Atlanta recorded 127 homicides in 2024, an 8% decline on 2023 and the second consecutive annual fall. The city went lower again in 2025, ending the year with 98 — its first year under 100 since before the pandemic, and the lowest total since 2018.
Atlanta Homicides in 2024: The Headline Figures
| Measure | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Homicides | 127 |
| Change on 2023 | −8% |
| Overall crime | −5% |
| Crimes against persons | −8% |
| Robberies | −15% |
| Thefts | −29% |
| Homicide clearance rate | 78.5% (national average 54%) |
| Firearms recovered | 3,137 |
Figures announced by Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum in January 2025 and reported by Axios Atlanta.
Who the Victims Were
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s breakdown of the 127 cases shows how sharply the burden falls on particular groups.
| Victims | |
|---|---|
| Black | 114 |
| White | 8 |
| Hispanic | 4 |
| Asian | 1 |
| Male | 111 |
| Female | 16 |
| Aged 21 or under | 32 |
The youngest victim was six months old; the oldest was 90. Nearly nine in ten victims were Black, in a city where Black residents are close to half the population.
How the Killings Happened
| Weapon | Cases |
|---|---|
| Handgun | 101 |
| Knife | 12 |
| Rifle | 6 |
| Blunt force | 6 |
| Strangulation | 2 |
Handguns account for roughly 80% of Atlanta homicides — the single most important fact in the data, and the one most often lost in general discussion of “violent crime”.
Where They Happened: Homicides by Police Zone
| Zone | Area | Homicides |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Northwest | 36 |
| Zone 3 | Southeast | 33 |
| Zone 4 | Southwest | 21 |
| Zone 5 | Downtown | 20 |
| Zone 2 | North | 10 |
| Zone 6 | East | 7 |
Zones 1 and 3 together accounted for 69 of the 127 homicides — more than half the citywide total in two of six patrol zones. Any statement about how safe “Atlanta” is conceals a very large gap between neighbourhoods.
What Happened After 2024
The decline continued. Atlanta closed 2025 with 98 homicides, the first time the city had finished a year under 100 since before the pandemic and the lowest count since 2018, when there were 88. City officials put the fall at about 40% over four years (CBS News Atlanta).
Arrests were made or cases otherwise closed in 100 of the 127 homicides from 2024 by mid-January 2025 — a clearance rate well above the national average, and one of the clearer measures of investigative capacity.
How to Read These Numbers
- City limits, not metro. These counts cover the City of Atlanta, which holds a small fraction of metro Atlanta’s population. Metro-wide figures are much larger and not comparable.
- Counts, not rates. Atlanta’s population has grown over this period, so the per-capita decline is slightly steeper than the raw counts suggest.
- Totals get revised. Deaths reclassified as homicide after the fact shift historical figures; small discrepancies between sources usually reflect the date each was published.
- Homicide is a bellwether, not the whole picture. It is the most consistently recorded crime, which is why it is tracked closely — but property and violent crime do not always move together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many murders happened in Atlanta in 2024?
127, according to Atlanta Police Department figures — an 8% decline on 2023 and the second straight annual fall.
How many homicides did Atlanta have in 2025?
98 — the lowest annual total since 2018 and the first year under 100 since before the pandemic.
Which part of Atlanta has the most homicides?
Zone 1 (Northwest) recorded the most in 2024 with 36, followed by Zone 3 (Southeast) with 33. Those two zones accounted for more than half the city total.
Is crime going down in Atlanta?
Overall crime fell 5% in 2024, with robberies down 15% and thefts down 29%. Homicide has declined every year since 2022.
Sources & Further Reading
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — 2024 Atlanta homicides by the numbers
- Axios Atlanta — Violent crime in Atlanta fell again in 2024
- CBS News Atlanta — Atlanta records lowest homicide total since 2018
- Atlanta Police Department Open Data Portal
Figures current to 29 August 2026.
Related: murders in Philadelphia by year · gun violence resources in Baltimore