New York City just closed out a summer that will go down in the record books.
On September 3, the NYPD and Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the city recorded its safest summer in history when it comes to gun violence and homicides, with shootings, shooting victims and murders all falling to historic lows between June 1 and August 31.
The numbers are significant.
New York recorded 66 murders during the summer stretch, beating the previous record low of 78 set in 2017. Shooting incidents dropped to 195, down from the prior low of 227 established just last year. Shooting victims also fell sharply, with 249 people shot compared to the previous record low of 293 in 2018.
August helped push those numbers even lower.
Major crime citywide dropped 6.6 percent compared to August 2025, amounting to more than 700 fewer serious crimes in a single month. The Bronx led the five boroughs in overall crime reduction with a 10.5 percent decline.
The subway system also posted one of the most striking figures of the month. According to the latest crime data, there were zero shootings, murders or rapes recorded in the transit system during August, while subway robberies fell to their lowest level ever recorded for the month.
The broader 2026 picture is following the same direction. Through the first eight months of the year, major crime across New York City is down 6.2 percent overall, putting the city on track for one of its strongest extended stretches of crime reduction in decades.
That progress comes with one major concern that remains unresolved.
While gun violence and homicides continue to fall, hate crimes have moved sharply in the opposite direction. Reports from NBC New York and CNN show hate crimes have increased nearly 16 percent across the city so far this year, adding another layer to how New Yorkers may view the latest public safety numbers.
For city officials, the historic summer represents a major benchmark. For residents, the statistics tell a broader story about a city experiencing fewer shootings, fewer murders and fewer major crimes while still facing serious challenges in other areas of public safety.
The headline number is difficult to ignore: New York City just recorded its safest summer ever for gun violence and homicide.