Murder rates by city in the United States research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities with the highest murder rates in the US for 2024. The data comes from the FBI Crimes trend which breaks down crime rates, including murder, for cities over 100,000 people every quarter. Our analysis reviews the reported murder rates in the 312 cities over 100,000 people.
The city with the highest murder rate in the United States is Birmingham, AL. It has 72.8 murders per 100,000 people (Equivalent to per capita, but multiplied by 100,000).
The city in the United States with the most murders is Chicago, IL with 604 murders.
The city with the lowest murder rate in the United States is Cary, NC. It is 0.0 murders per 100,000 people.
The state with the highest murder rate in the United States is Louisiana with 16.0 murders per 100,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Murder has increased since George Floyd’s death in 2020.
While there are many possible reasons for the increase, murder rates are still low by historical standards.
But “the why” is not the subject of our analysis today. Instead, we’re reporting on the facts using Saturday Night Science to show the cities with the highest and lowest murder rates in the United States.
Using the most recent data from the FBI, we’ll analyze the cities with the highest rates of murder on a per capita basis.The ten cities in The United States with the highest murder rates per capita:
The ten cities in The United States with the lowest murder rates per capita:
The city with the highest murder rate according to the most recent FBI Data? That would be Birmingham with 0.0007 murders per capita — or about 1 for every 1,373 people, which is relatively low compared to historical norms and isn’t THAT dangerous.
So, while murder might be a problem in these cities, we have a feeling that the top offenders will get their murder rates under control in the coming years.
Read on for more information on how we calculated these numbers, or feel free to check out something a little less dreary:
- Safest Cities In America
- Worst Mid-Sized Cities
- Best Places To Live In America
- Cheapest Cities By State
- Poorest States In America
The 10 Cities With The Highest Murder Rate In America For 2024
/10
Population: 195,050
Murders: 142
Murders Per Capita: 0.0007
More on Birmingham: Data | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 370,128
Murders: 266
Murders Per Capita: 0.0007
More on New Orleans: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 286,053
Murders: 200
Murders Per Capita: 0.0007
More on St. Louis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 570,546
Murders: 287
Murders Per Capita: 0.0005
More on Baltimore: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 626,757
Murders: 308
Murders Per Capita: 0.0005
More on Detroit: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 163,297
Murders: 72
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004
More on Jackson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 624,944
Murders: 269
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004
More on Memphis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 363,764
Murders: 145
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004
More on Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 201,513
Murders: 79
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004
More on Little Rock: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 561,743
Murders: 214
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004
More on Milwaukee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Murder Capitals Of America For 2024
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked to Saturday Night Science and the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, which summarizes the number of murders that happen in each city per year.
We only looked at cities in America with over 100,000 people — that left us with 312 cities in America to analyze.
We then calculated the number of murders per capita for these cities to make an apples-to-apples comparison. This ranking created a “Murder Index.”
The cities with a higher Murder Index were deemed the “Murder Capitals of America For 2024.”
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred.
We updated this report for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the murder capitals of America.
Summary: Locking Up Murders Row For 2024
There you have it — a look at the cities with the highest murder rates in America for 2024 with Birmingham at the top of the list.
The cities with the highest murder rate in the United States are Birmingham, AL, New Orleans, LA, St. Louis, MO, Baltimore, MD, Detroit, MI, Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, Cleveland, OH, Little Rock, AR, and Milwaukee, WI.
If you’re looking for the safest cities in America when it comes to murder rates, check out Cary and Carlsbad.
For more reading around America:
Murder Rate Per Capita By City In The US For 2024
