Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Indiana?
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 Indiana.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Hoosier State for 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in Indiana? The city with the highest murder rate in Indiana is Gary with 101.8 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Indiana with highest number of murders? The city in Indiana with the highest number of murders is Indianapolis with 239 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Indiana ranked. There were ‘only’ 36 cities in Indiana where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 58 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Hoosier State check out:
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Indiana For 2023
/10
Population: 74,687
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 76 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 101.8 (Most)
More on Gary: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 895,826
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 239 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.7 (4th Most)
More on Indianapolis: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 102,119
Rank Last Year: 2
Murders: 28 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 27.4 (3rd Most)
More on South Bend: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 27,554
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 11 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 39.9 (2nd Most)
More on East Chicago: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 74,824
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 15 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.0 (7th Most)
More on Hammond: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 274,295
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 41 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.9 (12th Most)
More on Fort Wayne: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 118,240
Rank Last Year: 7
Murders: 19 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.1 (10th Most)
More on Evansville: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 34,774
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 7 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.1 (6th Most)
More on Merrillville: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 52,205
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 9 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.2 (9th Most)
More on Elkhart: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 16,136
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 4 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.8 (5th Most)
More on Crawfordsville: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Indiana
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 Indiana for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 36 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 Indiana and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Indiana For 2023
If you’re looking at the places in Indiana 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 Indiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Indiana
- Fastest Growing Cities In Indiana
- Safest Places In Indiana
- Best Cities For Singles In Indiana
- Worst Places To Live In Indiana
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Indiana For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary, IN | 76 |
| 2 | Indianapolis, IN | 239 |
| 3 | South Bend, IN | 28 |
| 4 | East Chicago, IN | 11 |
| 5 | Hammond, IN | 15 |
| 6 | Fort Wayne, IN | 41 |
| 7 | Evansville, IN | 19 |
| 8 | Merrillville, IN | 7 |
| 9 | Elkhart, IN | 9 |
| 10 | Crawfordsville, IN | 4 |
| 11 | Marion, IN | 5 |
| 12 | Muncie, IN | 7 |
| 13 | Anderson, IN | 6 |
| 14 | Lawrence, IN | 5 |
| 15 | Lafayette, IN | 6 |
| 16 | Griffith, IN | 2 |
| 17 | Michigan City, IN | 3 |
| 18 | Valparaiso, IN | 3 |
| 19 | Seymour, IN | 2 |
| 20 | Kokomo, IN | 4 |
| 21 | North Vernon, IN | 1 |
| 22 | Clarksville, IN | 2 |
| 23 | Hobart, IN | 2 |
| 24 | Plymouth, IN | 1 |
| 25 | Bloomington, IN | 3 |
| 26 | Mishawaka, IN | 2 |
| 27 | Speedway, IN | 1 |
| 28 | Vincennes,, IN | 1 |
| 29 | Logansport, IN | 1 |
| 30 | Shelbyville, IN | 1 |
| 31 | La Porte, IN | 1 |
| 32 | Brownsburg, IN | 1 |
| 33 | Goshen, IN | 1 |
| 34 | Jeffersonville, IN | 1 |
| 35 | Terre Haute, IN | 1 |
| 36 | Carmel, IN | 1 |
Marion has had 9 Murders this year