Philadelphia and various other big U.S. cities saw their homicide rate drop in 2023 after skyrocketing during the first two years of the pandemic, writes Zusha Elinson for The Wall Street Journal. 

Homicides were down about 15% on average in the 10 largest cities last year compared to 2022, according to government data.

That includes a 20% drop in both Philadelphia and Houston, and 16% in Los Angeles.

Murders rose in two of the top 10 U.S. cities. Namely, Dallas reported a 15% increase, while homicides in Austin increased by 3%.

Philadelphia finished with 514 homicides in 2022, and dropped to 410 in 2023, according to statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department. 

Police officials and criminologists credit the overall trend to the factors that contributed to an increase in violent confrontations during the early days of the pandemic receding. 

Local officials mention the return of gang-violence prevention programs, no more quarantine, and more active police. 

Even with declining numbers, however, Americans remain jittery about crime as a Gallup poll from November found that 63% of U.S. residents saw crime as a serious problem, an increase from 54% in 2022, and the highest in over 20 years. 

Read more about the downward trend of homicides in Philadelphia and other major U.S. cities at The Wall Street Journal. 

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