"Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the men and women of this Department, we have made New York City the safest it's been in decades," Commissioner Kelly said. "I want to commend them for their commitment to keep crime down to record levels. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the New York City Police Department that our city enjoys its status as the safest big city in the country."

The FBI's total crime index ranks cities by the number of crimes per 100,000 people. From 2001 to 2002, New York City dropped seven spots on the list; it now ranks between Garden Grove, California, and Henderson, Nevada. Out of the nation's 10 largest cities, New York ranked 10th with the fewest overall crimes on the total crime index. Out of the 25 largest cities, it ranked 24th.

For 2002, the total crime index in New York City was 3139.8 crimes per 100,000 people. San Jose, California, which was the only of the 25 largest cities to beat New York, had a rate of 2,642.

Six out of seven crime categories dropped significantly in New York last year. Homicides were down 9.1 percent, while across the rest of the country they were up 0.8 percent on average. Motor vehicle theft was
down 10.1 percent here; nationwide it was up 1.2 percent. Burglaries were down here by 4.8 percent; they were up everywhere else by 1.5 percent on average.

The following list shows where New York City ranked out of the 25 largest cities in seven crime categories, and where the city ranked in 2001. Lower ranks reflect fewer crimes.