The violent crime rate is at its lowest level in 126 years.

Posted by Speaker Mike Johnson, Oct 27, 2026Checked Oct 28, 2026

Polygraph verdictMixed

Sources: 1 contradict3 support4 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 55%

Speaker Mike Johnson@SpeakerJohnsonOct 27, 2026

… have DELIVERED on our promises for REAL, POSITIVE results including: ✅ The largest middle & working-class tax cut in history ✅ $1.6 trillion REDUCTION in wasteful government spending ✅ A totally secured border! ✅ Erased job killing Biden-era regulations ✅ Lowest violent crime rate in 126 years ✅ Prescription drug costs see biggest drop in 60 years ✅ Trump Accounts to jumpstart young Americans' financial futures ✅ First-ever nationwide school choice program ✅ 1 million+ private sector jobs added to the economy ✅ Reshoring of American manufacturing …

9 claimsThe check →

Violent crime has fallen sharply and the 126-year-low framing is documented, but for homicides (CCJ, DHS, White House, all projecting the first half of 2026), not for the overall violent crime rate.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What we found

Contradicts. The FBI says the national murder rate of 4.1 per 100,000 equals the 1955 and 1956 rates, so it is tied with those years rather than below them, which cuts against a strict record low over 126 years for that measure.[3]

Supports. The White House, DHS and the Council on Criminal Justice all report that homicides in the first half of 2026 were down about 18% and on pace for the lowest level in at least 126 years.[4][5][6]

Supports. The FBI reports that violent crime fell in 2025 for a second consecutive year and calls it the largest reduction in violent crime in U.S. history.[3]

Context. The 126-year claim appears in the quoted statements of Speaker Johnson and in PBS and AP coverage of it; FactCheck.org notes Trump's version was 'lowest level of violent crime in 125 years since 1900,' so the figure and the period vary by speaker.[1][2][7]

Context. The claim as extracted says 'violent crime rate,' while the quoted passage says 'violent crime rate' only in Johnson's words; USAFacts reports a 2025 violent crime rate of 327.6 per 100,000 down 9.7% from 2024, with no 126-year comparison stated.[1][8]