I was mugged in Cambridge, Mass., back in 1979. I wasn’t hurt; I matter-of-factly handed over my wallet, and that was that. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rattled, and from then on I was a bit more careful about where I walked, especially after dark.

I tell this story now only to say that I’m old enough to remember from personal experience what it was like when many of America’s cities really were dangerous — and I don’t need official crime statistics to know that they’re much safer now. I live in New York these days, and I never hesitate to strike out on foot or, say, take the subway home from a late-night concert at the Bowery Ballroom.

As it happens, though, the official numbers match my perception. In 2023, there were 83 percent fewer robberies in New York than in 1990. Murder declined by roughly the

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