Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Florida?
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 Florida 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 57 cities in the Sunshine State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Florida
What city has the highest murder rate in Florida? The city with the highest murder rate in Florida is Lake Wales with 41.5 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Florida with highest number of murders? The city in Florida with the highest number of murders is Tampa with 41 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Florida ranked. There were ‘only’ 57 cities in Florida where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 50 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Sunshine State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Florida For 2025
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Population: 16,878
Murders: 7 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 41.5 (Most)
More on Lake Wales: Data
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Population: 5,551
Murders: 2 (32nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.0 (2nd Most)
More on Pahokee: Data
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Population: 12,464
Murders: 4 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.1 (3rd Most)
More on Florida City: Data
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Population: 48,781
Murders: 12 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.6 (4th Most)
More on Fort Pierce: Data
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Population: 8,944
Murders: 2 (32nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.4 (5th Most)
More on Lake Park: Data
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Population: 38,716
Murders: 8 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.7 (6th Most)
More on Riviera Beach: Data
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Population: 10,632
Murders: 2 (32nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.8 (7th Most)
More on Palatka: Data
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Population: 42,818
Murders: 8 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.7 (8th Most)
More on North Miami Beach: Data
/10
Population: 16,807
Murders: 3 (24th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.8 (9th Most)
More on Belle Glade: Data
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Population: 66,338
Murders: 10 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.1 (10th Most)
More on Ocala: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Florida
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 Florida for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 57 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 Lake Wales. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Florida. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Florida For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Florida 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 Florida are Lake Wales, Pahokee, Florida City, Fort Pierce, Lake Park, Riviera Beach, Palatka, North Miami Beach, Belle Glade, and Ocala.
For more Florida reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
- Fastest Growing Cities In Florida
- Safest Places In Florida
- Best Cities For Singles In Florida
- Worst Places To Live In Florida
Murder Rates By City In Florida
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Wales, FL | 16878 | 7 | 41.47 |
| 2 | Pahokee, FL | 5551 | 2 | 36.03 |
| 3 | Florida City, FL | 12464 | 4 | 32.09 |
| 4 | Fort Pierce, FL | 48781 | 12 | 24.6 |
| 5 | Lake Park, FL | 8944 | 2 | 22.36 |
| 6 | Riviera Beach, FL | 38716 | 8 | 20.66 |
| 7 | Palatka, FL | 10632 | 2 | 18.81 |
| 8 | North Miami Beach, FL | 42818 | 8 | 18.68 |
| 9 | Belle Glade, FL | 16807 | 3 | 17.85 |
| 10 | Ocala, FL | 66338 | 10 | 15.07 |
| 11 | DeFuniak Springs, FL | 6839 | 1 | 14.62 |
| 12 | Palmetto, FL | 13759 | 2 | 14.54 |
| 13 | Miami Lakes, FL | 31029 | 4 | 12.89 |
| 14 | Sanford, FL | 64218 | 8 | 12.46 |
| 15 | Lake Worth, FL | 40498 | 5 | 12.35 |
| 16 | Springfield, FL | 8216 | 1 | 12.17 |
| 17 | Gainesville, FL | 146744 | 16 | 10.9 |
| 18 | Brooksville, FL | 9809 | 1 | 10.19 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | 403407 | 41 | 10.16 |
| 20 | Milton, FL | 10909 | 1 | 9.17 |
| 21 | Panama City, FL | 35684 | 3 | 8.41 |
| 22 | West Palm Beach, FL | 122697 | 10 | 8.15 |
| 23 | Titusville, FL | 49577 | 4 | 8.07 |
| 24 | Miami, FL | 452929 | 32 | 7.07 |
| 25 | Greenacres City, FL | 43702 | 3 | 6.86 |
| 26 | Casselberry, FL | 30394 | 2 | 6.58 |
| 27 | St. Augustine, FL | 15435 | 1 | 6.48 |
| 28 | Boynton Beach, FL | 80964 | 5 | 6.18 |
| 29 | Bradenton, FL | 57544 | 3 | 5.21 |
| 30 | Auburndale, FL | 20184 | 1 | 4.95 |
| 31 | St. Petersburg, FL | 262395 | 13 | 4.95 |
| 32 | Largo, FL | 82489 | 4 | 4.85 |
| 33 | Tavares, FL | 21085 | 1 | 4.74 |
| 34 | Sunny Isles Beach, FL | 21868 | 1 | 4.57 |
| 35 | Palm Bay, FL | 134040 | 6 | 4.48 |
| 36 | Altamonte Springs, FL | 45224 | 2 | 4.42 |
| 37 | Key West, FL | 25220 | 1 | 3.97 |
| 38 | Tarpon Springs, FL | 26271 | 1 | 3.81 |
| 39 | Sebastian, FL | 27004 | 1 | 3.7 |
| 40 | Temple Terrace, FL | 27462 | 1 | 3.64 |
| 41 | Clearwater, FL | 116899 | 4 | 3.42 |
| 42 | North Port, FL | 90356 | 3 | 3.32 |
| 43 | Leesburg, FL | 30273 | 1 | 3.3 |
| 44 | Wellington, FL | 61370 | 2 | 3.26 |
| 45 | Plantation, FL | 98106 | 3 | 3.06 |
| 46 | Miramar, FL | 138613 | 4 | 2.89 |
| 47 | Haines City, FL | 36908 | 1 | 2.71 |
| 48 | Aventura, FL | 38386 | 1 | 2.61 |
| 49 | Royal Palm Beach, FL | 39392 | 1 | 2.54 |
| 50 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 245394 | 5 | 2.04 |
| 51 | Davie, FL | 106759 | 2 | 1.87 |
| 52 | Pensacola, FL | 53583 | 1 | 1.87 |
| 53 | Pinellas Park, FL | 53794 | 1 | 1.86 |
| 54 | Winter Haven, FL | 57382 | 1 | 1.74 |
| 55 | Coral Springs, FL | 132977 | 2 | 1.5 |
| 56 | St. Cloud, FL | 67184 | 1 | 1.49 |
| 57 | Doral, FL | 77375 | 1 | 1.29 |
Like your info . I only like to visit Florida cocoa beach Lauderdale by the sea, Tampa . A lot of dangerous places too. I am a cautious US NAVY VETERAN, THANKS!