The Conversation, July 2024
Like many large cities in the U.S., Detroit’s gun violence rate has fluctuated since the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The city’s murder rate increased nearly 20% that year, meaning the city had the second-highest violent crime rate after Memphis, Tennessee, among cities with more than 100,000 residents.
However, by the end of 2023, nonfatal shootings dropped nearly 16% from the prior year and homicides returned to pre-pandemic levels, with this reduction continuing so far in 2024. Focusing on citywide crime rates, however, can hide significant local variations. Research shows that in most cities, fewer than 5% of city blocks account for about 50% of all crime. This means a small number of residents are at the highest risk of becoming the victim of crime, even when overall rates decline.
