimes, including rape and aggravated assault, also far exceeded national norms – 191% and 140% above the state averages, respectively.
There are early signs of improvement.
Since President Donald Trump ordered federal control of public safety in the district, adding FBI agents and National Guard support, the police union reported steep declines: robberies down 46%, carjackings off 83%, and violent crime overall dropping 22% in the first week.
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