Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Connecticut?
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 Connecticut 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 23 cities in the Constitution State with over 14,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Connecticut
- Hartford
- New Haven
- Bridgeport
- Cromwell
- Waterbury
- Ledyard
- East Hartford
- Ansonia
- East Lyme
- Wallingford
What city has the highest murder rate in Connecticut? The city with the highest murder rate in Connecticut is Hartford with 17.6 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Connecticut with highest number of murders? The city in Connecticut with the highest number of murders is Hartford with 21 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Connecticut ranked. There were ‘only’ 23 cities in Connecticut where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 71 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Constitution State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Connecticut
- Cheapest Places To Live In Connecticut
- Most Dangerous Cities In Connecticut
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Connecticut For 2026
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Population: 119,626
Murders: 21 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.6 (Most)
More on Hartford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 137,243
Murders: 15 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.9 (2nd Most)
More on New Haven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 148,132
Murders: 12 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.1 (3rd Most)
More on Bridgeport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Cromwell
Population: 14,411
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.9 (4th Most)
More on Cromwell: Movers
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Population: 115,363
Murders: 8 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.9 (5th Most)
More on Waterbury: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Ledyard
Population: 15,483
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.5 (6th Most)
More on Ledyard: Movers
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Population: 50,584
Murders: 3 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.9 (7th Most)
More on East Hartford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 19,049
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.2 (8th Most)
More on Ansonia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. East Lyme
Population: 19,094
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.2 (9th Most)
More on East Lyme: Movers
10. Wallingford
Population: 43,561
Murders: 2 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 4.6 (10th Most)
More on Wallingford: Movers
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Connecticut
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 Connecticut for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 23 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 Hartford. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Connecticut. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Connecticut For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in Connecticut 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 Connecticut are Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Cromwell, Waterbury, Ledyard, East Hartford, Ansonia, East Lyme, and Wallingford.
For more Connecticut reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Connecticut
- Fastest Growing Cities In Connecticut
- Safest Places In Connecticut
- Best Cities For Singles In Connecticut
- Worst Places To Live In Connecticut
Murder Rates By City In Connecticut
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford, CT | 119626 | 21 | 17.55 |
| 2 | New Haven, CT | 137243 | 15 | 10.93 |
| 3 | Bridgeport, CT | 148132 | 12 | 8.1 |
| 4 | Cromwell, CT | 14411 | 1 | 6.94 |
| 5 | Waterbury, CT | 115363 | 8 | 6.93 |
| 6 | Ledyard, CT | 15483 | 1 | 6.46 |
| 7 | East Hartford, CT | 50584 | 3 | 5.93 |
| 8 | Ansonia, CT | 19049 | 1 | 5.25 |
| 9 | East Lyme, CT | 19094 | 1 | 5.24 |
| 10 | Wallingford, CT | 43561 | 2 | 4.59 |
| 11 | Bloomfield, CT | 22032 | 1 | 4.54 |
| 12 | New Britain, CT | 74528 | 3 | 4.03 |
| 13 | Ridgefield, CT | 24924 | 1 | 4.01 |
| 14 | Simsbury, CT | 25108 | 1 | 3.98 |
| 15 | West Haven, CT | 54598 | 2 | 3.66 |
| 16 | Groton Town, CT | 27927 | 1 | 3.58 |
| 17 | Windsor, CT | 29382 | 1 | 3.4 |
| 18 | Bristol, CT | 61895 | 2 | 3.23 |
| 19 | Middletown, CT | 48331 | 1 | 2.07 |
| 20 | Milford, CT | 53065 | 1 | 1.88 |
| 21 | Hamden, CT | 59908 | 1 | 1.67 |
| 22 | Meriden, CT | 59943 | 1 | 1.67 |
| 23 | Stamford, CT | 136483 | 1 | 0.73 |