Baltimore’s 2025 End-of-Year Report Highlights Historic Progress Across Public Safety, Youth Investment, and Neighborhood Development

Baltimore City closed out 2025 with measurable progress across public safety, youth opportunity, neighborhood revitalization, and fiscal stewardship, according to the City of Baltimore’s newly released 2025 End-of-Year Report: 100 Accomplishments of 2025. The report documents outcomes achieved through city initiatives, interagency coordination, and community partnerships, offering a comprehensive look at how policy decisions translated into real-world impact for residents across Charm City.

In his opening letter, Mayor Brandon M. Scott describes 2025 as a year defined by growth and innovation, public safety progress, youth investment, equitable development, and efforts to clean and beautify neighborhoods. He emphasizes that many of the accomplishments highlighted in the report were driven not only by city government, but also by residents and partners working directly within their communities.

Public Safety: Historic Reductions and Community-Centered Strategies

The report details one of Baltimore’s most significant public safety milestones in decades. In 2025, homicides declined by 30 percent compared to the previous year, reaching a near 50-year low, while nonfatal shootings dropped by more than 20 percent. These reductions coincided with continued progress under the Baltimore Police Department’s consent decree, including full compliance with multiple requirements and the seizure of more than 2,300 firearms, including hundreds of ghost guns.

Public safety efforts extended beyond enforcement. The City expanded its Group Violence Reduction Strategy to additional police districts, increasing direct engagement with individuals at highest risk of gun violence and connecting hundreds to supportive services through community-based partners. Safe Streets Baltimore mediated more than 1,700 conflicts, while hospital-based violence intervention programs served nearly 1,000 victims.

The Baltimore City Fire Department also reported major gains, including a 55 percent decrease in fire fatalities, the graduation of hundreds of new fire and EMS personnel, and the installation of more than 16,000 smoke alarms over the past two years, including specialized alarms for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Prioritizing Youth as Assets, Not Afterthoughts

Youth investment emerged as a central theme throughout the report. In 2025, Baltimore reopened major recreation centers in Poppleton and Cherry Hill and advanced construction on several additional facilities citywide. The City opened three new public pools and celebrated the launch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s first new branch in 20 years, with another branch breaking ground in Park Heights.

Employment and leadership development opportunities for young people also expanded significantly. YouthWorks provided paid summer jobs to more than 8,000 young people at $15 per hour, pairing wages with career development and financial empowerment programming. The City also seated its first Youth Commission, formally giving young Baltimoreans a voice in shaping policy and civic decision-making.

Additional initiatives, including healthcare apprenticeships, mentoring programs, cultural events, and Head Start services, reached tens of thousands of young residents, reinforcing a broader shift toward treating youth as long-term investments in Baltimore’s future.

Clean, Healthy Neighborhoods and Public Health Investment

The report highlights the launch of the Charm City Cleanup Initiative, described as the most ambitious citywide cleaning effort in decades. Throughout 2025, City crews and community partners filled thousands of potholes, cleared trash and debris, mowed vacant lots, removed graffiti, and completed sanitation assessments across every neighborhood.

Infrastructure improvements included roadway paving, sidewalk accessibility upgrades, traffic signal retiming, and progress on trail and greenway projects. These efforts were paired with public health investments aimed at addressing the opioid crisis and expanding access to care.

In 2025, Baltimore released its first comprehensive Needs Assessment and Overdose Response Strategic Plan, setting a long-term goal of reducing overdose deaths by 40 percent by 2040. The City also continued reinvesting opioid settlement funds into community-based recovery, harm reduction, and stabilization programs, while responding swiftly to mass overdose events with coordinated, multi-agency support.

Equitable Development and Housing Stability

The report shows continued momentum in addressing Baltimore’s vacant housing crisis. Since 2020, the number of vacant properties citywide has declined by more than 24 percent. In 2025, the City launched ReFrame Baltimore, a long-term strategy aimed at ending the vacants crisis within 15 years.

Affordable and mixed-income housing developments opened or advanced in neighborhoods such as Johnston Square, Park Heights, and Perkins-Somerset-Oldtown, adding hundreds of new residential units. The City also expanded homelessness prevention and housing placement efforts, successfully helping more than 1,000 residents exit homelessness for the second consecutive year.

Workforce development and digital equity initiatives complemented housing investments. Expanded public Wi-Fi, large-scale Chromebook distribution, and pre-apprenticeship programs in infrastructure, water systems, and fleet management helped residents connect to education, training, and employment opportunities.

Responsible Stewardship and Cultural Investment

Baltimore’s financial and operational strategy was another focus of the report. In 2025, the City released its second-ever 10-Year Financial Plan, outlining a pathway to long-term fiscal stability, including a goal to reduce the effective property tax rate for homeowners in the coming years. The City also managed significant federal recovery funds while strengthening labor agreements and protecting resident services during periods of federal uncertainty.

Cultural and creative industries received new structural support with the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment. In its first year, the office coordinated major festivals and events, supported hundreds of individual artists, and helped generate millions of dollars in economic impact, including a successful downtown Artscape that spotlighted local talent and businesses.

Looking Ahead

Baltimore’s 2025 End-of-Year Report presents a portrait of a city focused on long-term, community-driven progress. While challenges remain, the 100 accomplishments documented throughout the report reflect a coordinated effort to improve safety, expand opportunity, and strengthen neighborhoods across Baltimore.

Full report available at:
https://www.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/2025-eoy-report-final-2.pdf