The murder rate in New York City hit a record low in 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday, dpa reported.
There were a total of 461 reported murders through Sunday, putting the city of 8 million on track for the lowest murder rate since current record keeping began in 1963. In 2008, there were 516 murders.
1990 was the deadliest year with 2,245 murders, the New York Times reported.
Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showed a decline in murder rates nationwide of 10 per cent in the first half of 2009.