As Murders Soar, FBI Buries the Data

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News Analysis

Overview

Based on a misunderstanding of new FBI data, NewsNation is reporting that 14,677 murders occurred in the United States during 2021, a supposedly large decline from 2020. In reality, that figure is far from complete, and comprehensive records from death certificates show that about 24,493 people were murdered in 2021. This is about:

• 1,000 more murders than in 2020.
• 6,000 more murders than in 2019.
• 10,000 more murders than NewsNation reported.

Murders have become so common over the past two years that if the murder rate remains at the 2021 level, one out of every 179 people in the United States will eventually be murdered. Yet, certain politicians and media outlets are downplaying this bloodshed, while others are blaming it on COVID—a claim at odds with the facts.

A major source of confusion about this issue is the FBI, which is releasing fragmentary and inaccessible data on murders and other crimes. The FBI is part of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is under the authority of President Biden.

Burying Crime Data

In 2021, the year Joe Biden became president, the FBI began making it far more difficult to access national estimates of murders and other crimes. The agency did this by dramatically changing the manner in which it reports such data.