Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Arizona?
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 Arizona 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 25 cities in the Grand Canyon State with over 17,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Arizona
What city has the highest murder rate in Arizona? The city with the highest murder rate in Arizona is Coolidge with 16.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Arizona with highest number of murders? The city in Arizona with the highest number of murders is Phoenix with 191 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Arizona ranked. There were ‘only’ 25 cities in Arizona where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 22 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Grand Canyon State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Arizona For 2025
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Population: 18,635
Murders: 3 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.1 (Most)
More on Coolidge: Data
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Population: 1,660,686
Murders: 191 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.5 (2nd Most)
More on Phoenix: Data
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Population: 43,652
Murders: 5 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.5 (3rd Most)
More on Bullhead City: Data
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Population: 17,767
Murders: 2 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.3 (4th Most)
More on Eloy: Data
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Population: 40,917
Murders: 4 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.8 (5th Most)
More on Apache Junction: Data
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Population: 99,610
Murders: 9 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.0 (6th Most)
More on Yuma: Data
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Population: 36,300
Murders: 3 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.3 (7th Most)
More on Sahuarita: Data
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Population: 92,661
Murders: 6 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.5 (8th Most)
More on Avondale: Data
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Population: 188,144
Murders: 12 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.4 (9th Most)
More on Tempe: Data
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Population: 63,228
Murders: 4 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.3 (10th Most)
More on Casa Grande: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Arizona
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 Arizona for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 25 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 Coolidge. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Arizona. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Arizona For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Arizona 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 Arizona are Coolidge, Phoenix, Bullhead City, Eloy, Apache Junction, Yuma, Sahuarita, Avondale, Tempe, and Casa Grande.
For more Arizona reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Arizona
- Fastest Growing Cities In Arizona
- Safest Places In Arizona
- Best Cities For Singles In Arizona
- Worst Places To Live In Arizona
Murder Rates By City In Arizona
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coolidge, AZ | 18635 | 3 | 16.1 |
| 2 | Phoenix, AZ | 1660686 | 191 | 11.5 |
| 3 | Bullhead City, AZ | 43652 | 5 | 11.45 |
| 4 | Eloy, AZ | 17767 | 2 | 11.26 |
| 5 | Apache Junction, AZ | 40917 | 4 | 9.78 |
| 6 | Yuma, AZ | 99610 | 9 | 9.04 |
| 7 | Sahuarita, AZ | 36300 | 3 | 8.26 |
| 8 | Avondale, AZ | 92661 | 6 | 6.48 |
| 9 | Tempe, AZ | 188144 | 12 | 6.38 |
| 10 | Casa Grande, AZ | 63228 | 4 | 6.33 |
| 11 | Glendale, AZ | 253768 | 16 | 6.3 |
| 12 | El Mirage, AZ | 36002 | 2 | 5.56 |
| 13 | Mesa, AZ | 515848 | 27 | 5.23 |
| 14 | Peoria, AZ | 200886 | 9 | 4.48 |
| 15 | Goodyear, AZ | 109929 | 4 | 3.64 |
| 16 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 59720 | 2 | 3.35 |
| 17 | Flagstaff, AZ | 75343 | 2 | 2.65 |
| 18 | Chandler, AZ | 282419 | 7 | 2.48 |
| 19 | Prescott, AZ | 48396 | 1 | 2.07 |
| 20 | Prescott Valley, AZ | 50166 | 1 | 1.99 |
| 21 | Buckeye, AZ | 112048 | 2 | 1.78 |
| 22 | Marana, AZ | 57718 | 1 | 1.73 |
| 23 | Gilbert, AZ | 278495 | 4 | 1.44 |
| 24 | Surprise, AZ | 159346 | 2 | 1.26 |
| 25 | Scottsdale, AZ | 243644 | 1 | 0.41 |