Newark recorded 31 homicides in 2025, the lowest total since 1953, and that decline accelerated further in 2026 with just 6 homicides logged in the first half of the year, down 64.7% from the same period in 2025. Robberies fell 38% and aggravated assaults dropped 14% in 2025, marking one of the sharpest sustained crime declines of any major US city in recent years.
Crime Statistics in Newark 2026
Newark Crime Statistics track the reported criminal offenses across New Jersey’s largest city, covering violent crime categories such as homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, and rape, alongside property crime categories including burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. These figures come primarily from two sources: the Newark Police Division’s own year-end releases, which the mayor’s office publishes each December, and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which compiles standardized crime data across US cities on an annual basis with roughly a one-year reporting lag. Because Newark has spent more than three decades ranked among the more dangerous mid-sized American cities, Newark Crime Statistics carry outsized attention whenever the city posts a notable increase or decrease in any major offense category.
The 2025 and 2026 data mark a genuine inflection point rather than a routine annual fluctuation. Newark’s homicide count has now fallen for four consecutive years, culminating in the lowest calendar-year total the city has recorded in more than seven decades, and the momentum has carried directly into 2026 with homicide totals continuing to drop sharply through the first half of the year. City officials attribute the shift to a combination of intelligence-led policing, expanded community violence-intervention programs, and the completion of a nine-year federal consent decree that reshaped how the Newark Police Division operates. Understanding Newark Crime Statistics in 2026 means understanding both the raw numbers and the structural reforms that preceded them.
Interesting Facts About Newark Crime Statistics in 2026
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2025 Homicides | 31, the lowest total since 1953 |
| H1 2026 Homicides | 6, down 64.7% from 17 in H1 2025 |
| 2025 Robbery Decline | -38% year-over-year |
| 2025 Aggravated Assault Decline | -14% year-over-year |
| Overall 2025 Crime Decline | -19% year-over-year |
| Illegal Guns Seized (2025) | 560+ |
| Trailing 12-Month Total Crime Index | 11 out of 100 (100 = safest) |
| National Homicide Trend (Q1 2026) | -18% year-over-year |
The scale of Newark’s 2025 crime decline stands out even against a broader national drop in violent crime. While homicides fell across most major US cities in 2025, Newark’s decline to 31 killings, its lowest count since 1953, outpaced the vast majority of comparably sized cities and drew direct praise from state officials and the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a national organization representing police executives from the largest departments in the US and Canada. The city’s robbery and aggravated assault declines of 38% and 14% respectively show that the improvement extended well beyond homicide alone, touching nearly every major violent crime category tracked in official statistics.
What makes the 2026 data particularly notable is the pace of continued improvement rather than a plateau after 2025’s record low. A 64.7% drop in first-half homicides compared to the same period in 2025 represented the largest percentage decline among 66 large US and Canadian cities surveyed by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, positioning Newark at the front of a national trend rather than simply riding alongside it. City officials, including Mayor Ras Baraka, have pointed to sustained investment in the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery and a network of more than 40 community organizations as central to explaining why the decline has proven durable rather than a one-year anomaly.
Newark Homicide Statistics 2026
Newark Homicide Trend (2024-2026)
2024 ████████████████████████████████████ ~37
2025 ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░ 31
H1 2025 ████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 17
H1 2026 ███████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6
0 10 20 30 40
| Period | Homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (Full Year) | ~37 | — |
| 2025 (Full Year) | 31 | -6 (lowest since 1953) |
| H1 2025 (Jan-June) | 17 | — |
| H1 2026 (Jan-June) | 6 | -64.7% |
Source: City of Newark Office of the Mayor, year-end crime data release; Major Cities Chiefs Association mid-year violent crime survey
Newark’s homicide total of 31 killings in 2025 marked the lowest calendar-year count the city has recorded since 1953, a milestone Mayor Ras Baraka’s office announced publicly at the end of December alongside broader crime data for the year. That total came in six lower than the 37 homicides recorded in 2024, continuing a downward trend officials say reflects a consistent, multi-year investment in intelligence-based policing paired with community violence-prevention programs rather than a single policy change or a statistical anomaly.
The trend accelerated sharply into 2026, with the city recording just 6 homicides in the first six months of the year compared to 17 during the same period in 2025, a 64.7% decline that the Major Cities Chiefs Association identified as the largest percentage drop among the 66 large US and Canadian cities included in its mid-year survey. National commentators, including FBI Director Kash Patel, have pointed to this kind of local-level decline as part of a broader national pattern, with homicides falling 18% nationally when comparing the first quarters of 2026 and 2025.
