Chicago homicides were at a decade low for the 12 months through June, but also down was the arrest rate from 42% to 27%.
Chicago saw fewer homicides during the 12 months through June 2025 than during any period in the past decade, but it also saw the arrest rate fall to 27% compared to 42% a decade ago.
Chicagoans reported 498 homicides between July 2024 and June 2025, 120 fewer than during any 12-month period back to June 2016, analysis of police data showed. Only 133 arrests were made.
Chicago’s killing rate mirrored a decline seen in other major cities since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents in 30 neighborhoods reported an increase in cases from the prior 12 months. Ten neighborhoods saw decade highs, but many of those were single-digit increases.
Austin was the deadliest neighborhood with 47 homicides in the past 12 months. It had the most homicides for eight of the past 10 years. It was followed by Garfield Park with 31 homicides and North Lawndale with 30.
Chicagoans living on the city’s West Side, Southwest Side and South Side saw the most homicides during the decade. The West Side stands out for tallying nearly double the homicides of any other area.
The drop in the share of homicides seeing a first step towards justice is troubling. A decade ago police were making arrests in more than 2-in-5 homicides. Now it is just over 1-in-4.
The number of sworn police officers is down, a total of 2,103 eliminated positions since 2019. The impact is seen in police overtime, which was budgeted at $100 million in 2024 yet the total was $273.8 million as too few officers tried to cover too many shifts.
Homicides account for a small portion of the violent crimes tracked by the Chicago Police Department. Residents reported 25,707 violent crimes during the past 12 months, down from 26,468 a decade earlier.
While this 10-year low in homicides is progress over previous years, Chicago ended calendar year 2024 with 573 murders. It was named the nation’s homicide capital for the 13th consecutive year.
