Chicago Homicides Declined in 2022, But Total Still Among Highest Since ‘90s

Chicago police vehicles are pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)Chicago police vehicles are pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

Chicago in 2022 will record its fewest homicides since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the city’s total for the year will still rank among its highest since the 1990s.

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According to data from the Chicago Police Department, there were 695 homicides in Chicago from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. That total marks a double-digit percentage decline over each of the last two years, but would still sit as the fourth most homicides in the city since 1999.

The only years with more homicides over that span were 2021, 2020 and 2016, according to CPD data.

“Over the course of this year, the Chicago Police Department has made great strides in our communities by talking and working with residents to grow trust, build relationships, and enhance public safety,” Police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement. “The consistent patterns of reductions in gun violence shows that we’re making a difference but it also serves as a reminder that we can’t let up.”


But with 55 homicides last month alone, December 2022 was the deadliest such month since 2016 (61 homicides) and the second deadliest in the last two decades.

The vast majority of homicide victims in 2022 — more than three out of every four — were Black, city data shows. The victims were also predominantly male (nearly 87%), while one in three victims were in their 20s.


The 2,832 shootings recorded in Chicago this year mark a 20% decline over the 2021 total, but overall violent crime was up slightly (1.5%) year-over-year. That was led largely by robberies, which increased by 23% from 2021 to 2022.

Chicago police also recovered 12,716 illegal firearms in 2022 for an average of more than 34 per day. That included 1,073 assault weapons — a 54% increase over 2021 — and more than 750 unregistered, privately made ghost guns.

Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson[email protected] | (773) 509-5431


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