What is the current homicide rate in Washington D.C. compared to 2024?

1. The headline numbers: 2023 → 2024 and the stated 2024 rate

The Justice Department summary and reporting from local and national outlets cite Department of Justice / MPD data that Washington recorded 274 homicides in 2023 and 187 in 2024 — a drop the DOJ frames as a 32% reduction in homicides year‑over‑year ^[1]. Independent fact‑checks and reporting report the 2024 homicide rate at about 27.3 per 100,000 people, which aligns with those 2024 totals ^{[2] [3]}.

2. What 2025 shows so far: continued declines in early/mid‑year snapshots

Multiple outlets and local MPD year‑to‑date dashboards indicate homicide counts continuing to fall in 2025 relative to comparable 2024 timeframes. For example, as of Aug. 11, 2025, MPD reported 99 homicides in 2025 versus 112 through the same date in 2024 (Fox 5 citing MPD figures) ^[4]. Analysts such as Jeff Asher and organizations tracking mid‑year trends also find early‑to‑mid‑2025 homicide figures down in many comparisons, though they caution that different data sources and time windows change the picture ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Why comparisons can vary: sources, time windows, and rate denominators

Be careful about apples‑to‑apples comparisons: MPD dashboards, DOJ summaries, FBI UCR data and third‑party trackers use different cutoffs and methods. Jeff Asher notes that some MPD open data may overstate declines compared with FBI reporting and that changing reference windows (calendar year vs. rolling 12‑month periods or mid‑year snapshots) produces different percentage changes ^[5]. The FBI’s national release and Council on Criminal Justice reports apply standardized methods across jurisdictions, which can alter a city’s published rate when compared with local dashboards ^{[7] [6]}.

4. Context: broader national trend and how D.C. fits

Nationally, homicide totals and rates fell after recent peaks: major‑city data shows homicide declines through 2024 and into 2025, with national analyses noting thousands fewer killings in 2024 than in earlier pandemic‑era peaks ^[8]. The DOJ and analysts position D.C.’s decline as part of that broader move downward — D.C. reported its lowest violent‑crime levels in decades in 2024, according to DOJ summaries referencing MPD data ^{[1] [8]}.

5. Competing perspectives and potential agendas

Different actors emphasize different frames. The DOJ and local officials highlight large percentage drops (32% fewer homicides 2024 vs. 2023) to argue policies and prosecutions are working ^[1]. Political actors, notably in 2025 coverage, sometimes spotlight earlier 2023 rates or isolated incidents to argue crime remains out of control; fact‑checks counter by pointing to 2024 improvements and the fall in rate to ~27.3 per 100,000 ^{[3] [2]}. Watch for selective time‑frame use: citing 2023 highs without the 2024 decline can mislead readers about the current trajectory ^[3].

6. Limitations and what reporting does not resolve

Available sources document totals and rates through 2024 and mid‑2025, but they also note methodological caveats: not all datasets are reconciled, and different agencies may revise counts later ^{[5] [7]}. Available sources do not mention the final, official 2025 year‑end homicide total or an FBI‑standardized 2025 homicide rate; those figures are not found in current reporting supplied here ^{[7] [9]}.

7. Bottom line for your question — current rate vs. 2024

Based on available reporting, the clear comparative facts are: D.C.’s 2024 homicide rate was about 27.3 per 100,000 (187 homicides), down from substantially higher counts in 2023 (274 homicides), and preliminary 2025 year‑to‑date figures show further declines through mid‑2025 (for example, 99 homicides vs. 112 a year earlier) ^{[1] [2] [4]}. For an exact, finalized 2025 annual rate comparable to 2024 you will need the MPD year‑end dashboard or the FBI’s 2025 published crime statistics once they are released (available sources do not mention the final 2025 annual rate) ^{[9] [7]}.