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 29 cities in the Natural State with over 7,000 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 Helena-West Helena with 95.2 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 36 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Arkansas ranked. There were ‘only’ 29 cities in Arkansas where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 37 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 2026
/10
Population: 8,404
Murders: 8 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 95.2 (Most)
More on Helena-West Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 23,617
Murders: 17 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 72.0 (2nd Most)
More on West Memphis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 12,332
Murders: 5 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 40.5 (3rd Most)
More on Forrest City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 12,354
Murders: 5 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 40.5 (4th Most)
More on Blytheville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 38,524
Murders: 14 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.3 (5th Most)
More on Pine Bluff: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 64,487
Murders: 19 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 29.5 (6th Most)
More on North Little Rock: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,668
Murders: 2 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.1 (7th Most)
More on Pocahontas: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 28,958
Murders: 6 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.7 (8th Most)
More on Jacksonville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 10,650
Murders: 2 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.8 (9th Most)
More on Magnolia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 16,603
Murders: 3 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.1 (10th Most)
More on El Dorado: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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 29 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 Helena-West Helena. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Arkansas. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Arkansas For 2026
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 Helena-West Helena, West Memphis, Forrest City, Blytheville, Pine Bluff, North Little Rock, Pocahontas, Jacksonville, Magnolia, and El Dorado.
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 | Helena-West Helena, AR | 8404 | 8 | 95.19 |
| 2 | West Memphis, AR | 23617 | 17 | 71.98 |
| 3 | Forrest City, AR | 12332 | 5 | 40.54 |
| 4 | Blytheville, AR | 12354 | 5 | 40.47 |
| 5 | Pine Bluff, AR | 38524 | 14 | 36.34 |
| 6 | North Little Rock, AR | 64487 | 19 | 29.46 |
| 7 | Pocahontas, AR | 7668 | 2 | 26.08 |
| 8 | Jacksonville, AR | 28958 | 6 | 20.72 |
| 9 | Magnolia, AR | 10650 | 2 | 18.78 |
| 10 | El Dorado, AR | 16603 | 3 | 18.07 |
| 11 | Little Rock, AR | 204247 | 36 | 17.63 |
| 12 | Hot Springs, AR | 38001 | 6 | 15.79 |
| 13 | Texarkana, AR | 29173 | 4 | 13.71 |
| 14 | Wynne, AR | 7919 | 1 | 12.63 |
| 15 | Monticello, AR | 8095 | 1 | 12.35 |
| 16 | Hope, AR | 8445 | 1 | 11.84 |
| 17 | Camden, AR | 10025 | 1 | 9.98 |
| 18 | Fayetteville, AR | 104089 | 8 | 7.69 |
| 19 | Mountain Home, AR | 13427 | 1 | 7.45 |
| 20 | Jonesboro, AR | 81256 | 5 | 6.15 |
| 21 | Bentonville, AR | 61109 | 3 | 4.91 |
| 22 | Springdale, AR | 91630 | 4 | 4.37 |
| 23 | Centerton, AR | 26233 | 1 | 3.81 |
| 24 | Cabot, AR | 27405 | 1 | 3.65 |
| 25 | Paragould, AR | 30814 | 1 | 3.25 |
| 26 | Bella Vista, AR | 33122 | 1 | 3.02 |
| 27 | Sherwood, AR | 33223 | 1 | 3.01 |
| 28 | Conway, AR | 71417 | 2 | 2.8 |
| 29 | Rogers, AR | 75307 | 1 | 1.33 |