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.
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 Arizona.
What city has the highest murder rate in Arizona? The city with the highest murder rate in Arizona is Bisbee with 97.8 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 187 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Arizona ranked. There were ‘only’ 37 cities in Arizona where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 14 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Grand Canyon State check out:
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Arizona For 2023
/10
Population: 100,710
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 21 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.9 (3rd Most)
More on Yuma: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 1,708,960
Rank Last Year: 2
Murders: 187 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.9 (8th Most)
More on Phoenix: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 550,448
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 61 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.1 (7th Most)
More on Tucson: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 5,111
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 5 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 97.8 (Most)
More on Bisbee: Data | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 255,468
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 24 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.4 (10th Most)
More on Glendale: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 513,713
Rank Last Year: 9
Murders: 25 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 4.9 (18th Most)
More on Mesa: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,298
Rank Last Year: 5
Murders: 2 (19th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.5 (2nd Most)
More on Winslow: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 91,009
Rank Last Year: 29
Murders: 7 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 7.7 (13th Most)
More on Avondale: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 43,814
Rank Last Year: 26
Murders: 4 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.1 (11th Most)
More on Sierra Vista: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 194,566
Rank Last Year: 18
Murders: 8 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 4.1 (19th Most)
More on Peoria: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
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 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 Arizona for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 37 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 Arizona and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Arizona For 2023
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.
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
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Arizona For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuma, AZ | 21 |
| 2 | Phoenix, AZ | 187 |
| 3 | Tucson, AZ | 61 |
| 4 | Bisbee, AZ | 5 |
| 5 | Glendale, AZ | 24 |
| 6 | Mesa, AZ | 25 |
| 7 | Winslow, AZ | 2 |
| 8 | Avondale, AZ | 7 |
| 9 | Sierra Vista, AZ | 4 |
| 10 | Peoria, AZ | 8 |
| 11 | Tempe, AZ | 8 |
| 12 | Casa Grande, AZ | 4 |
| 13 | South Tucson, AZ | 1 |
| 14 | Kingman, AZ | 2 |
| 15 | Globe, AZ | 1 |
| 16 | Tolleson, AZ | 1 |
| 17 | Chandler, AZ | 7 |
| 18 | Prescott Valley, AZ | 2 |
| 19 | Snowflake-Taylor, AZ | 1 |
| 20 | Buckeye, AZ | 3 |
| 21 | Marana, AZ | 2 |
| 22 | Maricopa, AZ | 2 |
| 23 | Cottonwood, AZ | 1 |
| 24 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 2 |
| 25 | Chino Valley, AZ | 1 |
| 26 | Scottsdale, AZ | 5 |
| 27 | Douglas, AZ | 1 |
| 28 | Goodyear, AZ | 2 |
| 29 | Gilbert, AZ | 3 |
| 30 | Sahuarita, AZ | 1 |
| 31 | El Mirage, AZ | 1 |
| 32 | Bullhead City, AZ | 1 |
| 33 | Apache Junction, AZ | 1 |
| 34 | Prescott, AZ | 1 |
| 35 | Oro Valley, AZ | 1 |
| 36 | Flagstaff, AZ | 1 |
| 37 | Surprise, AZ | 1 |
