Gallup 2025: Americans feel safer as crime fears ease

Reading Time: 4 mins

Key Takeaways

• Gallup 2025 shows crime perception in America at multi-year lows: 49% say worse year over year; 49% very or extremely serious (2001/2018 lows). 
• Long-term trend remains downward: FBI and Our World in Data show violent and property crime trends well below 1990s peaks. 
• COVID-19 pandemic era spikes were temporary; aggravated assault and motor vehicle thefts have retreated toward pre-pandemic levels. 
• Gun Violence Archive indicates gun deaths and injuries near pre-pandemic levels; mass shootings eased toward 2019 after 2020–2024 spikes. 
• National vs. Local crime risk context matters: risk varies by community; Pinkerton Crime Index adds blockgroup detail, peer comparisons, and AI/ML near-term forecasts. 

In 2025, Americans reported a lower perception of crime risk. Gallup’s annual crime poll captured notably low results across key measures of perceived crime. 

When asked if there was more crime in the U.S. than a year ago, only 49% said yes—the lowest percentage since 2001. This marks a clear shift and potential new chapter in postCOVID19 perceptions: from 2020–2023, more than 70% said crime had worsened each year, and in 2024, 64% still felt it was worse. 

Among respondents, 49% said crime in the U.S. is extremely or very serious—the lowest percentage since 2018. This measure peaked at 63% in 2023 during a period of intensified attention to statistics, stories, and broader social tensions in the postCOVID19 era. 

These spikes in crime perception in America reflected heightened tensions not seen since the 1990s. This year’s results reflect the declining trends captured in the 2024 poll, show a return to more favorable perceptions, similar to the early 2000s.  

• 33% of respondents said they believed there was less crime 
• About 8% said they thought crime levels were about the same  
• 17% said that crime is extremely serious  
• 32% said that it was very serious 
• A majority of respondents, or 38%, said it was moderately serious. 

Despite widely reported postCOVID19 increases, violent and property crime rates in the United States remain well below their 1990s peaks. FBI data indicate Americans are far less likely to be victimized by violent or property crime today than 30 years ago. 

While the pandemic shock resulted in temporary increases in many crime types, what was often presented as a crime wave was comparatively mild when viewed against 40 years of American crime statistics. 

Our World in Data’s analysis of FBI published crime rates since 1979 demonstrates that both violent and property crime consistently receded since the turn of the century, and overall crime risk has, thus far, remained lower in the 21st century than during recorded years of the 20th. 

Among the crime types that increased post-pandemic, including noteworthy surges in aggravated assaults and motor vehicle thefts, FBI indicators show that offense levels peaked and have receded to pre-pandemic levels. 

Another meaningful indicator of these changes comes from the Gun Violence Archive. Their annual measurements of gun violence deaths and injuries show a return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and 2025. 

The Gun Violence Archive also publishes data on annual Mass Shooting incidents across the United States. The data shows a spike in incidents from 2020–2024, with 2025 returning to approximately 2019 levels. While both 2019 and 2024 both experienced more than 400 incidents, years prior to 2019 remained in the 300s. 

U.S. crime rates are sensitive to many factors that differ across communities with distinct pressures and circumstances. National measurements do not capture a comprehensive view of crime risk across America but instead are meaningful indicators of aggregate trends. 

Gallup’s annual polling reflects a slight relaxation of national concern about crime. A variety of data from official and supplementary sources support the general sentiment that many American communities faced increased crime in the first half of the 2020s, but that much of that risk has receded. 

Pinkerton Crime Index: National vs. Local Crime Risk Analysis 

Pinkerton offers practical tools that help organizations and community partners understand local risk and put it in a national context. Our services span assessment, advisory, protection, investigations, and embedded experts. The Pinkerton Crime Index is a year-round tool built on official crime data and other trusted sources, enhanced with AI and machine learning to forecast near-term risk. It supports apples-to-apples comparisons across similar communities in the country, drills down to neighborhood and blockgroup detail, and includes timeseries views to track recent trends and seasonal patterns. 

Pinkerton. We Never Sleep. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does crime perception differ from crime data? 

Public perception reacts to headlines and short-term spikes; official crime statistics show broader, sustained decreases. 

2. Why did U.S. crime perception decline in 2025? 

After post pandemic concern peaked in 2023, Gallup’s 2025 poll shows declines in “crime is worse” and “very/extremely serious” responses. As aggravated assaults, motor vehicle thefts, and gun violence indicators trended back toward pre-pandemic levels, sentiment followed. 

3. What are the Gallup crime poll analysis and national trends showing for 2025? 

The 2025 Gallup results show that 49% of respondents say more crime (lowest since 2001), 49% say crime is “very” or “extremely serious” (lowest since 2018). Nationally, FBI data show violent and property crime well below 1990s levels, with pandemic-era increases receding. CTA: Get started with a tailored national crime risk analysis for your portfolio.

4. How do post-pandemic crime trends compare to historical data? 

Pandemic-era spikes were temporary relative to 40+ years of data; most indicators have retreated toward pre-pandemic baselines and remain far below 1990s peaks. Mass shooting incidents in 2025 approximate 2019 levels. 

5. What is the difference in FBI crime statistics vs public perception of crime? 

FBI crime data shows long-term declines since the early 2000s, while public perception surged during 2020–2024, then cooled in 2025. The gap reflects media salience, local variability, and the lag between perceived and reported offenses.

6. How do national crime trends differ from local risk? 

National aggregates can mask sharp local differences. Community-level risk varies by neighborhood and block group; the Pinkerton Crime Index adds granular views, peer comparisons, and AI/ML forecasts to see near-term local risk.