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murder/100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham, AL | 195,050 | 142 | 72.8 |
| 2 | New Orleans, LA | 370,128 | 266 | 71.9 |
| 3 | St. Louis, MO | 286,053 | 200 | 69.9 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | 570,546 | 287 | 50.3 |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | 626,757 | 308 | 49.1 |
| 6 | Jackson, MS | 163,297 | 72 | 44.1 |
| 7 | Memphis, TN | 624,944 | 269 | 43.0 |
| 8 | Cleveland, OH | 363,764 | 145 | 39.9 |
| 9 | Little Rock, AR | 201,513 | 79 | 39.2 |
| 10 | Milwaukee, WI | 561,743 | 214 | 38.1 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | 495,707 | 168 | 33.9 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,555,812 | 514 | 33.0 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | 508,856 | 166 | 32.6 |
| 14 | San Bernardino, CA | 222,623 | 72 | 32.3 |
| 15 | Rochester, NY | 210,270 | 66 | 31.4 |
| 16 | Hartford, CT | 120,196 | 37 | 30.8 |
| 17 | Washington, DC | 671,803 | 197 | 29.3 |
| 18 | Baton Rouge, LA | 219,913 | 64 | 29.1 |
| 19 | Oakland, CA | 428,374 | 121 | 28.2 |
| 20 | North Charleston, SC | 119,198 | 33 | 27.7 |
| 21 | South Bend, IN | 102,119 | 28 | 27.4 |
| 22 | Norfolk, VA | 233,419 | 63 | 27.0 |
| 23 | Shreveport, LA | 180,763 | 47 | 26.0 |
| 24 | Richmond, VA | 227,323 | 59 | 26.0 |
| 25 | Pueblo, CO | 112,618 | 29 | 25.8 |
| 26 | Dayton, OH | 137,084 | 34 | 24.8 |
| 27 | Buffalo, NY | 275,710 | 67 | 24.3 |
| 28 | Cincinnati, OH | 307,761 | 73 | 23.7 |
| 29 | Indianapolis, IN | 886,455 | 208 | 23.5 |
| 30 | Toledo, OH | 266,984 | 61 | 22.8 |
| 31 | Chicago, IL | 2,652,124 | 604 | 22.8 |
| 32 | Albuquerque, NM | 560,557 | 125 | 22.3 |
| 33 | Peoria, IL | 110,551 | 24 | 21.7 |
| 34 | Evansville, IN | 115,719 | 25 | 21.6 |
| 35 | Akron, OH | 188,534 | 38 | 20.2 |
| 36 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 184,347 | 37 | 20.1 |
| 37 | Houston, TX | 2,276,533 | 433 | 19.0 |
| 38 | Minneapolis, MN | 421,690 | 79 | 18.7 |
| 39 | Tacoma, WA | 219,027 | 41 | 18.7 |
| 40 | Paterson, NJ | 144,947 | 27 | 18.6 |
| 41 | Lafayette, LA | 121,546 | 22 | 18.1 |
| 42 | Vallejo, CA | 123,940 | 22 | 17.8 |
| 43 | Newark, NJ | 304,311 | 53 | 17.4 |
| 44 | Mobile, AL | 239,323 | 41 | 17.1 |
| 45 | Newport News, VA | 183,903 | 31 | 16.9 |
| 46 | Fayetteville, NC | 208,980 | 35 | 16.7 |
| 47 | Pompano Beach, FL | 113,545 | 19 | 16.7 |
| 48 | Inglewood, CA | 102,879 | 17 | 16.5 |
| 49 | Knoxville, TN | 194,724 | 32 | 16.4 |
| 50 | Miami Gardens, FL | 110,284 | 18 | 16.3 |
| 51 | Beaumont, TX | 110,898 | 18 | 16.2 |
| 52 | West Palm Beach, FL | 113,268 | 18 | 15.9 |
| 53 | San Antonio, TX | 1,465,608 | 230 | 15.7 |
| 54 | Jacksonville, FL | 920,508 | 140 | 15.2 |
| 55 | Hampton, VA | 138,843 | 21 | 15.1 |
| 56 | Portland, OR | 630,129 | 94 | 14.9 |
| 57 | Stockton, CA | 323,501 | 48 | 14.8 |
| 58 | Richmond, CA | 115,043 | 17 | 14.8 |
| 59 | Durham, NC | 286,377 | 42 | 14.7 |
| 60 | Waterbury, CT | 113,464 | 16 | 14.1 |
| 61 | Columbus, OH | 907,196 | 127 | 14.0 |
| 62 | Tulsa, OK | 410,135 | 57 | 13.9 |
| 63 | Aurora, CO | 392,134 | 54 | 13.8 |
| 64 | Wichita Falls, TX | 103,337 | 14 | 13.5 |
| 65 | Greensboro, NC | 298,719 | 40 | 13.4 |
| 66 | Lansing, MI | 112,567 | 15 | 13.3 |
| 67 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,637,902 | 217 | 13.2 |
| 68 | Chattanooga, TN | 182,603 | 24 | 13.1 |
| 69 | High Point, NC | 114,280 | 15 | 13.1 |
| 70 | Corpus Christi, TX | 317,694 | 41 | 12.9 |
| 71 | Miami, FL | 476,102 | 61 | 12.8 |
| 72 | Denver, CO | 705,264 | 90 | 12.8 |
| 73 | Victorville, CA | 137,169 | 17 | 12.4 |
| 74 | St. Paul, MN | 277,533 | 34 | 12.3 |
| 75 | Tallahassee, FL | 196,012 | 24 | 12.2 |
| 76 | Dallas, TX | 1,286,121 | 157 | 12.2 |
| 77 | Winston-Salem, NC | 251,295 | 30 | 11.9 |
| 78 | Killeen, TX | 159,546 | 19 | 11.9 |
| 79 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 101,280 | 12 | 11.8 |
| 80 | Syracuse, NY | 145,179 | 17 | 11.7 |
| 81 | Amarillo, TX | 201,572 | 23 | 11.4 |
| 82 | Fresno, CA | 546,871 | 61 | 11.2 |
| 83 | Palmdale, CA | 162,316 | 18 | 11.1 |
| 84 | Tucson, AZ | 550,448 | 61 | 11.1 |
| 85 | Billings, MT | 117,866 | 13 | 11.0 |
| 86 | Tampa, FL | 390,145 | 43 | 11.0 |
| 87 | New Haven, CT | 136,205 | 15 | 11.0 |
| 88 | Rockford, IL | 146,710 | 16 | 10.9 |
| 89 | Everett, WA | 110,694 | 12 | 10.8 |
| 90 | Fort Worth, TX | 948,605 | 100 | 10.5 |
| 91 | Lakeland, FL | 113,876 | 12 | 10.5 |
| 92 | Topeka, KS | 125,658 | 13 | 10.3 |
| 93 | Orlando, FL | 310,713 | 32 | 10.3 |
| 94 | Lexington, KY | 320,983 | 33 | 10.3 |
| 95 | Sacramento, CA | 526,671 | 54 | 10.3 |
| 96 | Hollywood, FL | 156,434 | 16 | 10.2 |
| 97 | Los Angeles, CA | 3,809,182 | 387 | 10.2 |
| 98 | Anchorage, AK | 285,821 | 29 | 10.1 |
| 99 | Tyler, TX | 108,422 | 11 | 10.1 |
| 100 | Bridgeport, CT | 148,395 | 15 | 10.1 |
Your racist comment about black people in Baltimore sickens me. You clearly do not live in this city, because you would be aware of its many positive aspects.