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.
To find the cities in Indiana 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 33 cities in the Hoosier State with over 10,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Indiana
What city has the highest murder rate in Indiana? The city with the highest murder rate in Indiana is New Castle with 23.1 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 178 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Indiana ranked. There were ‘only’ 33 cities in Indiana where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 60 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Hoosier State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Indiana For 2026
/10
Population: 17,306
Murders: 4 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.1 (Most)
More on New Castle: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 890,685
Murders: 178 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.0 (2nd Most)
More on Indianapolis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 75,677
Murders: 11 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.5 (3rd Most)
More on Hammond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 49,200
Murders: 6 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.2 (4th Most)
More on Lawrence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 25,662
Murders: 3 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.7 (5th Most)
More on East Chicago: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 271,892
Murders: 30 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.0 (6th Most)
More on Fort Wayne: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 114,660
Murders: 12 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.5 (7th Most)
More on Evansville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 38,700
Murders: 4 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.3 (8th Most)
More on Portage: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 10,053
Murders: 1 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.9 (9th Most)
More on Decatur: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 37,174
Murders: 3 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.1 (10th Most)
More on New Albany: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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 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 Indiana for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 33 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 New Castle. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Indiana. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Indiana For 2026
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.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Indiana are New Castle, Indianapolis, Hammond, Lawrence, East Chicago, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Portage, Decatur, and New Albany.
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
Murder Rates By City In Indiana
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle, IN | 17306 | 4 | 23.11 |
| 2 | Indianapolis, IN | 890685 | 178 | 19.98 |
| 3 | Hammond, IN | 75677 | 11 | 14.54 |
| 4 | Lawrence, IN | 49200 | 6 | 12.2 |
| 5 | East Chicago, IN | 25662 | 3 | 11.69 |
| 6 | Fort Wayne, IN | 271892 | 30 | 11.03 |
| 7 | Evansville, IN | 114660 | 12 | 10.47 |
| 8 | Portage, IN | 38700 | 4 | 10.34 |
| 9 | Decatur, IN | 10053 | 1 | 9.95 |
| 10 | New Albany, IN | 37174 | 3 | 8.07 |
| 11 | Avon, IN | 25147 | 2 | 7.95 |
| 12 | Washington, IN | 12674 | 1 | 7.89 |
| 13 | Bedford, IN | 13872 | 1 | 7.21 |
| 14 | Speedway, IN | 14229 | 1 | 7.03 |
| 15 | Lafayette, IN | 71374 | 5 | 7.01 |
| 16 | Beech Grove, IN | 14335 | 1 | 6.98 |
| 17 | Michigan City, IN | 31543 | 2 | 6.34 |
| 18 | New Haven, IN | 16098 | 1 | 6.21 |
| 19 | Vincennes, IN | 16535 | 1 | 6.05 |
| 20 | Jasper, IN | 16806 | 1 | 5.95 |
| 21 | Logansport, IN | 18197 | 1 | 5.5 |
| 22 | Anderson, IN | 55355 | 3 | 5.42 |
| 23 | Muncie, IN | 65072 | 3 | 4.61 |
| 24 | Jeffersonville, IN | 51804 | 2 | 3.86 |
| 25 | Bloomington, IN | 78762 | 3 | 3.81 |
| 26 | Terre Haute, IN | 58536 | 2 | 3.42 |
| 27 | Kokomo, IN | 59995 | 2 | 3.33 |
| 28 | Zionsville, IN | 33121 | 1 | 3.02 |
| 29 | South Bend, IN | 103415 | 3 | 2.9 |
| 30 | Crown Point, IN | 35185 | 1 | 2.84 |
| 31 | Elkhart, IN | 53357 | 1 | 1.87 |
| 32 | Greenwood, IN | 67086 | 1 | 1.49 |
| 33 | Fishers, IN | 105680 | 1 | 0.95 |
Marion has had 9 Murders this year
On today’s date, January 2, 2024 ,WPTA channel 21 is reporting that Allen county Indiana which includes the city of Fort Wayne had 30 homicides in 2023.
However, you are reporting 41
Hey Tom. As the methodology section states, we use the FBI Crime data that reports with a 1 year lag. So 2022 data came out in September 2023. Individual cities will report their own data on a non-standardized basis at random points throughout the year.