The United States has seen the lowest number of mass killings in two decades, according to a database tracking such incidents.
A recent shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California, which left four people dead, marked the 17th mass killing of 2025, the Associated Press reported. The AP maintains the database in partnership with USA Today and Northeastern University. While the total could rise in December, it represents a nearly 59% decrease from 2019, when a record 41 mass killings were recorded.
The database defines mass killings as incidents in which four or more people are intentionally killed within 24 hours, excluding the perpetrator, and relies on police and FBI reports, court documents, and media accounts.
Statistical Normalization:
A criminologist at Northeastern University who manages the database, noted that 2025’s drop was about 24% compared to 2024, which itself had fallen roughly 20% from 2023. He described the decline as a “regression to the mean,” suggesting a return to more typical crime levels following recent spikes.
Factors Behind the Drop:
Fox pointed to several factors that may contribute to the reduction, including a general decline in violent crime since the COVID-19 pandemic and improvements in emergency responses to mass casualty events. He highlighted a shooting at a Minnesota school in August that left two children dead and more than 20 injured. Although this incident did not meet the database threshold, Fox credited rapid trauma care and proximity to top children’s hospitals for preventing more fatalities.
Eric Maa criminal justice professor at the University of Washington-Tacoma, added that despite the decrease, “the US still has exceedingly high rates and numbers of mass shootings compared to anywhere else in the world.”
In 2025, firearms were involved in roughly 82% of mass killings. Since the database’s inception in 2006, 3,234 people have died in mass killings, with 81% of those deaths caused by shootings.
