---
title: 'RESOURCES: New FBI Report Shows U.S. Murder Rate Unchanged Over 5 Years'
description: 'The FBI recently released the latest version of its Uniform Crime Reports: Crime in the United States 2005. The report showed that the murder rate in 2005…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/resources-new-fbi-report-shows-u-s-murder-rate-unchanged-over-5-years-1'
section: news
date: '2011-01-01T17:55:58-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:59:53-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

The FBI recently released the latest version of its Uniform Crime Reports: **Crime in the United States 2005**. The report showed that the murder rate in 2005 (5.6 murders per 100,000 people) was the same as in 2001, with little change in the intervening years. Death sentences, executions and the size of death row all declined during this period.

As in previous years, the **South** had the higherst murder rate, 6.6, among the 4 geographical regions. Over 80% of the executions in the country have occurred in the South since the death penalty was reinstated. The **Northeast** had the lowest murder rate, 4.4. Less than 1% of the executions in the country have occurred in the Northeast.

The state with the largest *increase* in its murder rate was **Alabama**, where the murder rate increased 46%. The state with the largest *decrease* in its murder rate was **Vermont**, a non-death penalty state, where the rate decreased by 51%.

(Press Release and Report, [**Crime in the United States 2005**](https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/index.html), U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 18, 2006, with death penalty notes from DPIC). See [**Deterrence**](../../../../../../article.php?scid=12&did=167) (with a breakdown of murder rates by state and by year) and [**Studies**](../../../../../../article.php?did=220&scid=19).