Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Kansas?
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 Kansas 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 21 cities in the Sunflower State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Kansas
What city has the highest murder rate in Kansas? The city with the highest murder rate in Kansas is Topeka with 20.8 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Kansas with highest number of murders? The city in Kansas with the highest number of murders is Wichita with 39 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Kansas ranked. There were ‘only’ 21 cities in Kansas where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 36 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Sunflower State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Kansas For 2025
/10
Population: 124,967
Murders: 26 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.8 (Most)
More on Topeka: Data
2. Mission
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Population: 9,747
Murders: 2 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.5 (2nd Most)
More on Mission:
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Population: 5,097
Murders: 1 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.6 (3rd Most)
More on Louisburg: Data
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Population: 45,930
Murders: 7 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.2 (4th Most)
More on Salina: Data
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Population: 21,934
Murders: 3 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.7 (5th Most)
More on Junction City: Data
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Population: 7,620
Murders: 1 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.1 (6th Most)
More on Wellington: Data
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Population: 27,269
Murders: 3 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.0 (7th Most)
More on Dodge City: Data
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Population: 9,214
Murders: 1 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.9 (8th Most)
More on Augusta: Data
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Population: 19,048
Murders: 2 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.5 (9th Most)
More on Liberal: Data
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Population: 395,290
Murders: 39 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.9 (10th Most)
More on Wichita: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Kansas
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 Kansas for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 21 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 Topeka. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Kansas. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Kansas For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Kansas 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 Kansas are Topeka, Mission, Louisburg, Salina, Junction City, Wellington, Dodge City, Augusta, Liberal, and Wichita.
For more Kansas reading, check out:
Murder Rates By City In Kansas
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Topeka, KS | 124967 | 26 | 20.81 |
| 2 | Mission, KS | 9747 | 2 | 20.52 |
| 3 | Louisburg, KS | 5097 | 1 | 19.62 |
| 4 | Salina, KS | 45930 | 7 | 15.24 |
| 5 | Junction City, KS | 21934 | 3 | 13.68 |
| 6 | Wellington, KS | 7620 | 1 | 13.12 |
| 7 | Dodge City, KS | 27269 | 3 | 11.0 |
| 8 | Augusta, KS | 9214 | 1 | 10.85 |
| 9 | Liberal, KS | 19048 | 2 | 10.5 |
| 10 | Wichita, KS | 395290 | 39 | 9.87 |
| 11 | Merriam, KS | 10890 | 1 | 9.18 |
| 12 | Garden City, KS | 27269 | 2 | 7.33 |
| 13 | Newton, KS | 18305 | 1 | 5.46 |
| 14 | Leavenworth, KS | 36966 | 2 | 5.41 |
| 15 | Hutchinson, KS | 39550 | 2 | 5.06 |
| 16 | Pittsburg, KS | 20676 | 1 | 4.84 |
| 17 | Gardner, KS | 24611 | 1 | 4.06 |
| 18 | Olathe, KS | 147680 | 6 | 4.06 |
| 19 | Lawrence, KS | 96232 | 2 | 2.08 |
| 20 | Lenexa, KS | 59161 | 1 | 1.69 |
| 21 | Shawnee, KS | 70098 | 1 | 1.43 |