New York City Crime: Summer 2026 Sets Record Lows for Shootings, Murders and Gunfire Victims
NEW YORK — New York City recorded its safest summer on record for several major measures of violent crime, according to figures released by the New York Police Department, with shootings, shooting victims and murders all reaching their lowest levels for a summer.
Between June 1 and August 31, 2026, New York City recorded 195 shootings, resulting in 249 people being struck by gunfire, while 66 murders were reported across the five boroughs.
The figures represent new summer lows for all three categories. The previous records were 227 shootings in 2025, 293 shooting victims in 2018 and 78 murders in 2017.
The decline in lethal violence is also reflected in the city’s year-to-date numbers. So far in 2026, New York City has recorded 173 murders, compared with the previous low of 191 murders recorded during the same period in 2017.
August Shows Particularly Significant Decline
August provided some of the strongest evidence of the broader decline.
According to the reported NYPD figures, major crime fell 6.6% in August, while murders dropped 34.3% compared with the corresponding period.
The subway system experienced an especially notable month. Police reported that there were no shootings, shooting victims, murders or rapes anywhere in the subway system throughout August.
The improvement extended to New York City’s public-housing developments as well. There were no murders reported in public housing during August, while shootings, rapes and robberies each reached record-low levels.
Those numbers represent a significant shift for a city where subway safety, public housing violence and gun crime have remained persistent public-safety concerns.
Not Every Crime Category Declined
Despite the encouraging overall trend, the NYPD figures also show that crime has not declined across every category.
Felony assaults increased 3.1% in August and were slightly higher for the year overall. Reported rapes were also up by approximately 3%.
Hate crimes represented another area of concern, with confirmed incidents increasing by nearly 16%. However, anti-Jewish hate crimes declined during August, according to the figures cited.
The mixed results underscore that while shootings and murders are falling sharply, other forms of crime continue to present challenges for law enforcement and city officials.
Decline Builds on Previous Records
The latest numbers also indicate that the improvement in gun violence is not limited to a single month.
New York City had already set a record low for shootings during the summer of 2025, only to surpass that mark in 2026. The 195 shootings recorded this summer are therefore another step downward from an already improving trend.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who announced the latest figures, has overseen the department during this period of declining shooting and homicide numbers. The reduction also predates the current mayor’s election, highlighting that the downward trend began before the city’s latest political transition.
The figures provide an important measure of the city’s changing public-safety landscape, although individual communities continue to experience violent incidents and other forms of crime.
What the Numbers Mean for New York
The record-low summer figures do not mean that violent crime has disappeared from New York City. Hundreds of people were still victims of shootings during the three-month period, and dozens of families lost loved ones to homicide.
However, the sustained decline in shootings and murders represents a substantial improvement compared with previous years.
The NYPD’s latest figures will likely remain an important benchmark as city officials evaluate policing strategies, community violence-prevention programs and other public-safety initiatives.
With 173 murders recorded so far in 2026, the city is currently below its previous year-to-date homicide low. Whether that trend continues through the final months of the year will determine whether New York ultimately establishes a new annual low for murders.
For now, the summer statistics mark a significant milestone: New York City recorded fewer shootings, fewer shooting victims and fewer murders during summer 2026 than in any previous summer measured by the NYPD.
