Today, Community Justice released its third annual Violence Prevention Index (VPI) — the nation’s only comprehensive analysis evaluating how U.S. cities invest in programs, services, and policies designed to prevent gun and other forms of violence.

The 2024 VPI assesses the 100 U.S. cities with the highest incidence of gun violence in 2021–2022, evaluating them across 35 criteria in three key categories:

• Intervention and Risk Factor Reduction

• Addressing the Root Causes of Violence

• Local Offices of Violence Prevention

Key Findings

• The national average score rose slightly to 34 out of 100, up from 32 in 2023 and 25 in 2022.

• Only 37% of rated cities have a current, whole-of-government violence prevention plan — a slight decline from 38% last year.

• 37% of local health departments now have discernible violence prevention strategies — the highest level since the VPI began in 2022.

• The number of cities with dedicated local offices of violence prevention grew to 62%, up from 52% in 2023.

• Top-performing cities included Washington, D.C. (93), Baltimore (85), Philadelphia (76), Portland (75), and Oakland (72).

• However, cities performed weakest in addressing root causes of violence — such as access to housing, jobs, education, and health care — and funding for proven interventions declined:

• Only 60% of cities funded outreach-based violence intervention programs (down from 63% in 2023).

• Just 32% directly invested in hospital-based intervention programs (down from 36%).

“These findings show that while cities are building the infrastructure for violence prevention, too many are failing to sustain or scale what works,” said Adzi Vokhiwa, Vice President of Policy at Community Justice.

“Gun violence is preventable, but only if leaders treat it as the public health crisis it is and invest in the programs and infrastructure that save lives. Short-term funding and pilot programs aren’t enough. Cities must also address the root causes of violence to ensure that community violence intervention and prevention programs can be as effective as possible.”