What was Chicago's homicide count in 2024 and how did it change from 2023?
Executive summary
Chicago’s homicide total for calendar year 2024 is reported differently across outlets, but the city’s own summary and mainstream local reports put the count at roughly the mid‑500s — about 572 homicides in 2024 versus roughly 615 in 2023, a decline of about 43 deaths, or roughly 7% [1]. Independent tallies and national analysts show similar but not identical drops (examples include 573 in 2024 vs 617 in 2023 and other estimates such as 591 or ~581), and the variation reflects differences in data sources and counting rules [2] [3] [4].
1. What the most commonly cited numbers say: a mid‑500s 2024 and a single‑digit percentage decline from 2023
City and major local reporting close out 2024 with a figure of 572 homicides, which the mayor’s office and local outlets used to frame a year of declining murders and shootings compared with 2023’s roughly 615 homicides — a decrease of 43 incidents and about a 7% fall [1]. Wirepoints’ tally aligns almost exactly, listing 573 homicides in 2024 and noting a comparable decline from 617 in 2023, again showing a drop in the mid‑40s in raw counts [2]. These mid‑500s totals are also reflected in city statements and CPD year‑end material that describe reductions in homicides and shooting incidents for 2024 [5] [6].
2. Why other credible sources report different totals — method matters
Several reputable sources report different 2024 totals — the BBC cited a CPD figure of 591 homicides for 2024 in one dispatch and other trackers estimate about 581 — because reporters and analysts draw on different feeds: CPD press releases and the city’s homicide data portal, journalists’ homicide trackers that combine CPD and medical examiner updates, and independent surveys that use FBI or cross‑city harmonized datasets, each of which uses slightly different inclusion rules and time cutoffs [3] [4] [7]. The University of Chicago Crime Lab and national analysts focus on percentage changes and rates, reporting year‑over‑year homicide declines (for example, a 7.3% drop reported by the Crime Lab), which can obscure exact raw‑count discrepancies stemming from late case classifications or jurisdictional reporting rules [8].
3. How large was the change from 2023? — a consistent downward trend, magnitude varies by source
Across multiple sources the direction is consistent: homicides fell in 2024 compared with 2023; the magnitude is typically in the range of a few percent to double‑digit single percentages depending on which baseline is used. The mayor’s office and CPD‑focused reporting show about a 7% to 8% drop (572 vs ~615; 43 fewer) [1], Wirepoints frames a similar raw reduction (573 vs 617) [2], while broader analyses that adjust for population or use reconciled national datasets describe smaller year‑to‑year percentage movement but still a decline [9] [10]. The University of Chicago Crime Lab quantified a 7.3% reduction in homicides relative to the prior year in its end‑of‑year review [8].
4. What explains the residual uncertainty and why it matters
Disagreement on the precise number is not just academic: counts differ because of late classification of deaths, inclusion or exclusion of certain manners of death (for example, lawful self‑defense or intoxication rulings), timing cutoffs, and whether tallies rely on CPD reported incidents, medical examiner confirmations, or aggregated media trackers — each approach has tradeoffs for completeness and timeliness [7] [11]. That means policy claims tied to a single number can be overstated; multiple reputable outlets nonetheless converge on the conclusion that 2024 saw fewer homicides than 2023, a point emphasized in official city materials claiming historic declines in violent crime [6] [5].
5. Bottom line and context
The best summary based on available reporting: Chicago recorded roughly the mid‑500s homicides in 2024 (common tallies: 572–573), down from roughly the low‑to‑mid‑600s in 2023 (common tallies: 615–621), representing a decline on the order of a few dozen deaths and roughly single‑digit percentage drops; independent trackers and analysts corroborate a decline but vary in the exact totals because of differing data sources and counting conventions [1] [2] [8] [3]. Further precision would require picking a single official source (CPD or Cook County Medical Examiner reconciled tallies) and noting its counting rules; the city’s data portal and CPD year‑end materials are the primary references for municipal reporting [7] [5].