WASHINGTON — Rising crime rates have been a concern for residents of Washington D.C. in 2023. Homicides, carjackings, robberies, and more are up significantly compared to the same point in 2022.
A WUSA9 viewer named Michael wanted more context about the homicide rate, specifically, and how it compared to the birth rate in the District.
QUESTION
Does the number of homicides in Washington D.C. in 2023 equal the number of births?
SOURCES
ANSWER
No, the number of homicides is not close to the number of births in Washington D.C. this year.
WHAT WE FOUND
The number of births has fallen for several years and the homicide rate is up substantially this year, but a large gap still exists between the two.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, 247 homicides had been recorded as of Monday, Nov. 20. That number is 34% higher than at the same point in 2022 and is two shy of surpassing any full year in the last two decades.
Data regarding births in 2023 are preliminary and based on the number of birth records filed. According to the CDC, 5,918 births had been recorded in Washington D.C. as of Sept. 31.
The CDC and D.C. Health both track the number of births in Washington D.C., with data going back to at least 1990. In that time, the lowest number of births reported during a full year occurred in 2002, when 7,494 children were born. The highest number of births reported was 11,806, in 1990.
For another point of comparison, a total of 3,368 people have died by homicide in Washington D.C. since 2003. That is still less than half the number of births in the year with the fewest in that same timeframe.
In 2021, the last year for which the CDC has information, homicide ranked as the sixth-most common cause of death in Washington D.C., behind heart disease, cancer, accidents, COVID-19, and stroke.