Newark Violent Crime Statistics 2026
Violent Crime Breakdown — Trailing 12 Months
Total Crimes ████████████████████████████████████ 8,116
Violent Crimes ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 1,833
Property Crimes ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░ 6,283
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Reported Crimes (Trailing 12 mo.) | 8,116 |
| Violent Crimes (Trailing 12 mo.) | 1,833 |
| Chance of Violent Crime Victimization | 1 in 173 |
| Robbery Decline (2025 vs. 2024) | -38% |
| Aggravated Assault Decline (2025 vs. 2024) | -14% |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report data, compiled via NeighborhoodScout and Guardian Protection crime analysis
Newark logged 8,116 total reported crimes in the most recent trailing 12-month period covered by NeighborhoodScout’s FBI-based analysis, with 1,833 of those classified as violent offenses under the FBI’s definition, which includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. That works out to roughly a 1 in 173 chance of violent crime victimization for a Newark resident, a rate that places the city’s overall Total Crime Index at 11 out of 100, meaning Newark is statistically safer than only about 11% of US cities in the underlying comparison dataset.
The year-over-year declines in specific violent crime categories tell a more encouraging story than the raw victimization odds alone. Robberies fell 38% and aggravated assaults dropped 14% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to the city’s own year-end release, showing that the improvement in Newark’s violent crime picture extends beyond the widely publicized homicide decline into the more frequently occurring offense categories that shape day-to-day public safety perceptions for residents and visitors alike.
Newark Property Crime Statistics 2026
Property Crime Composition — Trailing 12 Months
Property Crimes ███████████████████████████████████ 6,283
Rate per 1,000 ███████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 19.80
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Property Crimes (Trailing 12 mo.) | 6,283 |
| Property Crime Rate | 19.80 per 1,000 residents |
| Chance of Property Crime Victimization | 1 in 51 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft Rank | One of the highest rates nationally |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report data, compiled via NeighborhoodScout crime analysis
Property crime remains the dominant category in Newark’s overall crime count, with 6,283 property offenses recorded in the trailing 12-month period, more than three times the volume of violent crime in the same window. The property crime rate of 19.80 per 1,000 residents translates to roughly a 1 in 51 chance of victimization for a typical resident, covering burglary, larceny-theft, arson, and motor vehicle theft under the FBI’s classification system.
Motor vehicle theft stands out as a particular pressure point within Newark’s property crime data, with our analysis identifying it as one of the highest rates in the nation when compared against cities of all population sizes. State officials have specifically credited intelligence-led policing with driving down auto theft numbers alongside shooting victims in New Jersey’s most recent statewide public safety announcement, suggesting that vehicle theft, unlike some other property crime categories, has responded directly to the same enforcement strategies credited with the city’s violent crime decline.
Newark Shooting and Gun Violence Statistics 2026
New Jersey Statewide Shooting Victims (2024-2025)
2024 Victims ██████████████████████████████████████ 778
2025 Victims ████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░ 559
2025 Deaths █████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 107
0 200 400 600 800
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJ Statewide Shooting Victims | 778 | 559 | -28% |
| NJ Statewide Shooting Deaths | 155 | 107 | -31% |
| Newark Shooting Victim Decline | — | — | -23% to -31% |
| Illegal Guns Seized in Newark (2025) | — | 560+ | — |
Source: New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, statewide gun violence data announcement
New Jersey’s statewide gun violence numbers fell sharply in 2025, with 559 total shooting victims, a 28% decrease from the 778 victims recorded in 2024, which had itself been a record low since the state began tracking shootings in 2009. Of those shot in 2025, 107 people died, a 31% drop from the prior year and more than 60% below the 2016 peak of 273 gun violence deaths, the deadliest year for shootings since statewide tracking began. State officials specifically named Newark among the cities posting declines in the 23% to 31% range for shooting victims, grouping it with Camden and Trenton as the mid-sized cities showing the strongest improvement alongside larger drops of more than 50% in Atlantic City and Paterson.
Newark’s own enforcement data reinforces this statewide trend, with police removing more than 560 illegal guns from city streets in 2025 as part of the broader public safety strategy credited with driving down both shootings and homicides. Acting State Police Superintendent Lieutenant Colonel Dave Sierotowicz specifically credited intelligence-led policing and targeted enforcement for the decline in both shooting victims and auto thefts statewide, suggesting that the same operational approach is producing measurable results across multiple crime categories rather than affecting gun violence in isolation.
