The data came from the Compressed Mortality File of the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research used the rural-urban continuum codes developed by the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. These included: (1) counties with the primary central city of a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of 1 million or more; (2) fringe, remaining counties within an MSA of 1 million or more; (3) medium counties within an MSA of 250,000 to 999,999; (4) small counties in an MSA of less than 250,000; and (5)nonmetropolitan counties not in an MSA. Homicide rates increased between 1987 and 1991 and began declining between 1993 and 1995. These declines took place across all urbanization levels and among white and black males and females. Tables, figures, and 19 references (Author abstract modified)