Falling Gun Violence Helps Reassure Visitors to U.S. Cities

Newly released crime and public health data indicate that firearm violence is beginning to ease in New York and several other U.S. states, strengthening the case that major American destinations are becoming safer for visitors after a turbulent post‑pandemic period.

National Indicators Point to Easing Firearm Violence

Recent figures from federal justice and health agencies show that the sharp rise in gun violence seen during the pandemic years has begun to reverse. Analysis of 2023 national crime data indicates that murders, most of which involve firearms, declined compared with 2022, with independent researchers describing the drop in gun homicides as the steepest since the mid‑2010s. Publicly available summaries of 2025 crime statistics report that the U.S. homicide rate has fallen to its lowest level in decades, even if it remains above pre‑2014 lows.

Health statistics compiled by federal researchers show a similar pattern. After firearm homicide rates climbed between 2019 and 2021, injury and death data through 2023 indicate a modest but meaningful decline. One nationwide analysis of injury deaths reports that overall injury mortality, which includes firearm fatalities, fell between 2021 and 2023 after several years of increases.

Nonfatal firearm assaults are also trending below long‑term peaks. A comprehensive federal study of firearm violence from 1993 to 2023 notes that the rate of nonfatal firearm victimization is down more than two‑thirds compared with the early 1990s, even with pandemic‑era fluctuations. For travelers, these broad trends translate into a lower statistical risk of being caught up in gun violence than during the peak years of the past decade, although the risk is unevenly distributed across states and cities.

New York Shows Steady Improvement in Shooting and Homicide Numbers

New York, one of the country’s most visited destinations, has been closely watched as a barometer of urban safety. Public safety reports and city crime dashboards indicate that shootings and murders in New York City have fallen from the highs reached in 2020 and 2021. Local analyses of 2024 data highlight year‑over‑year reductions in gun homicides and youth shootings, with advocates pointing to a combination of targeted policing, community intervention programs and state‑level gun regulations.

Citywide statistics published by New York’s police department show that overall major crime categories, including murder and shooting incidents, have trended downward compared with the height of the pandemic. A 2024 review of public safety initiatives highlighted several thousand illegal firearms removed from city streets since early 2022 and described declines in gun violence across multiple boroughs. Testimony submitted in early 2025 by statewide advocacy groups cites further decreases in 2024 shootings, particularly among residents under 18.

These shifts are significant for tourism. New York City welcomed tens of millions of domestic and international visitors in 2023 and 2024, and travel industry briefings frequently note that concerns about violent crime rank high in trip‑planning decisions. With gun‑related assaults and murders moving lower, visitor‑oriented districts such as Midtown Manhattan, Lower Manhattan and key cultural corridors are increasingly portrayed in travel advisories and marketing materials as safer than they were just a few years ago, even as officials caution that isolated incidents still occur.

Other States Report Record‑Low Gun Death Rates

New York is not alone in recording progress. Public health analyses of state‑level firearm mortality show that several jurisdictions with comparatively strong gun regulations are now posting some of the lowest gun death rates in the country. A 2024 review of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by a national violence policy research group found that Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island formed the cluster of states with the lowest overall gun death rates, and that the national firearm death rate edged down between 2023 and 2024.

California, a major tourism hub anchored by Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, continues to publish evidence that its gun safety framework is associated with lower rates of firearm deaths. State fact sheets released in 2024 report that California’s gun death rate is well below the national average and that youth firearm death rates have fallen even as the national youth rate has risen. A strategic plan on gun violence released in mid‑2026 cites new federal data showing that California reached its lowest recorded age‑adjusted firearm homicide rate in 2024.

New Jersey, home to important gateway airports and convention centers serving the New York and Philadelphia regions, has also documented sharp improvements. An overview of violent crime and gun violence on the state attorney general’s website notes that the number of people killed by gunfire in New Jersey dropped from 191 in 2023 to 152 in 2024, with declines in shooting victimization in several of its largest cities. These changes, combined with relatively low firearm death rates in northeastern states, contribute to a corridor of destinations where the risk of gun‑related victimization is comparatively lower than in much of the country.

What the Trends Mean for Visitor Safety

While national and state‑level statistics do not eliminate the reality of high‑profile shootings, they offer context for travelers assessing risk. Federal injury and victimization data show that the likelihood of experiencing firearm violence is substantially lower than it was in the early 1990s, and recent declines suggest that the spike associated with the pandemic period is moderating. In states such as New York, California and New Jersey, gun death rates now sit near the bottom of national rankings, reflecting both policy choices and the concentration of resources on high‑risk neighborhoods.

For visitors, experts in public safety and tourism typically emphasize basic situational awareness rather than avoidance of entire states or cities. Many of the most visited districts in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Honolulu record violent crime rates that are significantly below citywide averages. Travel risk assessments produced by insurance and security firms increasingly distinguish between overall state firearm mortality rates and the safety profiles of specific tourist zones, noting that hospitality corridors often see dense security staffing, surveillance and coordinated outreach programs.

At the same time, researchers and advocacy organizations caution that the recent improvements are fragile. Analyses from groups that track gun violence warn that national firearm homicide and suicide rates remain above pre‑pandemic levels, and that reductions are not evenly shared across racial and socioeconomic lines. For tourism, this means that progress in headline indicators can coexist with persistent safety challenges in certain neighborhoods, particularly where community resources are thin.

Outlook: Cautious Optimism for U.S. Destinations

The emerging data on gun violence offer grounds for cautious optimism for travelers considering trips to U.S. cities. Declining firearm homicide rates, fewer shootings in key states and long‑term drops in nonfatal gun assaults suggest that the extreme conditions of the early 2020s are easing. High‑profile mass shootings and localized surges still shape perceptions, but overall risk is moving in a more favorable direction for visitors.

Tourism officials and city marketers are expected to lean on these statistics as they court international visitors who may be wary of U.S. gun violence. At the same time, public health scholars and community organizations argue that sustaining the gains will require continued investment in violence interruption, mental health services and enforcement of existing gun laws. For the moment, however, the latest numbers from New York and several peer states indicate that travelers are arriving in destinations that are, on balance, safer from gun violence than they have been in several years.