Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Maryland?
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 Maryland 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 18 cities in the Old Line State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Maryland
What city has the highest murder rate in Maryland? The city with the highest murder rate in Maryland is Frostburg with 72.2 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Maryland with highest number of murders? The city in Maryland with the highest number of murders is Baltimore with 233 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Maryland ranked. There were ‘only’ 18 cities in Maryland where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 17 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Old Line State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Maryland
- Cheapest Places To Live In Maryland
- Most Dangerous Cities In Maryland
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Maryland For 2025
/10
Population: 6,930
Murders: 5 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 72.2 (Most)
More on Frostburg: Data
/10
Population: 5,755
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 52.1 (2nd Most)
More on District Heights: Data
/10
Population: 565,192
Murders: 233 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 41.2 (3rd Most)
More on Baltimore: Data
/10
Population: 18,644
Murders: 5 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.8 (4th Most)
More on Cumberland: Data
/10
Population: 40,537
Murders: 9 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.2 (5th Most)
More on Annapolis: Data
/10
Population: 10,545
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.0 (6th Most)
More on Bel Air: Data
/10
Population: 5,954
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.8 (7th Most)
More on Cheverly: Data
/10
Population: 20,449
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.7 (8th Most)
More on Hyattsville: Data
/10
Population: 15,960
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.5 (9th Most)
More on Elkton: Data
/10
Population: 17,471
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.4 (10th Most)
More on Easton: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Maryland
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 Maryland for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 18 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 Frostburg. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Maryland. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Maryland For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Maryland 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 Maryland are Frostburg, District Heights, Baltimore, Cumberland, Annapolis, Bel Air, Cheverly, Hyattsville, Elkton, and Easton.
For more Maryland reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Maryland
- Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland
- Safest Places In Maryland
- Best Cities For Singles In Maryland
- Worst Places To Live In Maryland
Murder Rates By City In Maryland
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frostburg, MD | 6930 | 5 | 72.15 |
| 2 | District Heights, MD | 5755 | 3 | 52.13 |
| 3 | Baltimore, MD | 565192 | 233 | 41.22 |
| 4 | Cumberland, MD | 18644 | 5 | 26.82 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | 40537 | 9 | 22.2 |
| 6 | Bel Air, MD | 10545 | 2 | 18.97 |
| 7 | Cheverly, MD | 5954 | 1 | 16.8 |
| 8 | Hyattsville, MD | 20449 | 3 | 14.67 |
| 9 | Elkton, MD | 15960 | 2 | 12.53 |
| 10 | Easton, MD | 17471 | 2 | 11.45 |
| 11 | Bladensburg, MD | 9348 | 1 | 10.7 |
| 12 | Hagerstown, MD | 43792 | 4 | 9.13 |
| 13 | Laurel, MD | 29044 | 2 | 6.89 |
| 14 | Salisbury, MD | 33312 | 2 | 6.0 |
| 15 | Frederick, MD | 84157 | 5 | 5.94 |
| 16 | Aberdeen, MD | 17168 | 1 | 5.82 |
| 17 | Bowie, MD | 56678 | 1 | 1.76 |
| 18 | Gaithersburg, MD | 68682 | 1 | 1.46 |