Violent crime rose sharply in America’s cities during the Biden years, despite repeated claims of historic reductions. National Crime Victimization Survey data shows that while suburban and rural crime remained nearly unchanged, violent crime in urban areas surged by 61 percent between 2019 and 2024.
The rate is now 46 percent higher than the national average and more than double the rural rate, with property crime showing similar gaps. Because most violent crimes go unreported, these increases never appeared in FBI figures, allowing the Biden administration to push a misleading narrative. In many Democrat-run cities, persistently high crime has become normalized as enforcement remains weak.
Most Americans view crime as a major issue, and a majority approve of President Trump’s response, which includes deploying federal troops and strengthening local policing. Democrats are now shifting their messaging by acknowledging rising crime and promoting gun control as their solution ahead of the 2026 midterms. A private poll commissioned by Giffords and an allied Democratic nonprofit found that voters overwhelmingly prioritize safety but trust Republicans far more on crime and violent crime control.
The discrepancy between Biden administration claims and Americans’ lived experiences stems from a massive reporting gap that began in 2021. When the FBI mandated a transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, participation collapsed. Major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago failed to report complete data for 2021, and nearly 40 percent of all police agencies, covering 35 percent of the U.S. population, were missing from that year’s statistics. Even in 2022, only 8 percent of Florida agencies and 9 percent of Pennsylvania agencies submitted crime data, leaving critical information absent from federal reporting.