The Christian Science Monitor, December 2024
Boston is on track to set a new record. The city may ring in the new year with its fewest homicides and shootings in a single year – for the second year in a row. In 2023, it reported 37 homicides, its lowest number ever since the Boston Regional Intelligence Center began counting. The murder rate of 5.29 per 100,000 residents was the city’s lowest in the 21st century.
As of Dec. 10, Boston has reported 22 homicides – a little over half of the 40 it had just two years ago, according to the City of Boston Homicide Dashboard. The historic decline began early. In the first quarter, the city of 654,000 residents saw the largest drop among all big U.S. metropolises: Homicides plunged 82% compared with the same period last year, ahead of second-best Philadelphia (37%). There were only three homicides by June. Even during the summer months, which often see more crime, there were just 17 reported by the end of September – a 60% reduction year to year.
