A report from the Council on Criminal Justice says the United States is on track to record historically low homicide levels in 2026. According to the report, the homicide rate drops by 18% across 30 American cities when comparing the same period in 2025 with the corresponding period in 2026. The coverage in multiple outlets focuses on this overall downward trend, citing the council’s analysis of city-level data. While the reporting does not provide specific figures for each city or details on the underlying causes, it highlights the magnitude of the change and the council’s characterization of the expected outcome as historically low. The information presented is based on the council’s report methodology and the comparison of homicide rates over time, using data from a defined set of cities. Overall, the sources agree on the reported direction of the change—fewer homicides, reflected in a lower homicide rate—and the reported scale of the decline.