Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Arkansas?
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 Arkansas 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 36 cities in the Natural State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Arkansas
What city has the highest murder rate in Arkansas? The city with the highest murder rate in Arkansas is Pine Bluff with 79.9 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Arkansas with highest number of murders? The city in Arkansas with the highest number of murders is Little Rock with 62 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Arkansas ranked. There were ‘only’ 36 cities in Arkansas where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 30 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Natural State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Arkansas For 2025
/10
Population: 38,775
Murders: 31 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 79.9 (Most)
More on Pine Bluff: Data
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Population: 16,758
Murders: 10 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 59.7 (2nd Most)
More on El Dorado: Data
/10
Population: 8,565
Murders: 4 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 46.7 (3rd Most)
More on Helena-West Helena: Data
/10
Population: 10,151
Murders: 4 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 39.4 (4th Most)
More on Camden: Data
/10
Population: 12,530
Murders: 4 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 31.9 (5th Most)
More on Forrest City: Data
/10
Population: 202,986
Murders: 62 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.5 (6th Most)
More on Little Rock: Data
/10
Population: 23,466
Murders: 7 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 29.8 (7th Most)
More on West Memphis: Data
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Population: 10,606
Murders: 3 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 28.3 (8th Most)
More on Magnolia: Data
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Population: 64,612
Murders: 17 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.3 (9th Most)
More on North Little Rock: Data
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Population: 7,620
Murders: 2 (2Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.2 (10th Most)
More on Pocahontas: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Arkansas
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 Arkansas for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 36 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 Pine Bluff. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Arkansas. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Arkansas For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Arkansas 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 Arkansas are Pine Bluff, El Dorado, Helena-West Helena, Camden, Forrest City, Little Rock, West Memphis, Magnolia, North Little Rock, and Pocahontas.
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas
- Fastest Growing Cities In Arkansas
- Safest Places In Arkansas
- Best Cities For Singles In Arkansas
- Worst Places To Live In Arkansas
Murder Rates By City In Arkansas
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine Bluff, AR | 38775 | 31 | 79.95 |
| 2 | El Dorado, AR | 16758 | 10 | 59.67 |
| 3 | Helena-West Helena, AR | 8565 | 4 | 46.7 |
| 4 | Camden, AR | 10151 | 4 | 39.4 |
| 5 | Forrest City, AR | 12530 | 4 | 31.92 |
| 6 | Little Rock, AR | 202986 | 62 | 30.54 |
| 7 | West Memphis, AR | 23466 | 7 | 29.83 |
| 8 | Magnolia, AR | 10606 | 3 | 28.29 |
| 9 | North Little Rock, AR | 64612 | 17 | 26.31 |
| 10 | Pocahontas, AR | 7620 | 2 | 26.25 |
| 11 | Monticello, AR | 8056 | 2 | 24.83 |
| 12 | Blytheville, AR | 12400 | 3 | 24.19 |
| 13 | Sheridan, AR | 5153 | 1 | 19.41 |
| 14 | Mena, AR | 5612 | 1 | 17.82 |
| 15 | Alma, AR | 5940 | 1 | 16.84 |
| 16 | Harrison, AR | 13475 | 2 | 14.84 |
| 17 | Hot Springs, AR | 38180 | 5 | 13.1 |
| 18 | Prairie Grove, AR | 7852 | 1 | 12.74 |
| 19 | Newport, AR | 7945 | 1 | 12.59 |
| 20 | Texarkana, AR | 29276 | 3 | 10.25 |
| 21 | Batesville, AR | 11160 | 1 | 8.96 |
| 22 | Lowell, AR | 11665 | 1 | 8.57 |
| 23 | Jonesboro, AR | 80395 | 6 | 7.46 |
| 24 | Cabot, AR | 26988 | 2 | 7.41 |
| 25 | Conway, AR | 69315 | 5 | 7.21 |
| 26 | Paragould, AR | 30445 | 2 | 6.57 |
| 27 | Sherwood, AR | 33225 | 2 | 6.02 |
| 28 | Fayetteville, AR | 101624 | 5 | 4.92 |
| 29 | Bryant, AR | 21878 | 1 | 4.57 |
| 30 | Fort Smith, AR | 90417 | 4 | 4.42 |
| 31 | Searcy, AR | 23035 | 1 | 4.34 |
| 32 | Jacksonville, AR | 28946 | 1 | 3.45 |
| 33 | Springdale, AR | 90937 | 3 | 3.3 |
| 34 | Rogers, AR | 74365 | 2 | 2.69 |
| 35 | Benton, AR | 37357 | 1 | 2.68 |
| 36 | Bentonville, AR | 59465 | 1 | 1.68 |