Year-by-year homicide comparison

Nearly 185,000 cases of homicide and non-negligent manslaughter went unsolved from 1980 to 2008, according to Scripps Howard News Service calculations based upon homicide estimates provided by the FBI. The rate at which homicides are solved has been declining during the past three decades.

Year ... Murders ... Clearance .. Unsolved
2008 .... 16,272 ...... 64% ..... 5,858
2007 .... 16,929 ...... 61 ...... 6,602
2006 .... 17,030 ...... 61 ...... 6,642
2005 .... 16,740 ...... 62 ...... 6,361
2004 .... 16,148 ...... 63 ...... 5,975
2003 .... 16,528 ...... 62 ...... 6,281
2002 .... 16,229 ...... 64 ...... 5,842
2001 .... 16,037 ...... 62 ...... 6,094
2000 .... 15,586 ...... 63 ...... 5,767
1999 .... 15,522 ...... 69 ...... 4,812
1998 .... 16,974 ...... 69 ...... 5,262
1997 .... 18,208 ...... 66 ...... 6,191
1996 .... 19,645 ...... 67 ...... 6,483
1995 .... 21,606 ...... 65 ...... 7,562
1994 .... 23,326 ...... 64 ...... 8,397
1993 .... 24,526 ...... 66 ...... 8,339
1992 .... 23,760 ...... 65 ...... 8,316
1991 .... 24,703 ...... 67 ...... 8,152
1990 .... 23,438 ...... 67 ...... 7,735
1989 .... 21,500 ...... 68 ...... 6,880
1988 .... 20,675 ...... 70 ...... 6,203
1987 .... 20,096 ...... 70 ...... 6,029
1986 .... 20,613 ...... 70 ...... 6,184
1985 .... 18,976 ...... 72 ...... 5,313
1984 .... 18,692 ...... 74 ...... 4,860
1983 .... 19,308 ...... 76 ...... 4,634
1982 .... 21,010 ...... 74 ...... 5,463
1981 .... 22,520 ...... 72 ...... 6,306
1980 .... 23,040 ...... 72 ...... 6,451
Total .. 565,637 ...... 67 .... 184,992

Notes: This total homicide estimate differs from the counts found in the FBI's Uniform Crime Report and Supplementary Homicide Report. Those two reports are based upon incomplete data provided by local police departments. The homicide totals and clearance rates presented here are estimated by the FBI, based upon the incomplete reporting. The FBI provides this definition of when homicides are considered to be cleared: "Law enforcement agencies clear or solve an offense when at least one person is arrested, charged with the commission of the offense, and turned over to the court for prosecution. Law enforcement agencies may also clear a crime by exceptional means such as when an identified offender is killed during apprehension or commits suicide."