Homicides in Chicago up slightly so far in 2026, data shows
CHICAGO - The number of homicides in Chicago over the first half of this year has increased about 5% compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
By the numbers:
Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, the Medical Examiner’s Office has recorded 219 homicides, compared to 208 during the first six months of 2025.
To be sure, that 219 figure is very likely to increase, as the Medical Examiner’s Office still lists 356 pending cases since Jan. 1 on its data portal website. That means that the manner of death has yet to be determined in those cases, and a spokesperson said it is likely at least some of those cases will be ruled a homicide.
Death cases may also take some time to be reported, as it could take multiple days for an autopsy to be performed after someone dies.
Other violent crime data points are either down or holding relatively steady, according to the latest data from the Chicago Police Department, which has only released data through June 26 as of this week.
Compared to last year:
- Shootings were up about 3%
- Criminal sexual assaults were down 1%
- Robberies were down 27%
- Aggravated batteries were about on par
- Burglaries were down 12%
- Motor vehicle thefts were up 10%
Increase from historic low
Dig deeper:
While the data point so far this year is not a mark that Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city leaders will tout as an improvement, it is still an increase off a historic low.
For context, last year, Chicago recorded the fewest number of homicides (416) in 60 years, according to data from the Chicago Police Department. The mark was also well below the pandemic-era high of 805 murders in 2021 as violent crime spiked in cities all over the country.
While 2026 so far has seen an uptick in homicides, Chicago has recorded fewer homicides each year between 2021 and last year.
Murders by year in Chicago, per CPD
- 2025: 416
- 2024: 587
- 2023: 623
- 2022: 719
- 2021: 805
The numbers in Chicago appeared to follow national trends in lower crime rates. A January 2026 study from the Council on Criminal Justice found that the rate of reported homicides in 35 large American cities fell 21% between 2024 and 2025.
The report also projected the U.S. homicide rate would drop to 4.0 per 100,000 residents, which would be the lowest rate ever recorded by law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900.