Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Alaska?
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 Alaska 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 6 cities in the Last Frontier with over 2,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What city has the highest murder rate in Alaska? The city with the highest murder rate in Alaska is Kotzebue with 34.2 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Alaska with highest number of murders? The city in Alaska with the highest number of murders is Anchorage with 22 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Alaska ranked. There were ‘only’ 6 cities in Alaska where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 17 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Last Frontier check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Alaska For 2025
/10
Population: 2,927
Murders: 1 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.2 (Most)
More on Kotzebue: Data
/10
Population: 7,765
Murders: 1 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.9 (2nd Most)
More on Kenai: Data
/10
Population: 31,961
Murders: 4 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.5 (3rd Most)
More on Fairbanks: Data
4. North Slope Borough
Population: 10,698
Murders: 1 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.3 (4th Most)
More on North Slope Borough:
/10
Population: 285,026
Murders: 22 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 7.7 (5th Most)
More on Anchorage: Data
/10
Population: 31,400
Murders: 1 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.2 (6th Most)
More on Juneau: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Alaska
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 Alaska for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 6 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 Kotzebue. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Alaska. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Alaska For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Alaska 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 Alaska are Kotzebue, Kenai, Fairbanks, North Slope Borough, Anchorage, and Juneau.
For more Alaska reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Alaska
- Fastest Growing Cities In Alaska
- Safest Places In Alaska
- Best Cities For Singles In Alaska
- Worst Places To Live In Alaska
Murder Rates By City In Alaska
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kotzebue, AK | 2927 | 1 | 34.16 |
| 2 | Kenai, AK | 7765 | 1 | 12.88 |
| 3 | Fairbanks, AK | 31961 | 4 | 12.52 |
| 4 | North Slope Borough, AK | 10698 | 1 | 9.35 |
| 5 | Anchorage, AK | 285026 | 22 | 7.72 |
| 6 | Juneau, AK | 31400 | 1 | 3.18 |