Murder rates in the nation's largest cities -- which have fallen dramatically in recent years -- dropped again in 1999, but the decline was comparatively small, according to a USA Today survey.

• Murders in 20 selected cities were down 2.7 percent in 1999 compared to 1998.

• The decline for the nation's 10 largest cities had been 13.5 percent in 1998 versus 1997.

• One of the largest decreases in 1999 was registered by New Orleans, where murders fell by 29.6 percent -- but they soared by 38.1 percent in San Diego and 35.3 percent in Denver.

• Other cities with increases included Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Louis, New York and Phoenix.

The nation's ninth largest city, Dallas, did not provide statistics for last year.

Nationwide, homicides are expected to be down for the eighth consecutive year when official statistics are released this fall. In November, the Justice Department released statistics for the first six months of 1999 -- which revealed that murders dropped 13 percent nationwide compared to the first six months of 1998.

Source: Gary Fields and Elizabeth Liptock, "Murder Rates Show Small Decline in '99," USA Today, January 10, 2000.