New York City recorded 536 shooting incidents, 649 shooting victims and 230 murders during the first ten months of 2026, each the lowest total for that period in the NYPD's historical series. The department's November 9 release says major crime fell 6.5 percent citywide from the same period in 2025, representing 6,667 fewer reported offenses across the seven major categories.
The aggregate decline was not uniform. Murders fell 15.7 percent, burglaries 14.2 percent, robberies 12.3 percent, auto thefts 11.2 percent and grand larcenies 6.1 percent. Felony assaults increased 0.9 percent, while reported rape increased 1.8 percent under a legal definition expanded in 2024. The NYPD says nearly one quarter of the rape reports received this year concern incidents from prior years.
October alone produced a similar mixed picture. Major crime was down 8.6 percent from October 2025, and all five boroughs recorded declines in the overall measure. Shooting incidents rose by two for the month, from 45 to 47, while shooting victims increased from 52 to 55. Those monthly increases followed unusually low October figures in the previous year and do not erase the lower ten-month totals.
Public housing data show especially large reductions. Through October, shootings in NYCHA developments fell from 119 to 78, shooting victims from 136 to 87, murders from 25 to 18 and robberies from 712 to 584. October major crime in public housing fell from 517 to 427. The Bronx recorded no public-housing shooting during the month, according to the department.
Transit results require separate attention. Major crime in the subway system was up 2.2 percent year to date and 12.7 percent in October. The department attributes much of the ten-month total to felony assaults and nonviolent grand larcenies, particularly thefts of unattended property. Robberies and grand larcenies still reached record or near-record lows within the longer transit series excluding pandemic years.
Crime statistics are reports known to police and can change as investigations reclassify incidents. They also do not measure every harm experienced by residents. A careful reading therefore looks at category, location and time period rather than treating one citywide percentage as a complete account. Comparing year-to-date totals with both the prior year and a longer historical baseline helps separate a durable shift from a short monthly fluctuation.
The figures also leave policy questions open. Declines may reflect enforcement, prevention, demographic change, economic conditions, community programs or several influences at once. The department connects reductions to targeted violence zones, gun seizures and gang investigations, but the release does not isolate how much of the change each effort caused. Independent evaluation would need a defined comparison and consistent geographic data.
For residents, the ten-month report contains two simultaneous findings: shootings, murders and most major crimes are lower, while felony assault, reported rape and October transit crime remain areas of concern. Publishing precinct-level data, revision notes and clear definitions allows the public to track both progress and risk without forcing every category into a single narrative.
The next useful checkpoint will be the full-year release, which can show whether the fall pattern persisted and how late reports altered earlier totals. Until then, the department's public data portal and monthly releases provide the most direct way to compare boroughs, precincts and categories. Any conclusion should state the dates and measure used so that a change in shootings is not confused with a change in all crime.
Primary sources: NYPD ten-month 2026 crime report. Reviewed November 10, 2026. Development: Ten-month crime data released November 9, 2026.