The rise in murders in the U.S. last year was the biggest since the start of national record-keeping in 1960, according to FBI data. The murder rate was up almost 30% last year. Here’s a look at the data. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF 
The data is scheduled to be released on Monday along with a news release, but it was published early on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF
About 77% of reported murders in 2020 were committed with a firearm, the highest share ever reported, up from 67% a decade ago. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF
Even with the rise in murders and a roughly 5% increase in violent crime, the new FBI data shows that overall major crimes in the U.S. fell about 4 to 5% in 2020. It was the 18th straight year of declining overall crime. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF
Some of the reduction in overall crime was clearly related to the pandemic. Theft made up around seven in 10 property crimes, and it’s hard to commit shoplifting when stores are closed. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF
The available year-to-date data from big U.S. cities suggests murder is still up in 2021 from 2020, although the increase is not nearly as big. Still, the picture is murkier because there’s less data. nyti.ms/3kwJ1pF
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