FBI records slight increase in 2021 homicides – but data is incomplete

Agency says murders increased by 4.3% in 2021 after a 30% surge in 2020, but new data tracking system excludes some major cities

The FBI's annual crime data released on Wednesday suggested a slight increase in homicides in the US in 2021, but officials warned that the statistics were incomplete and excluded some major cities due to a new data tracking system.

The agency said that homicides increased by 4.3% in 2021, following a nearly 30% surge in homicides in 2020, which marked the largest single-year increase since the FBI began keeping count in the 1960s. But the murder rate still remained below the historic highs of 1991.