Line chart of homicide rates from 1900 to 2000. At the beginning of the century, there were 1.2 homicides per 100,000 population. Rates rose significantly after 1904 reaching a peak of 9.7 in 1933. From 1934 to 1944, rates fell to 5.0 per 100,000 in 1944. After a slight increase from 1945 and 1946 when rates reached 6.4 per 100,000, rates declined, falling to 4.5 in 1955. After 1955 rates increased slightly until the mid 1960s when there was a steep increase reaching a peak of 10.1 per 100,000 in 1974. Rates fell slightly in 1975 and 1976 but began rising thereafter, reaching an all time high of 10.7 per 100,000 in 1980. From 1981 to 1984, rates declined, falling to 8.4 per 100,000 in 1984. After 1985, rates increased again peaking in 1991 at 10.5 per 100,000, remaining at around 10 per 100,000 through 1993. Starting in 1994, rates declined each year, reaching 6.1 per 100,000 in 2000, the lowest rate since 1967. In 2001, the rate increased to 7.1, a number that includes the victims of the 9/11 terrorism attacks. Since 2001, the homicide rate has declined to 5.9 per 100,000 in 2004.
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