Columbus Crime Rate Hits Historic Low Despite Political Rhetoric

Contrary to claims made by Vice President JD Vance, figures indicate that the rate of violent crime in Columbus, including homicides and shootings, remains at a historical low. Despite addressing a narrative of rampant lawlessness in major cities governed by Democrats, including Akron, Canton, and Columbus, the hard facts refute this allegation. The Vice President voiced his concern during a visit to a steel manufacturing company, Metallus, in Canton, part of the promotion for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act initiated by the Trump administration.

JD Vance, an Ohio native, along with other influential conservative personalities like GOP governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have drawn attention to a street brawl in Cincinnati on July 25 that gained online traction. The widely shared video depicted a group of individuals assaulting a man to the point of falling, followed by continued physical aggression. In the same incident, another man was seen striking a woman in the face.

The Vice President gave voice to public anxiety in his remarks, saying, ‘How many of you all have wanted to go to downtown Akron or downtown Canton or downtown Columbus for a meal, but you’re worried because the local authorities in these big cities have allowed lawlessness to run wild?’ His shared goal was clear: to restore safety in great American cities for the sake of families and children.

However, crime data from Columbus contradicts the notion of widespread crime in the city. Much like other major cities across the country, Columbus experienced a substantial reduction in its homicide and shooting rates in 2025. As of July 28, 2025, Columbus Police had responded to 45 homicides, marking it as the lowest homicide rate for the city in over a decade.

On the same date in 2013, the police had responded to 55 homicides. In contrast to the recent reduction, the city experienced a peak in homicides in 2021, with a total of 205 recorded killings. By the same date in 2021, the police had investigated 125 homicides. However, by 2025, felony assault cases dropped to half of what they were in 2023.

The Columbus police felony assault unit reported 454 cases as of July 28, 2025. This number is significantly lower compared to the same date in 2024 and 2023, where the unit reported 625 and 890 cases, respectively, for each year to that point. Like many other cities, Columbus experienced a surge in homicides during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has since subsided. Cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and New York also reported similar COVID-19 related surges and subsequent declines.

A significant reduction in crime rates was reported by the Council on Criminal Justice in their July 2025 crime trend report. They reported a 17% reduction in homicides in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. This non-partisan criminal justice think tank kept track of 13 offenses across 42 American cities. Among these 13 offenses, 11 showed a decrease in the first half of the year when compared to the same time frame in 2024.

The recorded decrease includes a 10% drop in aggravated assaults, a 21% drop in gun assaults, and a 10% drop in sexual assaults. Property crimes demonstrated a similar trend, with robberies down by 20% and carjackings by 24% from the first half of 2024 to the same period in 2025.

Of note, drug offenses remained constant, whilst domestic violence saw a slight increase of 3%. The Council on Criminal Justice highlighted that several cities experienced a spike in homicides in 2020 and 2021, and about 38% of cities in the sampling have since returned to pre-2020 homicide levels.

These cities that experienced prior spikes are contributing to the decrease in homicide rates in the first half of this year. It’s important to note that public attitudes towards crime often don’t line up with actual crime trends. According to an October 2024 Gallup poll, nearly half – or 49% – of Americans felt that crime had increased in their local areas compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, 34% of respondents felt there was less crime and 13% believed the crime rate remained unchanged. When asked whether there was more crime at the national level than the previous year, 64% of respondents believed there was more, while 29% thought there was less.

The perception of crime rates demonstrated an improvement from the previous year’s poll. In an October 2023 Gallup poll, 55% of Americans believed that crime was more prevalent in their area than a year prior. Only 28% thought there was less crime. A staggering 77% felt that crime was more prevalent in the U.S. in 2023 than the preceding year, with only 16% feeling there was a decrease.

Authorities in Columbus maintain that the Short North area remains safe despite fairly recent high-profile shootings and a perceived public belief that the neighborhood is insecure. A survey by the Short North Alliance in summer 2023 revealed that 65% of suburbanites and 64% of Columbus residents living outside the Short North felt less likely to visit the area.

The survey, which collected responses from over 500 participants, found that safety concerns were the primary reason they avoided the area. The safety apprehensions followed high-profile shootings in the neighborhood. Despite these events, Columbus officials insist at press conferences that, ‘This is one of the safest places in our city.’