Overview:
Declines were "aided no doubt by federal and state assistance."
Memphis recorded its lowest major crime rates in nearly a decade in 2025, a year public safety officials described as a “breakthrough year” and said was helped, in part, by the Memphis Safe Task Force.
The city’s major violent crime rate — which includes murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults — fell 27.6 percent compared to 2024, dropping below levels seen in each of the previous eight years, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) data compiled by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. Across Shelby County, the violent crime rate declined 27.1 percent, also the lowest in at least eight years.
Despite the decline, Memphis still recorded more than 11,000 reported victims of violent crime in 2025.
“In many respects, 2025 was a breakthrough year in our community’s efforts to reduce and prevent crime,” said Bill Gibbons, president of the Crime Commission. “Significant declines began in 2024 and continued at a faster pace in 2025. The rate of decline improved even more in the latter part of 2025, aided no doubt by federal and state assistance in investigating and solving crimes and serving outstanding felony arrest warrants.”
“The rate of decline improved even more in the latter part of 2025, aided no doubt by federal and state assistance in investigating and solving crimes and serving outstanding felony arrest warrants.”
Bill Gibbons, president of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission
Gibbons cautioned against complacency, however.
“We have a long way to go to be as safe as we need to be. Based on TBI data, we still had over 11,000 reported victims of violent crime in Memphis in 2025. That’s way too many to accept things as they are.”
“Despite the decline, Memphis still recorded more than 11,000 reported victims of violent crime in 2025.” 11,405 to be exact. For the mathematically inclined, that is 31 per day. More than 1 every hour. Of every day. That’s not an improvement, it’s a disaster.