How many homicides were reported in Washington, D.C., in the past 30 days and how does that compare to the last 60 days?
Executive summary
Metropolitan Police Department and multiple reporting outlets show Washington, D.C.’s homicides declined in 2025 compared with 2024: national and local reporting cite about 99 homicides year‑to‑date as of August 2025 versus 112 at the same point in 2024 [1] [2]. Broader trend analyses from the Washington Post and Council on Criminal Justice place D.C. within a wider, sustained drop in homicides through 2025 [3] [4].
1. What recent counts the public is quoting — and where they come from
Several widely cited tallies for 2025 come from the District’s MPD data and reporters who use it: PBS NewsHour/PolitiFact reported 99 homicides year‑to‑date in August 2025 versus 112 at that point in 2024, a figure echoed by Fox5DC’s reporting of MPD numbers [1] [2]. The White House and other outlets have also summarized MPD counts, calling the 2025 total “nearly 100” homicides [5]. Those are the same baseline figures most commentators reference when discussing “so many” or “so few” homicides this year [1] [2].
2. Short windows can mislead: 30 days versus 60 days is sensitive to timing
Available sources document monthly and year‑to‑date comparisons but do not publish a precise, single authoritative count specifically labeled “past 30 days” versus “last 60 days.” MPD daily crime and open data feeds exist and are the primary sources for rolling 30‑ and 60‑day calculations [6] [7]. News outlets’ commonly quoted totals are YTD snapshots (e.g., Aug. 2025), not a standardized 30‑day rolling count; therefore exact 30‑day/60‑day numbers are not provided in current reporting [1] [2] [7].
3. Context: the decline is part of a broader national and local pattern
Nationally, reporting and analyses show homicides falling in 2025 across many large U.S. cities; the Washington Post found homicides down nearly 20% this year in 52 major cities that report monthly data [3]. Locally, the Council on Criminal Justice and the BBC cite sustained declines in D.C. after peaks in 2023, with the CCJ reporting a 19% fall in D.C.’s homicide rate January–June 2025 versus the same period in 2024 [4] [8].
4. Different timeframes and methods produce different headlines
Federal and local press releases highlight big year‑over‑year drops: the U.S. Attorney’s office said total violent crime for 2024 in D.C. fell 35% from 2023 and homicides were down 32% [9]. Other outlets emphasize smaller declines or framed comparisons (first half of year vs. year‑to‑date) that can look less dramatic—BBC pointed out that comparing Jan–Jun 2025 to Jan–Jun 2019 yields a much smaller change [8]. These methodological choices—YTD, monthly, half‑year, or rolling windows—drive different impressions [9] [8].
5. Data sources you can use to compute rolling 30/60‑day counts
If you need an exact count for “past 30 days” or “last 60 days,” the DC open data crime incidents dataset and MPD’s daily crime pages are the raw sources reporters rely on; they let analysts filter by date to construct rolling windows [7] [6]. Public summaries cited by outlets (e.g., PBS, Fox5, White House) are convenient but are snapshots rather than rolling‑window tallies [1] [2] [5].
6. Competing narratives and potential agendas to note
Sources present competing emphases: federal/local officials and advocates highlight steep declines and multi‑year lows to argue crime is receding [9] [4]. Conversely, partisan outlets and opinion pieces stress that crime still feels acute on the ground or that statistics omit context, implying official messaging downplays problems [10] [5]. The White House used MPD numbers to emphasize “nearly 100” homicides when arguing for action; critics argue selective framing can be political [5] [10].
7. What reporters and readers should watch next
Track MPD’s daily crime dashboard and the DC open data crime incidents feed for the precise rolling counts you asked about; those sources are the authoritative raw data for 30‑ and 60‑day comparisons [7] [6]. Watch independent analyses from the Washington Post and CCJ for trend context and methodological notes that explain how month‑to‑month volatility can skew short‑window comparisons [3] [4].
Limitations: current reporting provides year‑to‑date and half‑year totals and points to MPD/open data as the raw source, but none of the supplied sources publishes a single, definitive “past 30 days vs last 60 days” homicide count; exact rolling‑window numbers are not found in current reporting [1] [2] [7].