Baltimore recorded its lowest number of homicides in nearly 50 years.

The city ended 2025 with 133 homicides, marking a significant decline since Mayor Brandon Scott took office.

Scott pledged early in his administration to reduce homicides by 15% each year and has repeatedly emphasized a public-health approach to violence prevention, pairing enforcement with resources geared towards addressing the root causes of poverty.

While acknowledging the progress, Scott said the city is focused on sustaining and expanding those gains.

“Together, we will build on this work in 2026 and beyond, until no lives are lost to violence in Baltimore,” Scott said at a news conference on Monday.

State, federal and local officials joined the mayor, including representatives from multiple police departments and violence interrupter organizations. Speaker after speaker described the decline as a generational shift, crediting partnerships among agencies, community groups and residents for driving down violence.

State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who has publicly disagreed with the mayor on elements of the city’s approach, said rebuilding staffing and capacity within the prosecutor’s office has played a key role in holding repeat offenders accountable.

“This progress is the result of deliberate, sustained work to rebuild this office, foster partnerships, invest in our people, and focus relentlessly on those who commit the most serious acts of violence in our city,” said Bates.

Despite the historic drop, leaders cautioned against complacency, stressing that work remains.

As the city looks to drive the number even lower, City Council President Zeke Cohen said critics will not have the final say.

“For too long, the cynics and the critics have been given too much space to tell our story,” Cohen said. “They told people not to move here or come downtown for dinner and a movie. They said Baltimore could never save lives or cut the murder rate in half without the National Guard.”

Looking ahead, residents will be invited to weigh in on a new five-year Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan. The current plan expires in June, with the next version, running through 2031, expected to be released this spring.