Newark Crime vs National and New Jersey Averages 2026
Crime Rate Comparison (per 100,000 residents, FBI 2024 UCR)
Newark Total █████████████████████████████████████ 2,538.5
National Average ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░░ 2,119.2
NJ State Average █████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░ 1,645.1
0 1,000 2,000 3,000
| Crime Rate Metric | Newark | National Avg. | NJ State Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Crime Rate (per 100k) | 2,538.5 | 2,119.2 | 1,645.1 |
| Violent Crime Rate (per 100k) | 581 | 359 | 217.7 |
| Property Crime Rate (per 100k) | 1,957.3 | 1,760.0 | 1,427.3 |
| Violent Crime vs. NJ Average | +166.96% | — | — |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2024 data year (most recent available), via HomeSnacks and AreaVibes crime analysis
The most recent complete FBI Uniform Crime Report data, covering the 2024 calendar year, shows Newark’s total crime rate at 2,538.5 per 100,000 residents, which is 19.78% higher than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 and 54.31% higher than the New Jersey statewide rate of 1,645.1 per 100,000. The gap widens considerably in the violent crime category specifically, where Newark’s rate of 581 per 100,000 runs 61.9% above the national average and a striking 166.96% above the New Jersey state average of 217.7 per 100,000, underscoring how concentrated violent crime remains in a small number of the state’s urban centers relative to its suburban and rural areas.
Property crime shows a narrower but still meaningful gap, with Newark’s rate of 1,957.3 per 100,000 sitting 11.21% above the national average and 37.13% above the New Jersey state average. Because this FBI dataset reflects 2024, the most recent full year for which standardized national comparison data exists, it does not yet capture the sharp 2025 and 2026 declines in homicides, robberies, and shootings described elsewhere in this report; when the FBI releases its 2025 Uniform Crime Report, these comparative gaps are widely expected to narrow given the magnitude of Newark’s recent improvement.
Newark Policing Reform and Consent Decree Statistics 2026
Newark Police Consent Decree Timeline
2016 ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Consent Decree Begins
2025 ████████████████████████████████████████░░░░ Decree Terminated (Nov)
2026 ████████████████████████████████████████████ Office of Constitutional Affairs Formed
| Milestone | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Consent Decree Begins | May 2016 | Response to unconstitutional stop/arrest patterns |
| Consent Decree Terminated | November 2025 | After 9 years of court-monitored reform |
| Office of Constitutional Affairs Formed | 2026 | New internal police accountability watchdog |
| MCCA Ranking, Sharpest Homicide Drops | 2026 | Newark ranked 6th among 67 largest US police departments |
Source: US Department of Justice consent decree records; City of Newark Office of the Mayor
Newark’s police department operated under a federal consent decree beginning in May 2016, following findings that officers had engaged in unconstitutional stops and arrests that disproportionately affected minority residents. That court-monitored reform period lasted more than nine years before a federal court terminated the decree in November 2025, citing the department’s improvements in training, community engagement, and internal oversight, a milestone city officials tied directly to the same year Newark posted its lowest homicide total since 1953.
Rather than treating the consent decree’s end as a finish line, Newark established a new Office of Constitutional Affairs (OCA) in 2026 specifically to prevent backsliding on the accountability standards built during the federal oversight period, with the office tasked with monitoring officer compliance on use-of-force policy, body camera protocols, and residents’ constitutional rights. The city’s broader crime performance since exiting federal oversight has continued to draw national attention, with Newark ranking sixth among the 67 largest US police departments for the sharpest homicide declines tracked by the Major Cities Chiefs Association in 2026, suggesting that the accountability reforms and the crime reduction trend have moved in tandem rather than one coming at the expense of the other.
Newark Crime Trend Over Time 2026
Newark Homicide Milestones (2022-2026)
2022 ████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ "60-year low" declared
2023 ██████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ "Lowest in 60+ years"
2024 ████████████████████████████████████░░░░ ~37 homicides
2025 ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░ 31 homicides (lowest since 1953)
2026* ███████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6 homicides (H1 only)
*H1 2026 figure only, not a full-year total
| Year | Milestone | Official Statement |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Homicides down 15%, shootings down 35% | “60-year low,” per Mayor Baraka |
| 2023 | Continued decline | “Lowest homicide rate in more than 60 years,” per Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé |
| 2024 | ~37 homicides | Baseline for 2025 comparison |
| 2025 | 31 homicides | Lowest since 1953 |
| 2026 (H1) | 6 homicides | -64.7% vs. H1 2025 |
Source: City of Newark Office of the Mayor and Office of the Public Safety Director, annual press releases 2022-2026
Newark’s crime trend across the past five years shows a city that has broken multiple of its own historical records in succession rather than posting a single standout year. City officials described 2022 as reaching a 60-year low in homicides, with Mayor Baraka citing a 15% year-over-year decline in killings and a 35% drop in shootings that year. Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé reiterated the “lowest homicide rate in more than 60 years” framing again at the close of 2023, and the trend continued through 2024 before culminating in 2025’s milestone total of 31 homicides, the lowest single-year count the city has recorded since 1953.
