Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Alabama?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Alabama with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 54 cities in the Heart of Dixie with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Alabama
What city has the highest murder rate in Alabama? The city with the highest murder rate in Alabama is Greenville with 99.2 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Alabama with highest number of murders? The city in Alabama with the highest number of murders is Birmingham with 122 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Alabama ranked. There were ‘only’ 54 cities in Alabama where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 36 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Heart of Dixie check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Alabama For 2025
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Population: 7,056
Murders: 7 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 99.2 (Most)
More on Greenville: Data
2. Semmes
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Population: 5,754
Murders: 5 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 86.9 (2nd Most)
More on Semmes:
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Population: 18,682
Murders: 14 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 74.9 (3rd Most)
More on Prichard: Data
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Population: 8,309
Murders: 6 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 72.2 (4th Most)
More on Atmore: Data
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Population: 7,422
Murders: 5 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 67.4 (5th Most)
More on Robertsdale: Data
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Population: 12,145
Murders: 8 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 65.9 (6th Most)
More on Sylacauga: Data
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Population: 195,224
Murders: 122 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 62.5 (7th Most)
More on Birmingham: Data
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Population: 13,973
Murders: 7 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 50.1 (8th Most)
More on Pell City: Data
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Population: 21,018
Murders: 10 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 47.6 (9th Most)
More on Anniston: Data
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Population: 6,674
Murders: 3 (2Most)
Murders Per 100k: 45.0 (10th Most)
More on Lanett: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Alabama
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 used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Alabama for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 54 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Greenville. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Alabama. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Alabama For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Alabama with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Alabama are Greenville, Semmes, Prichard, Atmore, Robertsdale, Sylacauga, Birmingham, Pell City, Anniston, and Lanett.
For more Alabama reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Alabama
- Fastest Growing Cities In Alabama
- Safest Places In Alabama
- Best Cities For Singles In Alabama
- Worst Places To Live In Alabama
Murder Rates By City In Alabama
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville, AL | 7056 | 7 | 99.21 |
| 2 | Semmes, AL | 5754 | 5 | 86.9 |
| 3 | Prichard, AL | 18682 | 14 | 74.94 |
| 4 | Atmore, AL | 8309 | 6 | 72.21 |
| 5 | Robertsdale, AL | 7422 | 5 | 67.37 |
| 6 | Sylacauga, AL | 12145 | 8 | 65.87 |
| 7 | Birmingham, AL | 195224 | 122 | 62.49 |
| 8 | Pell City, AL | 13973 | 7 | 50.1 |
| 9 | Anniston, AL | 21018 | 10 | 47.58 |
| 10 | Lanett, AL | 6674 | 3 | 44.95 |
| 11 | Headland, AL | 5376 | 2 | 37.2 |
| 12 | Bessemer, AL | 24915 | 9 | 36.12 |
| 13 | Phenix City, AL | 38005 | 12 | 31.57 |
| 14 | Fultondale, AL | 9582 | 3 | 31.31 |
| 15 | Demopolis, AL | 6757 | 2 | 29.6 |
| 16 | Troy, AL | 17831 | 4 | 22.43 |
| 17 | Guntersville, AL | 9026 | 2 | 22.16 |
| 18 | Sheffield, AL | 9282 | 2 | 21.55 |
| 19 | Talladega, AL | 14395 | 3 | 20.84 |
| 20 | Dothan, AL | 71312 | 14 | 19.63 |
| 21 | Springville, AL | 5164 | 1 | 19.36 |
| 22 | Hueytown, AL | 16164 | 3 | 18.56 |
| 23 | Selma, AL | 16639 | 3 | 18.03 |
| 24 | Daphne, AL | 30718 | 5 | 16.28 |
| 25 | Opp, AL | 6703 | 1 | 14.92 |
| 26 | Satsuma, AL | 6829 | 1 | 14.64 |
| 27 | Mobile, AL | 237469 | 33 | 13.9 |
| 28 | Alexander City, AL | 14544 | 2 | 13.75 |
| 29 | Lincoln, AL | 7459 | 1 | 13.41 |
| 30 | Montevallo, AL | 7851 | 1 | 12.74 |
| 31 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 113956 | 14 | 12.29 |
| 32 | Gadsden, AL | 33067 | 4 | 12.1 |
| 33 | Orange Beach, AL | 8610 | 1 | 11.61 |
| 34 | Tuskegee, AL | 8625 | 1 | 11.59 |
| 35 | Pleasant Grove, AL | 9401 | 1 | 10.64 |
| 36 | Cullman, AL | 19685 | 2 | 10.16 |
| 37 | Valley, AL | 10231 | 1 | 9.77 |
| 38 | Oxford, AL | 21962 | 2 | 9.11 |
| 39 | Opelika, AL | 33681 | 3 | 8.91 |
| 40 | Foley, AL | 25224 | 2 | 7.93 |
| 41 | Homewood, AL | 28107 | 2 | 7.12 |
| 42 | Jasper, AL | 14243 | 1 | 7.02 |
| 43 | Athens, AL | 30265 | 2 | 6.61 |
| 44 | Northport, AL | 30931 | 2 | 6.47 |
| 45 | Millbrook, AL | 17357 | 1 | 5.76 |
| 46 | Mountain Brook, AL | 21685 | 1 | 4.61 |
| 47 | Pelham, AL | 25015 | 1 | 4.0 |
| 48 | Enterprise, AL | 30247 | 1 | 3.31 |
| 49 | Alabaster, AL | 34120 | 1 | 2.93 |
| 50 | Huntsville, AL | 224777 | 6 | 2.67 |
| 51 | Prattville, AL | 39250 | 1 | 2.55 |
| 52 | Florence, AL | 42260 | 1 | 2.37 |
| 53 | Decatur, AL | 58005 | 1 | 1.72 |
| 54 | Auburn, AL | 81755 | 1 | 1.22 |