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.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Alabama.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Heart of Dixie for 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in Alabama? The city with the highest murder rate in Alabama is Prichard with 56.7 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 Mobile with 111 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Alabama ranked. There were ‘only’ 25 cities in Alabama where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 28 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Heart of Dixie check out:
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Alabama For 2023
/10
Population: 242,894
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 111 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 45.7 (2nd Most)
More on Mobile: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 21,170
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 12 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 56.7 (Most)
More on Prichard: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 20,913
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 7 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.5 (4th Most)
More on Anniston: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 11,859
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 5 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.2 (3rd Most)
More on Sylacauga: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 36,744
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 7 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.1 (9th Most)
More on Phenix City: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 6,014
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.3 (5th Most)
More on Lanett: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,365
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.4 (6th Most)
More on Fultondale: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 34,613
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 5 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.4 (11th Most)
More on Gadsden: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 14,065
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.2 (12th Most)
More on Ozark: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 18,822
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.6 (16th Most)
More on Troy: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
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 didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at 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 that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked 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 25 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in Alabama and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Alabama For 2023
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.
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
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Alabama For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile, AL | 111 |
| 2 | Prichard, AL | 12 |
| 3 | Anniston, AL | 7 |
| 4 | Sylacauga, AL | 5 |
| 5 | Phenix City, AL | 7 |
| 6 | Lanett, AL | 2 |
| 7 | Fultondale, AL | 2 |
| 8 | Gadsden, AL | 5 |
| 9 | Ozark, AL | 2 |
| 10 | Troy, AL | 2 |
| 11 | Daleville, AL | 1 |
| 12 | Hoover, AL | 5 |
| 13 | Rainsville, AL | 1 |
| 14 | Enterprise, AL | 2 |
| 15 | Margaret, AL | 1 |
| 16 | Florence, AL | 2 |
| 17 | Tuskegee, AL | 1 |
| 18 | Andalusia, AL | 1 |
| 19 | Valley, AL | 1 |
| 20 | Bay Minette, AL | 1 |
| 21 | Eufaula, AL | 1 |
| 22 | Muscle Shoals, AL | 1 |
| 23 | Opelika, AL | 1 |
| 24 | Alabaster, AL | 1 |
| 25 | Dothan, AL | 1 |