Each successive record has come alongside specific policy interventions rather than emerging in isolation: the establishment and expansion of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, growing coordination with more than 40 community-based organizations, and the completion of the federal consent decree’s police reform requirements. With six homicides already logged in the first half of 2026 compared to 17 in the same period a year earlier, Newark’s current trajectory suggests the city may be positioned to set yet another record low by the end of 2026, assuming the second half of the year does not see a sharp reversal of the pattern established in H1.
Newark 2026 Mid-Year Crime Outlook
Mid-Year Homicide Comparison Across Cities (MCCA Survey)
Newark ██████████████████████████████████████ -64.7%
National Avg. ███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ -18%
0% -20% -40% -60% -80%
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Newark H1 2026 Homicide Decline | -64.7% |
| National Q1 2026 Homicide Decline | -18% |
| Newark’s National Ranking (Sharpest Decline) | 1st among 66 large cities surveyed |
| Cities Surveyed (MCCA Mid-Year Report) | 66 large US and Canadian cities |
Source: Major Cities Chiefs Association mid-year violent crime survey, 2026
Newark’s 64.7% decline in first-half 2026 homicides placed the city first among the 66 large US and Canadian cities surveyed by the Major Cities Chiefs Association for its mid-year violent crime report, well ahead of the 18% national decline recorded when comparing first-quarter 2026 homicide data to the same period in 2025. That gap between Newark’s local decline and the national average signals that the city’s specific combination of policing strategy and violence-intervention programming is outperforming the broader national trend rather than simply riding a tide that is lifting all major cities equally.
The White House cited the Major Cities Chiefs Association’s mid-year figures as evidence of successful public safety strategy, though officials from different levels of government offered competing explanations for the decline, with federal officials pointing to “aggressive surges of federal resources” and National Guard support, while Newark’s own leadership continued to credit its longer-running local investment in community violence intervention and the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery. Readers interested in the demographic backdrop shaping how these crime figures translate into per-capita rates can review the US population by year statistics for broader context on how city and national population trends interact with crime-rate calculations. Regardless of which explanation carries more weight, the underlying numbers point toward a Newark that has now sustained a multi-year decline across nearly every major violent crime category tracked in official statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many homicides did Newark have in 2025?
Newark recorded 31 homicides in 2025, the lowest calendar-year total the city has seen since 1953.
Is Newark’s homicide rate still declining in 2026?
Yes. Newark logged 6 homicides in the first half of 2026, a 64.7% decline from the 17 homicides recorded in the same period in 2025, the largest percentage drop among 66 large US and Canadian cities surveyed by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
What is Newark’s total crime rate compared to the national average?
Newark’s total crime rate is 2,538.5 per 100,000 residents, which is 19.78% higher than the national average of 2,119.2 per 100,000, based on the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How does Newark’s violent crime rate compare to the rest of New Jersey?
Newark’s violent crime rate of 581 per 100,000 residents is 166.96% higher than the New Jersey statewide average of 217.7 per 100,000.
Did robberies decrease in Newark in 2025?
Yes. Robberies fell 38% in Newark in 2025 compared to 2024, according to the city’s official year-end crime data release.
How many illegal guns were seized in Newark in 2025?
Newark police removed more than 560 illegal guns from city streets in 2025 as part of the broader public safety strategy credited with reducing shootings and homicides.
Is Newark still under a federal police consent decree?
No. The nine-year federal consent decree that began in May 2016 was terminated in November 2025, though the city has since established its own Office of Constitutional Affairs to sustain police accountability standards.
What is Newark’s chance of violent crime victimization?
According to NeighborhoodScout’s analysis of FBI crime data, a Newark resident faces roughly a 1 in 173 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in a given year.
How did New Jersey’s statewide shooting numbers change in 2025?
New Jersey recorded 559 shooting victims statewide in 2025, a 28% decrease from 778 in 2024, with shooting deaths falling 31% to 107, the lowest levels since the state began tracking gun violence in 2009.
What crime category has Newark’s highest rate compared to national averages?
Motor vehicle theft stands out as one of the highest rates in the nation for Newark, according to NeighborhoodScout’s analysis, even as most other major crime categories have declined sharply in 2025 and 2026.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
